Children's University

The KinderUni Graz is supported by the Ing. F. Schmiedl Foundation. The well-known rocket and communications researcher Friedrich Schmiedl has bequeathed his fortune to the city of Graz. In a reorganisation of the foundation, the proceeds will not only be invested in scholarships for young scientists in future, but will also be used to awaken the spirit of research in the young people of Graz.

The experienced children's book author, initiator of the "Forscherexpress" and 2004 Romy Award winner for children, Professor h.c. Thomas Brezina, has been enlisted to provide expert suggestions and tips for implementation. Thomas Brezina could be won over.

The primary aim of the KinderUni Graz is to get children interested in scientific and artistic topics and to offer them a playground to fulfil their thirst for research. With the help of highly qualified lecturers (scientists from the respective disciplines), who answer subject-specific questions in a child-friendly way, the KinderUni Graz offers children the opportunity to work on topics of interest to them and to learn about them in a playful way.

The most important thing, however, is that children enjoy attending lectures and seminars. Learning should not take place out of compulsion, but out of interest and curiosity. The needs of the children take centre stage, as does the opportunity to get to know the universities from the inside.

The KinderUni Graz programme is aimed not only at children and parents, but also at school classes in particular, and combines lecture-style events with practical examples (workshop character). On the one hand, this should make it possible to appeal to as many children as possible and give them the chance to look at a topic from different angles, while on the other hand, experiments and workshop-style events allow for a more hands-on approach.