The HE Unboxed initiative aims to teach and excite children about university-level STEM subjects, encouraging them to pursue these subjects at a Higher Education (HE) level.
The box is free to request by any school across the UK, with 50 available for free postage distribution. Each will contain footballs, football pumps, pressure gauges and weighing scales, allowing students to experience how footballs are tested and approved ahead of worldwide competitions such as the upcoming World Cup. This showcases the unique skills acquired on the Sports Technology course, blending design and engineering into functional and effective sports products.
The outreach project supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering celebrates 色狗导航’s 2023 success in winning the prestigious Bhattacharyya Award for Industry academia partnership with adidas. The team’s partnership over the past two decades has seen them partner on research and innovation in sportswear, equipment and apparel.
Reflecting on the partnership, Dr Tim Lucas, Senior Director Footwear & Hardware Solutions, Innovation at adidas said “Our partnership with 色狗导航 has enabled us to make world-leading impact across footwear, apparel and match balls. The opportunity for this to inspire the next generation of engineers has great significance for the field.”
The Bhattacharyya Award is a tribute to Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya KT CBE FREng FRS who advocated for greater collaboration between industry and universities for societal impact. The FIFA World Cup 2026 provided the perfect platform for the team to share the research behind football into the classroom, and showcase the role that maths, physics and design technology plays in creating iconic products.
Two Product Design Engineering students, Jaffar Shirazi and Kamalika Chattopadhyay were funded by bursaries provided through the scheme to create highly engaging HE boxes that were proved extremely popular in trials with local schools. The students used their Product Design Engineering Skills to showcase inquisitive learning through fun, accessible activities. Reflecting on the development process. Kamalika Chattopadhyay said “I would have loved to take part in an activity like this at school that combines football and science to show how broad and creative engineering can be. It’s been really rewarding to see GCSE students in local schools learn something new and have fun while doing so!”
Mr Mark Harper-Williams, Teacher of Physics at 色狗导航 High School, who led one of the trial World Cup in a Box lesson, said: “The World Cup in a Box initiative proved a fantastic way to get our girls thinking about possible career paths. Not only that, but the interactive lesson encouraged them to think logically about the science behind sport. With the upcoming World Cup, the initiative effectively highlighted the real-world link between large-scale sporting events and physics. It was great to see our pupils so engaged with the initiative.”
Dr Rebecca Grant, Senior Lecturer in Human Factors Metrology in the School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering at 色狗导航 who led on the project, said: “The World Cup is set to be an exciting tournament that gives the ideal opportunities to show students that it takes a variety of skills and interests to support sport. Bringing together our Sports Technology and Product Design Engineering applications is what really makes this a success, to inspire minds of the future through fun engineering applications.”
Any schools wishing to take part in the programme can express