'Inspiring commitment': Seven Waterford primary schools win prestigious STEM award

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has announced that seven primary schools in Waterford have won a Research Ireland Curious Minds Award for 2025. 

Funded by Research Ireland, this annual initiative seeks to ignite a passion for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in primary pupils, their families and educators throughout Ireland.  

The seven recipient schools in Waterford are: Ballymacarbry National School, Clonea Power National School, Knockmahon National School, S N Ursula Naofa, Scoil Mhuire in Abbeyside, Scoil Naomh Seosamh and Waterpark National School. 

The Research Ireland Curious Minds Awards give recognition to schools for their dedication to hands-on, curiosity-driven learning in STEM disciplines.

Each year, thousands of students around the country enthusiastically delve into fascinating topics by conducting a range of practical STEM challenges.

These engaging activities include design and make projects, math trails, rocket launches, explorations of school-ground biodiversity, egg drop experiments, pond construction, vegetable cultivation, marble run creations, coding initiatives and applying STEM principles to solve real-world problems. 

Announcing the 2025 Curious Minds Awards, Minister Lawless said: “I’m proud to announce the 2025 Research Ireland Curious Minds Awards, recognising the outstanding efforts of 397 schools across the country. Seeing so many students and schools dedicate themselves to learning and fostering a love for science, technology, engineering, and maths is a testament to the incredible work happening in classrooms across Ireland. These awards celebrate the spirit of curiosity, creativity, and discovery that programmes like Curious Minds ignite in young minds. 

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"Strengthening STEM skills from an early age is essential to empowering our children to shape the world around them as innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders. Initiatives like this help equip the next generation with the tools to thrive in a rapidly changing world. My sincere congratulations to all the students, teachers, and schools involved for your inspiring commitment," he added. 

Commenting on the awards, Celine Fitzgerald, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Research Ireland, said: “I am extremely proud to see the continued interest in, and impact of, the Research Ireland Curious Minds programme. The appetite for engagement through fun, practical STEM learning within our school community is so evident. Our goal is to empower teachers and to inspire students, showing the younger generation that STEM is not just a subject, but a way of exploring, understanding, and shaping the world around them.” 

To mark the announcement, a virtual Research Ireland Curious Minds Awards Ceremony took place online in hundreds of classrooms throughout Ireland, hosted by TV presenters Gráinne Bleasdale and Phil Smyth, to celebrate the awardees. 

Schools participating in the Curious Minds Awards initiative apply for one of three award tiers:  

• Silver Award: For schools beginning their STEM journey and involving a minimum of two classes.  

• Gold Award: For schools further along their STEM journey, involving at least half of the classes in the school.  

• Platinum Award: For schools that have already achieved the Gold Award and want to further integrate STEM into their school culture.  

This year, in Waterford, five schools received the Gold Award, two received the Silver Award and three received the Platinum Award.

Registration for the 2025/2026 Research Ireland Curious Minds Awards will open in September 2025 and registration for the CPD courses for 2025/2026 is open now.

For more information about the Research Ireland Curious Minds programme, the Awards, CPD and inquiry-based resources, please visit www.curiousminds.ie  or contact the team on curiousminds@researchireland.ie.