Wonder of Science

What Wonder of Science does

Wonder of Science is a non-profit STEM education initiative launched in 2012 and hosted by The University of Queensland in St Lucia, Brisbane. The program delivers curriculum-aligned challenge tasks, in-school visits by PhD student ambassadors, regional and state student conferences, and a Flying Scientists community outreach program to Years 4-9 students across Queensland schools, with 74% of participating schools located in rural and remote communities in 2022. The organization reports reaching over 100,000 people cumulatively since inception and serves a participant base where 62% of schools fall below average ICSEA ranking.

The core offering centers on the Challenge Task Program, supported by a coordinated network of 141 Young Science Ambassadors drawn from five Queensland universities (UQ, QUT, Griffith, CQUniversity, University of the Sunshine Coast) in 2023, plus a Flying Scientists extension staffed by early-to-mid-career researchers. Supporting programs include the Gen-STEM one-on-one mentoring track for Year 7 girls, the Wonder of Extreme Science seminar series for Year 10 students, and tailored teacher professional development resources. The program's pedagogical foundation is inquiry-based learning with real-world problem scenarios mapped to the Australian Curriculum: Science.

The business model is a non-profit funding model rather than a commercial revenue model. Schools participate free of charge, and the program is funded through corporate sponsorships (Rio Tinto, Orica, GroundProbe, Arrow Energy), Queensland Government grants (Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation; Office of Queensland Chief Scientist), and public donations processed via the UQ donation portal. Wonder of Science and Young Science Ambassador are registered trademarks owned by The University of Queensland.

Name

Wonder of Science

Legal name

Wonder of Science, The University of Queensland

Website

https://wonderofscience.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wonder of Science is a non-profit STEM education initiative hosted by The University of Queensland that delivers curriculum-aligned challenge tasks, PhD-student-led school visits, and conferences to Years 4-9 students across Queensland schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• School engagement initiatives
• Youth mentoring services
• Science outreach services
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Funding from corporate partners including Rio Tinto, Orica, GroundProbe, and Arrow Energy who support school programs, events, Young Science Ambassador bursaries, regional conferences, and development of new challenge tasks.
2. Government Grants: Funding support from Queensland Government, Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, and the Office of Queensland Chief Scientist for Flying Scientists program.
3. Donations: Public donations accepted via University of Queensland donation portal to support expert scientists and engineers visiting school students and teachers across Queensland.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wonder of Science delivers free STEM education programs to Queensland schools (Years 4-9), built around inquiry-based challenge tasks aligned to the Australian Curriculum. PhD researchers from partner universities act as Young Science Ambassadors, visiting schools to mentor students, judge presentations, and serve as STEM role models, with regional and state conferences showcasing student work and Flying Scientists events extending reach into regional communities.

Product overview

Wonder of Science is a unified STEM education initiative hosted by The University of Queensland that operates as an integrated portfolio of programs targeting Years 4-9 students in Queensland schools. The core offerings include the Challenge Task Program (term-long STEM inquiry tasks aligned to the Australian Curriculum), the Young Science Ambassadors Program (PhD researcher school visits), Student Conferences (regional and state showcases), and the Flying Scientists Program (regional community STEM events). Supporting modules include the Gen-STEM Mentoring Program (one-on-one girls in STEM mentoring) and Teacher Professional Development services. The programs are designed to foster a STEM culture where students, teachers, and parents understand and value STEM education and careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Young Science Ambassador: PhD researchers from leading Queensland universities who visit schools to work with students on challenge tasks
• Flying Scientists
• Gen-STEM
• Wonder of Extreme Science

Products and services

• Challenge Task Program STEM inquiry challenge tasks aligned to the Australian Curriculum: Science for Years 4-9 students, in which representative teams develop collaborative responses to real-world problems and present them at regional and state conferences.
• Young Science Ambassadors Program Program coordinating selected PhD researchers from leading Queensland universities to visit participating schools, work with students on challenge tasks, support presentation development, and judge at student conferences.
• Student Conferences (Regional and State) One-day regional student conferences where representative teams present challenge task responses and compete, plus an annual State Conference in Brisbane for regional winners, featuring Speed-meet-the-Scientist activities and workshops.
• Flying Scientists Program Early-mid career researchers accompany Young Science Ambassadors into regional Queensland centres to deliver community STEM awareness events addressing the shortage of science events outside South East Queensland.
• Gen-STEM Mentoring Program Girls in STEM one-on-one mentoring program partnering Year 7 students with female Young Science Ambassadors for STEM inquiry projects, including UQ lab tours, in collaboration with Foxwell State Secondary College.
• Teacher Professional Development Tailored professional development along with unit and lesson plans supporting teachers to implement the Wonder of Science program in schools, plus bespoke programs, one-off visits, and events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of students and 100% of teachers recommend Wonder of Science to others (2022 State Conference)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• The University of QueenslandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Host institution for Wonder of Science program. Provides administrative infrastructure, Graduate School partnership, and coordinates Young Science Ambassadors from UQ. The program is a trademark of UQ.
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing PhD students as Young Science Ambassadors and hosting regional conferences (Metro Regional Conference).
• Griffith UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing PhD students as Young Science Ambassadors and supporting regional conference activities.
• CQUniversity AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner hosting regional conferences (e.g., CQUniversity Gladstone) and providing student ambassadors.
• University of the Sunshine CoastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing PhD students as Young Science Ambassadors for the program.
• Rio TintomajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding partner supporting Wonder of Science in Far North Queensland and Cairns region. Sponsors regional conferences and school participation in FNQ.
• OricamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting schools in Mount Isa region and regional Queensland to participate in Wonder of Science program.
• GroundProbemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Wonder of Science in Mount Isa and Gladstone regions. Staff raised over $6,400 for program bursaries.
• Arrow EnergymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-term funding partner supporting Wonder of Science in Darling Downs and Surat Basin for over nine years, enabling free participation for regional schools.
• Queensland Chief Scientist / Office of Queensland Chief ScientistcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner providing strategic direction for Flying Scientists program and co-hosting community STEM events in regional Queensland.
• Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueensland Government department partnering on Flying Scientists program and addressing shortage of science events outside South East Queensland.
• Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner supporting state conferences and providing workshop leaders and judges for student presentations.
• CoralWatchsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to conferences and science engagement activities.
• Thermo Fisher ScientificsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Wonder of Science state conferences.
• Education QueenslandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueensland Department of Education partnership supporting program delivery in state schools.
• James Cook UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner hosting Cairns regional conference at JCU campus.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• The Smith Family: Large Australian education-focused non-profit supporting disadvantaged students, including STEM-relevant learning programs. Comparable as a domestic non-profit using corporate and government funding to deliver school-facing education outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Engineers Australia: Professional body running STEM outreach programs in schools including engineering challenges and ambassadors-in-schools initiatives, overlapping with Wonder of Science's industry-partner-driven STEM engagement approach.
• Science Gallery International: Global network of university-anchored science engagement venues for young adults; the Melbourne node is particularly comparable as a university-hosted science engagement model targeting student audiences.
• Australian Museum (Eureka Prize host): Awarding body of the Eureka Prize (which Wonder of Science won) and operator of science education programming, with comparable science engagement, teacher resources, and student outreach missions.
• CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): Australia's national science agency runs school-facing STEM education programs (e.g., STEM Professionals in Schools, Curious Minds girls-in-STEM) comparable in mission to Wonder of Science, but with a much broader national mandate and significantly larger budget.
• Australian Academy of Science: Runs school science education programs (e.g., Science by Doing, primary connections) and convenes scientists for outreach - overlaps with Wonder of Science's teacher professional development and curriculum-aligned inquiry focus.

Direct peers

• Science Olympiad Australia: Coordinates school-level science competitions with regional qualifying rounds culminating in national selection events, mirroring Wonder of Science's regional-to-state conference structure for STEM challenge tasks.
• Australian Mathematics Trust: Runs the Australian Mathematics Competition, computational/algorithmic challenges, and enrichment programs for school students - highly comparable competition-and-conference-based STEM enrichment model used by Wonder of Science.
• FIRST Australia (FIRST Robotics Competition): Delivers school-based STEM engagement programs (robotics, coding) in Australia with regional events culminating in national showcases - directly comparable competition and conference-driven STEM enrichment model.
• Questacon - National Science and Technology Centre: Australia's national science engagement institution delivers inquiry-based STEM programs to schools and runs travelling exhibitions and outreach activities, directly overlapping with Wonder of Science's school STEM engagement and community events mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=Rg2udtv9OOk
• Facebookfacebook.com/wonderofscienceprogram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wonder-of-science

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Wonder of Science