After a successful proposal to The EEA and Norway Grants, FIRST Scandinavia and Croatian partners have received funding for building two Newton Rooms in Ludbreg, Croatia. The city has 3.603 inhabitants, and a total of 8,478 in the entire municipality. Croatians know it as the Centre of the World.
The EEA and Norway Grants are funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The Grants have two goals – to contribute to a more equal Europe, both socially and economically – and to strengthen the relations between Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and the 15 Beneficiary States in Europe.
The Newton Rooms will be realized through the project ``Regional Scientific Center for Primary School Education in the STEM Area``, acronym LORI, with a total value of EUR 2,950,302.10.
The goal of the project is to solve the problem of insufficient spaces for STEM education and activities in the area of Ludbreg and Varaždin County. The Newton Rooms will increase the STEM opportunities for students in the area.
Margrethe Skjelbred, from FIRST Scandinavia, Mayor Dubravko Bilić, and Haakon Blankenborg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, at the location for the two Newton Rooms.
Kick-off
Last week all partners met for the first time at a kick-off conference in Ludbreg and got to see the sites where the rooms will be built.
The project manager from FIRST Scandinavia, Margrethe Skjelbred, is looking forward to getting started with the physical establishment.
“We are also thankful for the network we have been introduced to via this project.
With that, I want to thank the partners who are here today and who ensured this project became a reality and who will be working towards our common goal”
Attending the conference was Mrs. Nataša Dimitrovič, the representative of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU projects, Mr. Haakon Blankenborg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Mr. Anđelko Stričak, Prefect of Varaždin County, the Mayor of Ludbreg Mr. Dubravko Bilić, and his team at Town Ludbreg.
Project manager from FIRST Scandinavia, Margrethe Skjelbred.
“We are grateful for the opportunity we have been given, and we believe that the Newton Rooms will offer students in Ludbreg and the region a flexible and inclusive learning environment for practical teaching, with equal opportunities for all who participate”, says Margrethe
Proud Mayor
Mayor Dubravko Bilić, as stated in the press release, pointed out that this project aims to give a town like Ludbreg the opportunity to, as a small place with a small number of inhabitants, raise great people, raise children into people who are ready for Europe and the world and who, with their knowledge, can be not only residents of Ludbreg and neighboring municipalities whose schools are included in the project but of the whole of Europe.
Mayor Dubravko Bilić.
“This project is also important for our partners, it is ultimately important for the Republic of Croatia as well because Ludbreg is the first city in Croatia that will implement this method of education through Newton rooms. It's really a special thing developed in Norway with the desire to provide their children and children all over the world with a more practical way of education so that they can easily enter the world of adults, that they can change the world much faster, much better and adapt it to today's times, Dubravko Bilić said.
Give opportunities to teachers
In addition to the two Newton Rooms, Town Ludbreg, and the Croatian partners are conducting various activities aimed at inspiring and improving the STEM skills of teachers. One of the scheduled activities is study trips to different Norwegian cities.
FOR THE FIRST TIME. All the partners in the Croatian project, met in Ludbreg a last week.
Photos: Podravski
