Biology Unlocked (University of East Anglia)

Biology Unlocked is a five-day, non-residential summer course for Year 10 students run by the University of East Anglia. Participants spend a week working in UEA’s laboratories with academics and specialists, gaining practical lab experience and building practical and scientific skills.

Activities cover a range of biological disciplines and are pitched at GCSE grade 4 level.

The course includes hands-on experiments, data collection and analysis, and opportunities to present findings; topics may include ecology, microbiology, molecular biology, computational biology, plant and protein biology, and science communication. At the end of the week participants work in pairs to collate research and present to their peers.

Biology Unlocked is free to attend and is aimed at Year 10 students from state-funded schools living in Norfolk or North East Suffolk. Selection focuses on students less likely to progress to higher education, using postcode-based eligibility checks; if applications exceed places, selection may be made by random draw.

A pre-event meet-up is scheduled in April and attendance is strongly encouraged.