Launched in 1997 by Cefic and a consortium of European science centres and museums, the CHEMistry for Life project aims to give the general public – and especially younger people – a better understanding of the role of chemistry in everyday life.
Supported by the European Commission, this partnership is the largest, most ambitious project ever devised to stimulate interest and scientific awareness among the tens of millions of visitors to Europe’s museums and science centres every year.
The aim is to develop chemistry-related exhibits that can be replicated and displayed in museums across Europe. By 2000, the project had generated 30 prototype exhibits – experiments, demonstrations, interactive workshops and multimedia displays – all designed as lively, entertaining additions to the chemistry galleries of Europe’s museums.
In November 2000, the prototypes were presented in Naples at the annual ECSITE (European Collaborative for Science, Industry and Technology Exhibitions) conference which brought together 300 delegates from 100 European and international science centres. While Cefic and the science centres consider future options, the results of the project so far have been transferred to the virtual gallery of the CHEMistry For Life website.