Forscherwelt/Researchers' World

How to encourage children to take up science? Get them interested young! A love of science starts in childhood. Through Henkel’s ‘Forscherwelt’ ‏(Researchers’ World) education initiative, children discover the thrill of scientific experimentation. They become little researchers and get a playful introduction into science’s secrets. The initiative’s patron is Dr. Simone Bagel-Trah, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and the Shareholders’ Committee at Henkel. The international education initiative is looking back at more than 10 successful years. About 115,000 children around the world have already taken part in this initiative, playfully discovering scientific secrets by conducting a variety of experiments.

Henkel Launches Forscherwelt in the UK and Ireland: Inspiring Young Minds in STEM

Henkel UK and Ireland has officially introduced Forscherwelt, Henkel’s global initiative created to spark an early passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths ‏(STEM). The launch event, on 6 February 2025 at Maple Grove Primary School in Hemel Hempstead, marked the country’s entry into the growing international Forscherwelt network.

Forscherwelt, which translates to “Researchers’ World,” has been engaging young learners in hands-on scientific exploration since its debut at Henkel’s Düsseldorf headquarters in 2011. Now, children in the UK and Ireland will have the opportunity to embrace their natural curiosity by taking on the role of real-life researchers in a dynamic, interactive setting.

In partnership with EDT, a leading educational charity dedicated to connecting young people with industry, Forscherwelt offers children aged 8 to 10 a hands-on experience in scientific discovery. The programme is designed to encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and a love of experimentation by letting young participants assume the role of a real researcher. Through interactive experiments that mirror real-life research challenges, children are given the freedom to test ideas, embrace the possibility of failure, and learn in a supportive, creative environment.

Reflecting Henkel’s diverse expertise - from adhesives to personal care - Forscherwelt not only introduces children to scientific concepts but also inspires them to think about how innovation can address global challenges.

Reflecting Henkel’s diverse expertise - from adhesives to personal care - Forscherwelt not only introduces children to scientific concepts but also inspires them to think about how innovation can address global challenges.

Tracy Mitchley, Head of Corporate Communications, Norden: “A love of science starts in childhood. We want to be able to inspire curiosity about the scientific world from an early age. The Forscherwelt classes are based on research areas that Henkel is active in, such as gluing, washing, personal care and sustainability. The latter involves teaching children how to become future sustainable scientific leaders.”

The launch day was a great success, with enthusiastic participation from all students. Local UK and Ireland ExCom members also attended the event to show their support for the initiative and get hands-on with the experiments.

“Societies need people fluent STEM, a critical aspect of what Henkel is about, and this programme is Henkel’s contribution to the field of scientific research. We are proud to have one of Henkel global Adhesive Technologies Centre of Excellences in Ireland, and hopefully we will see some of these future leaders working for Henkel one day,” says Sutinder, Country President for UK, Ireland and Norden.

With plans to engage over 1,000 children in its inaugural year and further expand in the coming years, Forscherwelt represents Henkel’s commitment to fostering the next generation of scientific leaders.

The ‘Forscherwelt’ concept

• In 2011, Henkel set up a dedicated “Forscherwelt” center in Düsseldorf that is tailored to children’s needs. In this area, children can take on the role of a researcher.
• Since then, the education initiative has become global. There are "Forscherwelt projects" in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
• In Stamford, Istanbul, Dubai and India, Henkel operates additional extracurricular Researchers' World learning sites together with established educational partners. In other countries, trained teachers visit elementary schools and conduct experiments with children there. 
• Internationally, “Forscherwelt” is established at selected Henkel sites and schools under its slogan of “Being like a scientist.”
• Since 2020, the classroom program has been supplemented and expanded with digital content and formats. These include videos, live streams of hands-on experiments, and hybrid forms.

Varied opportunities for children and teachers

• At ‘Forscherwelt’ children have the chance to conduct their first scientific experiments. The experiments touch upon the topics of glue, washing & cleaning, cosmetics, and sustainability. Kids can ask experts questions and gain insight into how research is conducted.
• The educational concept of ‘Forscherwelt’ was developed by Prof. Dr. Katrin Sommer, Chair of Chemistry Didactics at Ruhr-University Bochum.
• During the school year, Henkel offers four elementary schools a nine-part teaching program at ‘Forscherwelt’ every half year.
• Henkel employees’ children have the opportunity to take part in a one-week vacation course offered four times a year.
• Further professional development courses for teachers also take place at ‘Forscherwelt’ on a regular basis.