Ireland is the only member of the OECD without a national science centre for children - Let's change that!
The National Children’s Science Centre (NCSC) is a grassroots initiative committed to establishing a world-class science centre for children in the heart of Dublin City. This will be a national resource featuring a broad outreach programme around the country. A box to think outside the box.
Led by a volunteer board, the NCSC is determined to ensure Ireland joins every other OECD country in having an interactive children’s science centre.
Here is NCSC Board Member, Professor Luke O'Neil on why Ireland needs a National Science Centre for Children.
Your support will help bring the NCSC to life, providing world-class exhibits and life-changing educational programmes.
Contact us to add your voice to the call for government support. Together, we can make this project a priority on the national agenda.
Contact us to find out how to share our vision with your community. Together we can activate the fabulous, creative, scientific potential of our children to reveal itself and empower future innovators.
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Over twenty years ago, the Irish Government committed to a vision of developing Ireland’s first National Science Centre for children. The time has come to finally bring this transformative project across the line. Today, we are closer than ever to making that vision a reality—but it demands decisive action and firm government commitment to make it happen.
The NCSC represents an unparalleled opportunity for Ireland to join the ranks of developed nations with a national science centre for children. Currently, we are the only OECD country without such a facility—a glaring gap that fails to reflect Ireland’s aspirations to be a leader in science, technology and innovation.
The journey to establish the NCSC has seen significant milestones, including full planning permission secured in March 2024 for its home at the historic Earlsfort Terrace campus, which also houses the National Concert Hall. With full planning permission granted in September 2024 for the redevelopment of the National Concert Hall, now is the ideal moment to revitalise the disused North Wing, which has remained vacant since 2007, and transform it into a world-class National Children’s Science Centre.
The combined impact on Dublin’s South Georgian Quarter will be profound. Bringing together the National Children’s Science Centre and the redeveloped National Concert Hall on the same campus, will not only breathe new life into this historic site but also enrich Ireland’s cultural and educational landscape for generations to come. A key feature of the centre will be a state-of-the-art 122-seat planetarium, offering immersive journeys through the cosmos and inspiring the next generation of astronomers, scientists and explorers.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) is ready to begin the critical refurbishment of the unused North Wing. What remains is the essential next step: a firm commitment from the Government to provide the necessary capital funding and to designate responsibility for driving the project forward. With these commitments, the NCSC can be a transformative reality for Ireland’s children and the nation as a whole.
Providing an Irish science centre for children has garnered support from many of Ireland’s scientific community and educators. In 2023, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education recommended "The National Children’s Science Centre, in gestation for many years, should be opened as a matter of urgent national priority.”
Our campaign seeks to secure government support for this important project. Your voice is essential in strengthening our campaign and ensuring the National Children’s Science Centre becomes a reality. If you would like to join our campaign, please reach out to us at info@nationalchildrenssciencecentre.ie. Every supporter makes a difference.
Our mission is simple: To ignite young minds and create a world where creativity and science converge, shaping a brighter, more sustainable future for all.