Eppendorf Focuses Outreach Programmes to Advance STEM Education in Europe

Projects in Cambridge UK, Vienna, and Hamburg widen access to work experience opportunities and inspire the next generation of scientists

Hamburg, DE, 07 JULY 2026 – Eppendorf, a leading international life science company that develops, manufactures, and distributes instruments, consumables, and services for use in laboratories around the world, today highlights its European outreach activities dedicated to addressing persistent challenges in STEM education.

 

2026 Vienna Open Labs Kid Academy
 

Demand for talent in strategic sectors such as digital technologies and healthcare continues to grow, whilst recent data shows that nearly 30% of EU students do not reach minimum proficiency in maths at the age of 15 yrs. The European Commission’s STEM Education Strategic Plan is intended to help reverse this trend and encourage more young people, especially girls, to pursue further study and careers in STEM. Against this backdrop, Eppendorf EMEA is supporting a variety of programs intended to spark scientific curiosity in young people, making science fun and accessible.

2026 Hertfordshire County Council Access to All visit to Eppendorf UK HQ

 
Through a long-standing collaboration of more than 10 years with the Vienna Open Lab, a joint venture between the Open Science association and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Eppendorf EMEA delivered the annual Eppendorf Kids Academy in April 2026. This year’s week-long course brought together students from local schools for hands-on workshops where they gained experience in lab-based experiments, including using pipettes, performing simple chromatography and DNA extraction, and setting up cell cultures.

 

Eppendorf Equipment at Hills Road Sixth Form

 
In Cambridgeshire, UK, Eppendorf EMEA is supporting STEM access through school partnerships and site visits. As part of the Hertfordshire County Council’s Access to All project, the Company partnered with schools in Stevenage to welcome students to its UK headquarters, where they toured facilities and saw how Eppendorf’s instruments are used in life science research. Eppendorf also has an ongoing partnership with Hills Road Sixth Form in Cambridge, donating equipment including micropipettes, PCR machines, and microcentrifuges, to help students gain hands-on experience with quality laboratory tools.

 

Eppendorf LEGO pipette

 
Eppendorf hosts its own Corporate Kids Day event – as a combination of Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day – , inviting school children to its laboratories to explore the variety of careers available in the life sciences. Kids’ Day is part of a German nationwide campaign day promoting stereotype-free career guidance, with the goal of introducing young people to a variety of career paths at an early age. As part of Eppendorf’s Kids Day 2026, held on the 24th of April, 25 children were invited to join their parents at the Hamburg HQ and spent time with teams in production, the so-called Future People technical academy, and R&D. The day also included a visit to the Eppendorf Forum, a centre dedicated to the Company’s history, and practical experience in the laboratory.
 
Appealing to all ages, an Eppendorf pipette was a centrepiece in a recent exhibition in Spain. During the Hospibrick and Click Fair, a joint initiative between LEGO and Playmobile, Eppendorf’s LEGO pipette formed part of Hispalug’s science-focused display alongside a microscope, test tubes, and DNA models, promoting science outside of a conventional laboratory.
 
Together, these initiatives are helping young people across Europe engage with science, gain access to STEM educational resources, as well as highlighting the wide range of career opportunities in the life science sector.
 
Mathias Wenisch, Vice President Sales, Indirect Sales Area EMEA, at Eppendorf Group, said: “As a global leader in scientific innovation, we recognize that the future of the European STEM sector depends entirely on inspiring the next generation of scientists. Through our outreach programmes and partnerships with local schools, we are widening access to STEM education, innovative scientific instruments, and work experience opportunities. By giving young people first-hand exposure, we hope to spark lasting excitement and curiosity, and inspire future scientists, doctors, and engineers.”
 
For further information, please contact:
Zyme Communications
Francesca Wallace
Email: francesca.wallace@zymecommunications.com
Tel: +44 (0)7506 424 870
 
Eppendorf Group
Sabrina Stock
Email: stock.s@eppendorf.de
 
About the Eppendorf Group
Eppendorf is a leading international life science company that develops, manufactures, and distributes instruments, consumables, and services for use in laboratories around the world.
The product portfolio of the business units Liquid Handling & Consumables, Separation & Instrumentation and Bioprocess includes, for example, pipettes, pipette tips, centrifuges, mixers, ultra-freezers and bioreactors for cell and gene research. In addition, Eppendorf offers a wide range of high-quality consumables. In fiscal year 2025, the Eppendorf Group recorded consolidated revenue of €924.0 million and invested €60.9 million in research and development (R&D).
 
Eppendorf products are used in academic or industrial research laboratories, such as pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical, and food industries, as well as clinical, environmental, forensic, and industrial laboratories for process analysis, production, and quality assurance.
 
Since 1945, the Eppendorf Group has been headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, and today operates production and R&D sites in Europe, Asia and North America and has subsidiaries in 30 countries. Today, the Group employs more than 4,000 people worldwide. They all act in accordance with the purpose of the company's founders: to improve human living conditions.