Inspiring future scientists: FunLab takes over the Trafford Centre

23 Mar 2026

FunLab saw the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s passionate science communicators return to the Trafford Centre on 7–8 March for the first time since COVID, marking the start of British Science Week. Taking over key spaces across the Centre, this year’s event was the biggest and best yet.

The free weekend‑long takeover is the Faculty’s flagship off‑campus public engagement event, designed to showcase real‑life science and engineering and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. The venue enabled us to reach a broader audience than on‑campus activity, including communities under‑represented in STEM and those who may not see STEM—or university study—as “for people like them.”

Across the two days, volunteers facilitated more than 35,000 interactions with visitors of all ages through hands‑on activities. A refreshed campaign and strengthened collaboration with Trafford Centre partners boosted engagement by 10,000 compared with pre‑COVID ScienceX events, despite lower overall footfall at the Centre. Notably, 92% of first‑time science‑event attendees told us that because of FunLab, they would attend similar events again.

Interest and enthusiasm were high among both visitors who came specifically for FunLab and those who discovered it on the day. This reflects the commitment of our volunteer staff and students, who delivered an array of engaging activities. Visitors could see our robot dog in action and learn how such technology supports work in hazardous environments, try landing a plane in the flight simulator, and get hands‑on with fossils and science experiments.

Feedback from visitors and the Trafford Centre team was overwhelmingly positive. One family who hadn’t known about FunLab before arriving said they “absolutely loved getting involved with everything. The staff were very informative, kind and made it all fun… Thank you so much for this wonderful event.”

The event also offered valuable experience for our students, helping them develop skills in public engagement, communication and outreach—key complements to their academic learning and to our broader teaching mission.

Our Trafford Centre partners are already eager to welcome FunLab back, reinforcing that we are “the university to partner with.” The Faculty Social Responsibility & EDIA team will continue exploring how this partnership can grow to support the Faculty’s contribution to the Manchester 2035 strategy.

• Find out more about this year’s activities and future events on the FunLab website.