Across 14 European countries, the STREAM IT initiative is creating lasting impact through its pioneering National Inspiration Hubs. These hubs are the cornerstone of an ambitious effort to empower educators, close gender gaps in STEM.

National Inspiration Hubs (NIHs) are more than project groups – they are dynamic, multi-sector networks that bring together teachers, policymakers, NGO project leaders, industry experts, universities, and community representatives. The heart of each NIH is its commitment to systemic change: collaboratively reducing gender bias, challenging stereotypes, and supporting teachers as agents of transformation. Each hub is uniquely tailored to its country’s context.

Partners begin by forming diverse steering committees, drawing on institutional, community, and educational strengths. Through in-depth needs assessments conducted by surveys, focus groups, curriculum reviews, and policy analyses, hubs identify the challenges and opportunities most relevant for their regions. This participatory approach ensures that the NIH agenda answers real needs, not just theoretical ideals.

Led by evidence-based strategy, each NIH develops a detailed action plan with assigned roles, timelines, and priorities drawn from their needs analysis. One of the most powerful tools in their arsenal is the targeted webinar series. These sessions, planned by review and surveying actual teacher needs, cover topics ranging from inclusive classroom practices and digital innovation to mentorship and tackling bias. From its establishment in November 2024 till September 2025, more than 18 webinars across six countries reached over 500 educators and stakeholders, amplifying shared learning and real-world impact.Some of the topics touched by the webinars include:

•   Inclusive STEM/STEAM Education and Good Practices (NIH Bulgaria organised by RAPIV);
•   Supporting learners and future-oriented pedagogies (NIH Poland organised by EIT Food);
•   Gender bias, stereotypes and empowering girls (NIH Serbia by Institute Mihajlo Pupin and Association Business Women in Serbia, NIH Lithuania by Sunrise Techpark);
•   Digital transformation and digital technologies (NIH Ukraine by NGOBRIT);
•   Professional development and resources opportunities (NIH Ukraine by NGOBRIT, NIH Serbia by Institute Mihajlo Pupin).

Basecamp serves as the operational hub for these activities. This digital platform connects NIHs in real time, facilitating planning, sharing of best practices, and hosting workshops and meetings. Every NIH has a Basecamp account, keeping onboarding, tutorial materials, and scheduling at everyone’s fingertips. The platform’s tracker tools monitor webinar delivery, membership growth, and milestone completion, allowing for regular check-ins and personalised support for each hub. NIHs use Basecamp not only for administration, but also as a lively forum for troubleshooting challenges and celebrating achievements. Its flexibility means workflows, event management, and educational content can be quickly adapted, scaled, and shared across the entire consortium.

While Basecamp coordinates work behind the scenes, the Virtual Makerspace is the public face of STREAM IT’s collaborative network. Developed by ReadLab Brussels, the Makerspace is an open-access platform where the results, resources, and progress of the initiative come together. Here, NIHs and stakeholders can find comprehensive libraries of best practice guides, training materials, research articles, and toolkits on STEAM education and gender equality. The Makerspace features bilingual content, making local initiatives accessible at the European level without sacrificing cultural relevance.

Crucially, the Makerspace contains an interactive map, highlighting projects, programmes, and initiatives supporting girls and women in STEAM throughout Europe. This map can be expanded through user submissions, keeping the resource crowdsourced and up to date. Each NIH has its own dedicated section, presenting news, webinar galleries, contacts, and background information. As new webinars and events are organised, their recordings and materials are uploaded to the Makerspace, creating a lasting public archive: a source of inspiration and reference for communities everywhere.

The forum on the Makerspace fosters peer discussion and community-building, while a regularly updated events calendar informs users about workshops, conferences, and networking opportunities. Strategic feedback mechanisms and reporting tools make it easy for contributors to provide input on the platform’s usability and effectiveness, ensuring that both NIHs and participants are always heard.

The interplay among NIHs, Basecamp, and the Virtual Makerspace is key to the project’s sustainability and impact. Needs assessments ensure relevance, action plans direct effort, Basecamp powers collaboration and progress monitoring, and the Makerspace amplifies outcomes for the entire sector.

The true strength of the National Inspiration Hubs lies in their adaptability. Each hub can evolve as needs shift, drawing new stakeholders or reorienting its focus as new gender equality priorities emerge. The governance models encourage distributed leadership – teachers, project managers, and ministry officials all have meaningful roles, building lasting institutional capacity. These networks and platforms will continue to evolve and expand, creating fertile ground for future partnerships, innovative educational models, and long-term progress towards gender equality in science, technology, and innovation.

STREAM IT stands as a living example of how multi-country collaboration, empowered by effective digital tools, can drive real and lasting inclusion – ensuring that every educator and learner in Europe can take part in shaping the future of STEAM.

RAPIV 

Mariya Zlateva is the project coordinator at RAPIV (Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations – Varna). With more than 20 years of experience in project management, Mariya has led and supported numerous EU-funded initiatives in regional development, innovation, entrepreneurship, and education. She specialises in coordinating international partnerships, developing capacity-building programs, and advancing sustainable models for youth and women’s empowerment. Her strong background in economics and regional policy drives her passion for inclusive growth and lifelong learning, making her a key contributor to the STREAM IT initiative and broader European projects.

RAPIV 

Dunja Pavlovic is an expert at RAPIV with a background in legal studies and experience in youth education projects under Erasmus+. She has contributed to developing educational methodologies and managing international youth exchanges, focusing on building inclusive environments and promoting gender equality.