The VIZIUM exposition will surprise by the variety of technologies

The VIZIUM exposition will surprise by the variety of technologies

The VIZIUM exposition will surprise by the variety of technologies

The Ventspils Science Centre VIZIUM will very soon open its doors to its first visitors. Therefore, there is currently work underway on testing the exhibits in the exhibition hall, so that at the end of June, each and every local and city guest could try them out. With the creation of a modern and interactive content for the Science Centre VIZIUM, an important stage of the project “Establishment of an Innovation Centre in Ventspils”, funded by the European Economic Area and Norway Grants, was concluded this summer.

The work on the development of exposition commenced several years ago, as a group of experts established by the Municipality visited several science centres around the world to evaluate the exhibits on display and to draw inspiration for ideas for the exhibits of the Ventspils Science Centre.  

While developing the exposition of the Science Centre VIZIUM, a special focus was placed on technologies. The exhibits of the Science Centre have been selected in such a way so as to allow the visitors to try out, to feel, to touch, and to live new experiences that they have most probably never even seen before, thus allowing them to get a better idea of smart technologies, mathematics, physics, geography, and natural sciences, and to promote the development of knowledge and awareness from an early age. The exhibits are both education-oriented and interactive, and they are to be included in study and training programmes as an important part of the acquisition of courses. Compared to other science centres in Latvia and around the globe, the exposition of the Science Centre VIZIUM differs in that it has been created as a single architectural solution. Furthermore, various technologies, such as virtual reality, have been more widely integrated into the exposition.

The work on the manufacturing and installation of the exposition of the science centre is being performed by the group “Nākotnes laboratorija FUTURELAB”, which includes several companies, such as SIA “DJA”, SIA “Solavi”, SIA “Jura Podnieka studija”, SIA “Overly”, and SIA “AD Production” (Yes We Can). The manufacturers of the exhibits closely monitor not only the manufacturing and design process, but also the installation and testing of the exhibits. This is not the first time these companies work together, each of them covering their segment, such as technologies, programming, multimedia, exposition, and design. The work on the design of the exhibits is very exciting and full of challenges, even more so due to the fact that the entire exposition was created from zero rather than delivered as a solution ready for use. This is what provides additional value to the exhibits and makes the science centre so unique. When manufacturing the exhibits, a special focus was being placed on their uniqueness, which means that a great deal of work has been invested to evaluate what a visitor will do at each exhibit, how he will feel and what kind of information he will obtain. Given the age and weight differences and other parameters of the visitors, the manufacturer had to find the “golden middle way”, so that the science centre would be appealing to everyone.

A total of 80 exhibits will be on display in the science centre, 52 of which have been funded by the Norway Grant. All exhibits will be placed in 7 galleries: the Gallery of Healthy Lifestyle, the Children’s Gallery, the Gallery of Smart Technologies, the Gallery of Physics and Mathematics, the Geography and World Gallery, the Gallery of Human Self-Perception, and the area of simulators.

Apart from the development of exhibits, several training programmes are being developed as part of the project. A total of 20 education-oriented training programmes for children of all ages and teachers, as well as 12 education-oriented activities for families with children and public in general, i.e., 6 technical creative workshops and 6 science shows, are to be developed and approved. These activities will allow the visitors to broaden their knowledge, acquired at school, by both exploring the exhibits and conducting various experiments.

The project “Establishment of an Innovation Centre in Ventspils” is to be implemented by 2023, and its total budget amounts to EUR 2 011 676, including the Norway Grant and the State budget funding, that constitute 90% of the eligible costs (the Norway Grant accounts for 85% or EUR 1 538 932, while the State budget funding – for 15% or EUR 271 576), i.e., EUR 1 810 508. The co-funding by the Ventspils City Municipality accounts for 10% of the eligible costs, i.e., EUR 201 168.

For more information on the EEA and Norway Grants, visit www.norwaygrants.lv and www.eeagrants.lv.

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