Edinburgh Science

What Edinburgh Science does

Edinburgh Science, legally constituted as Edinburgh Science Foundation, is a Scottish registered charity (SC003790) that delivers science engagement programming across Scotland, headquartered at 20 Hopetoun Street, Edinburgh. Founded in 1989, the organization has run its flagship annual Science Festival (with the next edition scheduled for 3-18 April 2027), a Schools Programme for primary and secondary education, and Community Engagement activities delivered in libraries and local venues. In March 2026 it formalized a five-year partnership with the University of Edinburgh via a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen public engagement, knowledge exchange, and professional development.

The organization's core "products" are physical and digital programmes rather than technology products: the Science Festival, Schools Programme, Community Engagement, On Demand digital content, and two commissioned service modules (Festival Creation and Delivery, and Bespoke Content Creation). Its underlying infrastructure consists of a box office, multi-venue event logistics, a schools outreach delivery team, and a WordPress-based digital platform for programme information and on-demand content. There is no proprietary technology stack, no app, and no AI or ML capability disclosed.

Revenue is generated across five streams: ticket sales for the festival, individual donations and giving, corporate sponsorship, trusts and foundations grants, and commissioned professional services for external clients. The business model is event-driven and donation-supported rather than structured pricing. Audience segments include general public festival attendees, schools (primary and secondary), community organizations, and corporate clients commissioning bespoke work. Geographic focus is Scotland, with international reach limited to digital on-demand content and select commissioned projects.

Name

Edinburgh Science

Legal name

Edinburgh Science Foundation

Website

https://sciencefestival.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Edinburgh Science Foundation is a registered Scottish charity that delivers science engagement programming, including an annual Science Festival, schools outreach, and community activities, serving the Scottish public, educators, and corporate clients through donations, sponsorship, and commissioned services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Education and Public Outreach Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Science festival events
• Science education outreach
• Schools engagement programmes
• Community science activities
• Charitable science communication

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival and Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticket sales for the annual Science Festival and other events. The festival is a significant revenue stream for the organization.
2. Donations and Individual Giving: Charitable donations from individuals who support the organization's mission to engage the public with science.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors provide funding in exchange for partnership benefits and brand visibility at events.
4. Commissioned Work: Services delivered to external clients including festival creation, delivery, and bespoke content creation for organizations.
5. Trusts and Foundations: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations that support science education and public engagement initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Edinburgh Science Foundation is a Scottish registered charity (SC003790) delivering the annual Edinburgh Science Festival, year-round Schools Programmes (Primary and Secondary), and Community Engagement activities across libraries and local venues. It also offers "On Demand" digital content extending reach beyond physical events, and a "Commission Us" service line providing Festival Creation and Delivery and Bespoke Content Creation for external clients and partners.

Product overview

Edinburgh Science operates as a charitable organization (SC003790) that has been delivering science engagement for over 30 years. The core offering consists of the annual Science Festival (running annually in April, with the next edition 3-18 April 2027), the Schools Programme (covering both Primary and Secondary levels), and Community Engagement initiatives. The organisation also provides On Demand digital content and offers commissioning services under 'Commission Us', which includes Festival Creation and Delivery and Bespoke Content Creation modules for external partners. The portfolio functions as a platform of interconnected engagement channels—live festivals, educational programmes, and digital content—that work together to deliver science outreach across different audience segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Festival The flagship annual Science Festival delivered across multiple venues in Edinburgh (including City Arts Centre), featuring events, exhibitions, and activities for general public attendees of all ages.
• Schools Programme Year-round educational programmes delivered to Primary and Secondary schools, providing science outreach and curriculum-linked learning experiences for students.
• Community Engagement Science engagement activities delivered at community venues including libraries and local centres, making science accessible to general audiences beyond the annual festival.
• On Demand Digital and recorded science content available on demand, extending programme reach beyond live physical events.
• Festival Creation and Delivery Commissioned professional services for creating and delivering science festivals for external clients, partners, and venues.
• Bespoke Content Creation Custom science content development services for clients seeking tailored educational or engagement materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enhanced public engagement with science and research through formalized collaboration

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026Edinburgh Science and the University of Edinburgh formalized a five-year partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen public engagement with science and research. The collaboration aims to enhance knowledge exchange, professional development opportunities, and public access to scientific research. The agreement builds on the organizations' existing long-standing working relationship in science outreach and education.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Royal Observatory Greenwich: Operates public astronomy and science engagement programming, schools workshops, and events as part of Royal Museums Greenwich, overlapping with Edinburgh Science on the STEM public engagement and education mission.

Direct peers

• Royal Institution: A long-established UK charity delivering public science lectures, schools programming, and family events (e.g. Christmas Lectures), making it a direct peer on the public-facing science education mission and revenue mix.
• Cheltenham Science Festival: Operates an annual science festival in the UK with comparable public-facing science engagement programming, ticketed events, and a schools/community outreach footprint, making it the closest like-for-like peer to Edinburgh Science.
• British Science Association: Runs British Science Week and a national programme of public engagement events, including the annual British Science Festival, overlapping directly with Edinburgh Science's festival-and-schools engagement model.

Regional players

• Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre: A UK science engagement and education charity operating public events, schools programming, and festival-style activities, comparable as a regional science outreach charity with a different geographic footprint.
• Glasgow Science Centre: A Scottish science centre and education charity delivering public exhibitions, schools programmes, and community engagement, comparable as a regional peer within Scotland targeting overlapping audiences and sponsors.
• National Space Centre: A Leicester-based science visitor attraction and education charity delivering STEM programming, schools workshops, and public events, comparable as a UK regional science engagement charity outside Edinburgh's geography.

Broad incumbents

• Science Museum Group: A much larger national operator of science museums (London, Manchester, York, Bradford) with schools, community, and corporate partnership programmes, representing a broad incumbent that overlaps Edinburgh Science's audience and sponsor pool but at far greater scale.
• Wellcome Trust: A major UK charitable foundation funding public engagement with science, often through grants to organizations like Edinburgh Science, and operating its own engagement programmes; a broad incumbent funder and operator in the same mission space.

Others

• Imperial College London (Public Engagement): Runs university-led science festivals (e.g. Imperial Festival) and extensive schools outreach, comparable as a UK institution combining research-led science engagement with schools programming, similar to the University of Edinburgh partnership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/edinscience
• Xx.com/EdSciFest
• Instagraminstagram.com/edinburghscience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Edinburgh Science