This competition highlights the best EU-funded projects from all EU Member States that bring innovative approaches and contribute to regional development. And it is precisely SFÉRA´s innovative approach to education that scored with the expert jury and commissioners. The fact that SFÉRA reached the final out of 262 projects from all over Europe was a huge success.
In Brussels, SFÉRA was presented by Jakub Rychtecký, 1st Deputy Mayor for Education of Pardubice, and David Koppitz, Director of the Centre. "It was an opportunity for us to present the city of Pardubice as a representative of the Czech Republic with its unique educational project and to present it as a creative and courageous city. As a city that acknowledges that education is the future of cities and regions. We very much appreciate the personal meeting and also the diploma from the European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira for the finalists, who, among other things at SFÉRA, appreciated the unique model of public-private cooperation in education with the involvement of professionals from the practice of technological regional companies. I am proud of the whole team. The award goes to everyone involved in the project from the first idea in 2016 until now. The dedication of the spherical team and their creativity contribute to a unique atmosphere that supports thirst for knowledge and offers fun forms of learning," said Jakub Rychtecký, 1st Deputy Mayor responsible for education, who has been behind the project since its beginning and is currently the chairman of the registered association running this excellent educational centre.
In addition to presentations and talks, the Brussels programme also included meetings with other representatives of successful projects. This was a great opportunity to gain inspiration, but also valuable contacts for further activities. "We have seen a lot of great projects across disciplines that probably would not have happened without European money. SFÉRA stood out here especially for its new approaches to non-formal education for all generations, its novel physical infrastructure set in the unique Automatic Mills and last but not least its great team of enthusiastic and capable people. We appreciate the positive feedback we have received here," said David Koppitz, Director of SFÉRA.
After its first year of operation, the SFÉRA Education Centre received another important award, alongside the architectural awards it had already won. The centre, built with a significant contribution from the European subsidy and the ITI Hradec-Pardubice agglomeration, has also attracted huge interest from schools and the public. "The Automatic Mills are the true pride of the city. Their architectural value transcends the borders of the Czech Republic and SFÉRA, as part of this complex, really proves to be an absolutely exceptional project. When I was getting acquainted with the projects that entered the competition, I realised how strong SFÉRA was able to compete. It is a huge success and I would like to thank and congratulate all those who brought SFÉRA to life," congratulated the Mayor of Pardubice Jan Nadrchal on the success.
The Education Centre SFÉRA, which was built on the site of the former flour warehouse in the Automatic Mills, offers a wide range of activities for children and adults. Here you will find a range of courses as for children so for adults, workshops and laboratories aimed at developing creativity, skills and knowledge. Activities include working with materials such as wood, metal and textiles or taking advantage of the wide range of the graphics workshop. Science laboratories provide an opportunity for those interested to explore fields such as natural science, chemistry, physics, IT, and robotics. One of the main draws is the unique Science on a Sphere projection system. In addition, for children aged 5 to 9, there is a spherical playground, a didactic space aimed at developing maths, logic and IT skills. This interactive space helps children to playfully discover the world of science and technology while developing their creativity and manual dexterity.
