Oxford University Begbroke Science Park is holding the third Science Wonder Garden Party on 21 June 2025 from 11am to 4pm.
The annual event is hosted by Oxford University Development (OUD), the joint venture between Oxford University and L&G, alongside other local groups and Oxford University Departments.
Families from Kidlington, Begbroke, Yarnton and the surrounding Oxfordshire area are invited to enjoy the free event, including live music, food stalls and hands-on experiences with experiments and talks from some of Begbroke Science Park’s leading scientists.
Last year, over 2,000 visitors joined – more than the year before – largely coming from the local community. This year, visitors of all ages will have the opportunity to discover open labs and enjoy activities with over 30 scientists and community innovators.
Oxford University Development’s CEO, Anna Strongman commented:
“Our Science Wonder Garden Party is always a highlight of the year for us, it is a chance to engage with the community and, hopefully, inspire the next generation of Oxford-based life science leaders. It is a great opportunity to see up close the groundbreaking work happening at Begbroke Science Park and we hope to see many returning and new faces this year.”
There will be complimentary hot dogs and burgers available from 12:30pm on a first-come, first-serve basis including vegan option – visitors are also invited to bring snacks or a picnic of their own.
Activities at the garden party this year will include:
- Live talks from Oxford Sparks – including Prof Richard Walker discussing the forgotten earthquakes of central Asia, Dr Daniela Nasteska on the colourful world of diabetes research, Prof Antoniya Georgieva and Mariana Tome on using AI and big data to support safer pregnancy and birth and Chrishen Gomez on clouded leopard conservation.
- Robot art – including a robot caricaturist that uses AI to sketch visitors’ likenesses.
- Nanoscience activities with the Townley lab, based at Begbroke Science Park (the lab’s research focuses on the use of nanoparticles in cancer for therapy, imaging or drug delivery).
- Opportunities to meet scientists from start-ups based at Begbroke Science Park’s AgileLab, including Repolywise – who transform unrecycled waste plastics into new plastic by breaking them down efficiently into their starting materials with a new ‘atomic scissors’ technology.
- Immersing yourself in the latest neuroscience advances at the MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit (BNDU) stand. Discover how our brains control movement, store memories, and what goes wrong in neurological conditions. Get hands-on with fun, interactive displays and live demonstrations – including real brain-machine interfaces! Chat with our friendly scientists and even look down a microscope to see neurons up close.
- Drop-in activity from Science Oxford for families to encourage hands-on STEM learning.
- Cherwell Collective will run their community larder from the garden party, where surplus food from shops, restaurants, farms is redistributed, to close the loop in local food supply chains.
- Dr Abhirup Banerjee – Royal Society University Research Fellow – and the MultiMeDIA Lab will showcase cutting-edge AI research that brings together cardiac MRI, angiography, and other imaging techniques to build a dynamic 3D digital twin of the heart, offering a glimpse into the future of personalised cardiovascular care.
- Giant Bubbles from IF Oxford: The Oxford Science and Ideas Festival.
- Lab tours including the Materials Characterisation Lab.
- A close look at one of the premium, smart, high-performance electric vehicles redefining the future of mobility — created by Begbroke-based NIO.
OUD is encouraging people to travel to the site sustainably – with free buses collecting visitors in Begbroke, Yarnton and Kidlington. Visitors can also make use of existing cycle routes. This year, for the day of the event, Stagecoach are adding an additional stop at Begbroke Science Park on its S3 route, to allow people to travel to the event via local bus routes. Please check the website for more information re travel options.
For more information about the Science Wonder Garden Party and Family Science Days, please visit www.oud.co.uk/wonder25.
