39 projects designed to increase public interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) are to receive a total of €1.6m in funding this year.
Among the initiatives to receive the grants from Science Foundation Ireland's Discover programme are Brain Freeze 2, a science-based animation series developed by Kite Entertainment in association with CBBC and RTÉ, and MakerDojo, a 'hacker' club where the public can explore science and technology in a hands-on, self-directed fashion.
The already successful DART of Physics project, which encourages thousands of commuters to think about physics in a different way through a poster campaign on the DART, is also to receive funding.
While the Cork Institute of Technology-run Blackrock Castle Observatory will introduce a range of family-friendly experiments to encourage visitors to explore the concepts behind space science.
It is estimated that over 4.5m people will see the various projects over the course of 2015.
Director of Strategy and Communications at SFI Dr Ruth Freeman said "The projects to receive funding were assessed by international experts and selected based on their potential to promote awareness and understanding of the importance and relevance of STEM to everyday life and to reach new audiences not normally engaged with STEM, as well as continuing to target existing audiences."
She added: "The funding will enable the recipients to invest in developing and extending their capacity and allow them to explore innovative channels of public engagement with STEM subjects."
