Cambridge Science Centre
Cambridge Science Centre is a UK educational charity operating hands-on science exhibits, shows, and school workshops from its Cambridge and Wisbech centres for families, schools, and underserved Fenland communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Cambridge Science Centre does
Cambridge Science Centre is a UK-registered educational charity (Charity Number 1146349, Company Number 07962584) founded in 2012 that operates hands-on science engagement centres in Cambridge and Wisbech. Its core offering is a physical visitor attraction featuring over 20 interactive exhibits (e.g., Building Bridges, Gear Wall, Guess the Weight), live Science Shows, and Lab and Work-Bench activities facilitated by trained Science Communicators, plus curriculum-linked programmes for schools (KS1-KS3), STEMtots for preschoolers, and a community outreach programme called 'STEM in the Fens' serving underserved Fenland areas. The charity operates from a permanent venue at The Trinity Centre, Cambridge Science Park (opened July 2024) and a secondary hub at Horsefair Shopping Centre in Wisbech (opened September 2024).
The revenue model is diversified and non-commercial: Annual Memberships (£12.50–£35), Single Visit Tickets (£5–£13.75 with optional 10% Gift Aid-eligible donation), school bookings, birthday parties, special events, and donations/grants from individuals, corporate sponsors, and government funders. The charity receives no core government funding and reinvests 83p of every £1 raised into programmes. Funding is anchored by an Executive Council of corporate partners including AstraZeneca (10-year partnership celebrated 2025), Illumina, Nuclera, Roche, CEMEX, MathWorks, Cambridge Consultants, Trinity College Cambridge, and Anglia Ruskin University. Go-to-market combines direct consumer visitation, DigiTickets-powered online bookings, school outreach (including Roche-funded Challenge Days reaching 49+ schools), and PopUpScience roadshows across the East of England.
Cambridge Science Centre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cambridge Science Centre
- Legal name
- Cambridge Science Centre
- Website
- https://www.cambridgesciencecentre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cambridge Science Centre is a UK educational charity operating hands-on science exhibits, shows, and school workshops from its Cambridge and Wisbech centres for families, schools, and underserved Fenland communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cambridge Science Centre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Science Education Centre
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)
Keywords
Where Cambridge Science Centre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cambridge Science Centre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Annual Memberships: Pay once, visit all year with unlimited entry. Includes early access to exclusive events and regular updates on upcoming events. Membership covers day admission only.
- Single Visit Tickets: One-off 2-hour sessions with optional 10% voluntary donation. Ticket price includes Gift Aid eligibility for UK taxpayers.
- School Bookings: Curriculum-linked workshops for schools during term time, led by Science Communicators.
- Birthday Parties: Bookable birthday party experiences at the Centre.
- Donations and Grants: Charitable donations from individuals and organisations. Corporate sponsors and Executive Council members provide financial support. Grant funding from organisations like Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
- Special Events: After-hours events like Twilight at the Museums, adult-only events, and special holiday programmes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership - Adult (18+ years) |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership - Child (4-17 years) |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership - Child (2-3 years) |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership - Child (Under 2) |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership - Free Carer |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Visit - Adult (18+ years) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Visit - Child (4-17 years) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Visit - Child (2-3 years) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Visit - Essential Carer |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Cambridge Science Centre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cambridge Science Centre is a registered educational charity that operates a hands-on, interactive science centre featuring 20+ exhibits spanning biology, chemistry, physics, maths, engineering, space and technology. It sells memberships, day tickets, birthday parties, curriculum-linked school workshops and live science shows, and delivers outreach programmes such as PopUpScience and STEM in the Fens to schools and community audiences across Cambridgeshire.
Product overview
Cambridge Science Centre is a hands-on science museum and educational charity offering interactive exhibits, live science shows, and structured activities for children, families, and schools. The core product portfolio consists of ticketed admission (Annual Memberships and Single Visit Tickets), educational programmes (School Workshops, STEMtots for preschool children, and Challenge Days), and public engagement activities (Science Shows, Lab Activities). The Centre operates a permanent venue at The Trinity Centre in Cambridge Science Park featuring over 20 interactive exhibits, supplemented by community outreach through the STEM in the Fens programme in Wisbech. Strategic initiatives include the 'Building a Better Future' programme (Built Environment focus, 2025-2027) and the forthcoming 'Your Smart World' programme (digital/AI focus, Easter 2027). Partnerships with organisations like AstraZeneca, Illumina, and Nuclera bring scientific expertise to the Centre's Lab space.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Annual Memberships (Standard and Premium) Recurring membership for individuals, families, grandparents and premium members that unlocks free unlimited visits, discounts in the shop and café, exclusive events and member-only perks; balances roll over for members who do not visit.
- Single Visit Tickets
- Science Shows
- STEMtots
- Lab and Work-Bench Activities
- School Workshops
- Birthday Parties
- Venue Hire
- PopUpScience Outreach
- STEM in the Fens / STEM in Wisbech
- Building a Better Future Programme
- Challenge Days (e.g. Roche)
- Interactive Exhibits (20+ in-centre exhibits)
Quantifiable outcome
- Half a million learners engaged since 2012
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Cambridge Science Centre
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cambridge Science Centre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
Cambridge Science Centre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Cambridge Growth CompanyflagshipLead partner on 'Building a Better Future' programme alongside Trinity College Cambridge. Contributing specialist knowledge and cutting-edge innovation to create locally relevant, age-appropriate STEM exhibits and activities about buildings and spaces.
- Trinity College, University of CambridgeflagshipLead partner on 'Building a Better Future' programme alongside Cambridge Growth Company. Contributing to the Built Environment Learning Programme and Executive Council membership.
- Barnes ConstructioncoreBuilt Environment programme partner supporting the 'Building a Better Future' initiative. Providing industry expertise and leadership in getting the programme off the ground.
- The Crown EstatecoreBuilt Environment programme partner that designed an energy networks cleantech exhibit specifically for the 'Building a Better Future' programme.
- Cambridge Science ParkcoreBuilt Environment programme partner and host location. Partnership includes providing space for Cambridge Science Centre at The Trinity Centre and supporting the Built Environment Learning Programme.
- Cambridge Building SocietycoreBuilt Environment programme partner supporting the 'Building a Better Future' initiative through the Built Environment Learning Programme.
- COELcoreBuilt Environment programme partner supporting the 'Building a Better Future' initiative through the Built Environment Learning Programme.
- RochecoreFully-funded Challenge Days programme bringing immersive STEM education to schools across the country. Roche provides real-world science content and personal career information. Challenge Days engage students as Epidemic Crisis Response Units solving disease outbreak challenges. Reached 11 schools/856 students by early 2025, expanding to 49 more schools.
- Astex PharmaceuticalsminorScientists from Astex Pharmaceuticals conducted a lab takeover during half-term, sharing crystallisation experiments with visitors and exploring how new medicines are discovered.
- NucleracorePartnership on the Lab space inside the new Cambridge Science Centre venue showcasing Cambridge's life science innovation history. Nuclera's support enabled creation of a dedicated space with hands-on tinkering and authentic scientific tools for over 30,000 young learners annually.
- IlluminacoreExecutive Council member and collaborator at events like Big Biology Day. Provided DNA sequencing machine demonstrations and scientist interactions at DNA Day celebrations including HRH The Princess Royal visit. Contributed scientists to Superheroes Lab space event.
- Brockton EverlastcoreThree-year partnership to develop an innovative Built Environment Learning Programme. Partnership includes funding for programme development and team expansion with new weekend roles. Focuses on broadening young people's perception of careers in urban planning and development.
- The Trinity CentrecoreHost venue for Cambridge Science Centre located on the ground floor. Provides facilities, accessible parking, and shared amenities including the Trinity Baristas café.
- CEMEX UK MaterialscoreExecutive Council member providing support for concrete science events and activities. Brought expertise and enthusiasm for hands-on science exploring properties of concrete, sustainability, and low-carbon alternatives during Easter events.
- Owlstone MedicalminorContributed scientists to the Superheroes Lab space event at Cambridge Science Centre, sharing their time and expertise to inspire the next generation of scientists.
- AstraZenecaflagshipTen-year partnership (celebrated in 2025) supporting STEM outreach programmes. AstraZeneca has provided vital funding for exhibitions (LifeWorks! 2016, Science in Pictures), PopUpScience roadshows, and community expansion into Fenland. Partnership includes employee volunteer programmes, workplace nursery activities, and STEM Ambassador involvement.
- Trinity CollegecoreExecutive Council member providing ongoing support to Cambridge Science Centre.
- ARU (Anglia Ruskin University)coreExecutive Council member providing academic partnership and support to Cambridge Science Centre.
- Cambridge ConsultantscoreExecutive Council member providing engineering and technical expertise to Cambridge Science Centre.
- MathWorkscoreExecutive Council member providing software and technical support to Cambridge Science Centre.
- Bruntwood SciTechcoreExecutive Council member supporting Cambridge Science Centre.
- Horsefair Shopping CentrecoreWisbech hub host providing permanent location at the former Argos unit. Partnership enables 'STEM in the Fens' project delivery.
- Centre for Landscape RegenerationminorCo-developed workshop helping young people discover how people have changed and developed the Fenland landscape, accessed by over 13 schools with approximately 400 students.
- Potter RaperminorBuilt Environment programme partner supporting the 'Building a Better Future' initiative.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cambridge Science Centre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Science Museum (London): UK's flagship science museum offering interactive exhibits, science shows, and educational programmes. Direct peer as the most established UK science museum; Cambridge Science Centre's Science Communicator (Cheryl McAndrew) joined from the Science Museum, evidencing direct talent and operational cross-pollination.
- Glasgow Science Centre: Major UK science centre operating permanent interactive exhibits, IMAX cinema, and educational programmes. Operates on a comparable hands-on-exhibit + school-workshop + membership model and serves as a relevant size/scale comparator for Cambridge Science Centre's growth trajectory.
- Centre for Life (Newcastle): Northeast England science village combining interactive exhibits, life-science research presence, and educational programmes. Comparable hybrid museum + science-communication model; its location within a broader biomedical cluster mirrors Cambridge's Cambridge Science Park adjacency.
- Thinktank (Birmingham): Birmingham's science museum offering interactive exhibits across science and technology themes plus an active schools programme. Comparable scale and operating model with a regional catchment and corporate sponsor base.
- We The Curious (Bristol): Bristol-based science centre focused on hands-on, open-ended exploration with a strong school and family visitor model. Comparable positioning around open-ended interactive exhibits and a learning-by-doing pedagogy aligned with Cambridge Science Centre's 'over 20 hands-on exhibits' offering.
- Eureka! The National Children's Museum: UK children's museum in Halifax dedicated to learning through play and interactive exhibits for the under-11s. Direct peer given Cambridge Science Centre's child-centric (ages 5-11 primary) programming and similar hands-on discovery philosophy.
- Techniquest (Cardiff): Wales's largest science discovery centre operating interactive exhibits, science shows, and a schools programme. Closely comparable operating model as a regional UK science centre with a strong school visits pipeline and STEM outreach mission.
- National Space Centre (Leicester): UK science centre focused on space exploration with exhibits, planetarium, and school workshops. Cambridge Science Centre offers a comparable 'Moonshot' space exploration show and similar thematic show/exhibit mix; useful peer for themed-programme benchmarking.
- Catalyst Science Discovery Centre (Widnes): Northwest England science discovery centre focused on chemistry and materials science with hands-on exhibits and school visits. Comparable scale, hands-on pedagogy, and mission-driven charity operating model.
Broad incumbents
- The Royal Institution (London): Historic UK science communication and education charity operating the Faraday Museum, public lectures, schools programming, and science demonstration shows. Comparable science-communication mission and 'Science Shows' offering (e.g., Cambridge's themed demonstrations mirror the Ri's Christmas Lectures tradition).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cambridge Science Centre social profiles
Digital presenceCambridge Science Centre compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Cambridge Science Centre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cambridge Science Centre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Cambridge Science Centre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cambridge Science Centre M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Science Centre
What does Cambridge Science Centre do?
Cambridge Science Centre is a registered educational charity that operates a hands-on, interactive science centre featuring 20+ exhibits spanning biology, chemistry, physics, maths, engineering, space and technology. It sells memberships, day tickets, birthday parties, curriculum-linked school workshops and live science shows, and delivers outreach programmes such as PopUpScience and STEM in the Fens to schools and community audiences across Cambridgeshire.
Is Cambridge Science Centre a public or private company?
Cambridge Science Centre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Cambridge Science Centre founded?
Cambridge Science Centre was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cambridge Science Centre based?
Cambridge Science Centre is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cambridge Science Centre make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Annual Memberships are the primary driver. The others are single Visit Tickets, school Bookings, birthday Parties, donations and Grants and special Events.
Who are Cambridge Science Centre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Science Museum (London), Glasgow Science Centre, Centre for Life (Newcastle), Thinktank (Birmingham), We The Curious (Bristol), Eureka! The National Children's Museum, Techniquest (Cardiff), National Space Centre (Leicester) and Catalyst Science Discovery Centre (Widnes). The Royal Institution (London) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Cambridge Science Centre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cambridge Science Centre.
What industry is Cambridge Science Centre in?
Cambridge Science Centre's product category is Science Education Centre. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAD, Science & Technology Museums, with a secondary code of EDAMABAA, Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs). Its NAICS code is 712 and its SIC code is 8200.