About Us
INTECH Science Centre & Planetarium is a unique, exciting interactive centre administered by the educational charity, The Hampshire Technology Centre Trust Ltd, with the specific purpose of promoting the knowledge and understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Trust was founded in 1985 by like-minded people in business, industry and higher education in response to the local shortage of scientists, engineers and technicians. From humble beginnings INTECH has grown into an important regional hub for informal science learning and a popular visitor attraction for schools and the general public. INTECH is largely self-funded with more than 97% of its running costs being internally generated.Aims of the Hampshire Technology Centre Trust Limited
“To advance the education, knowledge and understanding of the public, in particular the young, in scientific and technological principles and processes, so as to create and inspire both a new generation equipped with the skills for modern enterprise and a population more able to appreciate fully the significance of today’s increasingly complex issues”
In 2002 INTECH was re-housed into a new 3,500 square metre purpose-built, award winning building at Morn Hill, near Winchester. The multi-million pound project was funded partly through the Millennium Commission, NTL, IBM, the DfES and DTI, SEEDA and HCC.The exciting exhibition consists of 100 hands-on exhibits, which communicate the fundamental principles of science and technology and their applications in industry and the home in a fun and interactive way. INTECH acts as an inspirational school visit destination and a unique and fun public visitor attraction. Almost all of the exhibits are designed and built in-house utilising many years of experience to ensure that they are fun, educational and robust; the Workshop team also build exhibits for other science centres, museums and attractions.
In 2008, with the support of SEEDA, the auditorium was converted into the largest capacity planetarium in the UK employing state of the art digital projection equipment and software. The planetarium programme comprises a full range of presenter-led and pre-recorded shows for schools and the general public.Schools visiting INTECH benefit by participating in a whole host of scientific and technological investigations and hands-on experiences which cover many areas of the curriculum. INTECH also runs curriculum related workshops with pre-planned learning outcomes for class-sized groups on topics such as control technology, data capture and computer aided design and manufacture. The workshops can be delivered at INTECH or offsite as part of our Outreach programme
INTECH holds the ‘STEMPOINT Brokerage’ contract for Hampshire and Isle of Wight and as such it provides information and links to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Enhancement & Enrichment (E&E) activities. Through this we have a responsibility to provide all schools and colleges with free impartial advice and guidance on a wide range of STEM E&E activities, helping them to identify which opportunities can best inspire their young people in STEM. INTECH also holds the ‘STEM Ambassadors’ contract for Hampshire & Isle of Wight, which means that INTECH recruits people who are willing to give their time and energy free of charge to help inspire young people in STEM; they are largely people employed in or recently retired from STEM careers and university students. INTECH facilitates their CRB checks, maintains a database of their skills and helps to deploy them to schools and colleges – they can do this in a variety of ways from illustrating specific careers or helping with classroom activities to assisting in extracurricular activities such as clubs, challenges and competitions. The Brokerage and Ambassadors contracts are awarded by STEMNET.
INTECH also has a wider role in the community presenting a range of fascinating lectures and science shows. The Space Lectures give visitors the chance to hear internationally renowned experts talk about their field of interest in an engaging way followed by a tour of the night sky using the planetarium. The Science Lectures are designed to be family-friendly and cover a range of topics ranging from Cloud-spotting to ‘Maggots and Murders’ – the role of insect evidence in forensics.
As well as a superb all-weather centre INTECH offers a variety of flexible facilities for corporate meetings, conferences, launches and hospitality. The air conditioned planetarium provides a stunning setting for business presentations with its 176 tiered seats, state of the art lighting and 7.1 surround sound.
The Hampshire Technology Centre Trust Ltd which runs INTECH is an independent educational charity. Registered Charity number: 294582.
Our Patron is the Earl of Selborne. The charity is overseen by a Board of Trustees which offers advice and monitors the work of a small, enthusiastic and dedicated executive team.
INTECH is proud of the impact it has achieved, making the most of its limited resources. In 2010 the outstanding achievements of the INTECH team were recognised when INTECH was awarded ‘Business of the Year’ at the Winchester Business Excellence Awards. At the same awards INTECH also won the category ‘Business Excellence through Technology’.
