Resources for schools and students
We are passionate about inspiring the cancer researchers of the future.
We engage with local secondary schools in Sutton, Kensington and Chelsea and the surrounding boroughs to highlight the broad range of careers in science and encourage a diverse and inclusive next generation of researchers. Staff and students often visit schools to give talks, and we hold a careers open evening at the ICR for local sixth-form students.
If you’re a teacher and you’re interested in hearing more about how we can work with you, please get in touch via e-mail: [email protected].
A range of resources are shared for schools and young people produced by the ICR, which highlight careers available at the ICR and help students develop their scientific skills and knowledge.
Classroom activity: Creating cancer treatments (14 – 16 year olds)
Explore how our researchers discover new cancer drugs and develop them for patients.
This activity includes a 10-minute video presented by ICR researchers, a suite of classroom activities to support students’ learning with accompanying teacher notes, and a lesson-style presentation containing learning objectives and answers to the activities.
This resource has been designed to support the GCSE science curriculum in the areas of:
- describe cancer as the result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division
- describe the process of discovery and development of potential new medicines, including preclinical and clinical testing
It also goes beyond the content of the curriculum, introducing new concepts involved in the creation of new treatments to enrich learning and facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject.
The video and resource pack are freely available to watch and download, and this work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.
Our world-leading research is conducted by people with a wide range of different skills, backgrounds and viewpoints. Our workforce includes researchers with backgrounds in maths, computer science, chemistry and physics, as well as in medicine and biology.
Our careers video and booklet for secondary school and sixth-form students provides an overview of the careers available in cancer research. It gives individuals an idea of what it’s like to work at the ICR and provides information about next steps for a career as a cancer researcher.
This video and booklet were made possible thanks to a donation from Aviva as part of the London Cancer Hub partnership.
Scientists from many different disciplines contribute to the ICR’s world-leading cancer research. While their areas of expertise may differ, they all use the scientific method to test hypotheses and broaden their knowledge.
In our ‘think like a scientist’ challenge, students design and run an experiment based on enzymes and cancer. By leading their own research and showcasing the results in a scientific poster, students learn first-hand about the scientific method.
It is designed for year 7-9 students and can be delivered in class or as part of a science club.
This supports the KS3 science curriculum in the areas of:
- Experimental skills and investigations
- Analysis and evaluation
The ICR was the first place in the world to show that cancer is caused by damage to DNA. We now know that cancer is a genetic disease caused by faults – mutations – in our DNA.
Our printable DNA and cancer poster describes the role of DNA in cancer and explains how researchers are using this knowledge to defeat cancer.
This poster, funded by the Biochemical Society, is aimed at GCSE and A-level students.
British Science Week is an annual event which takes place in March each year.
In 2025, the ICR submitted an activity as part of the Secondary activity pack with the theme ‘Change and adapt’. The activity, ‘Defeat the tumour’, is a board game which demonstrates the concept of cancer evolution as well as promotes discussion about why cancer research is important and how we might use knowledge about cancer to make kinder, better treatments in the future.
Public and school events
We create and host public engagement events ourselves, both on site at the ICR and in our local communities in Sutton and Chelsea.
Learn more about some of the events we are involved in below.
Careers in Cancer Research schools evening
Each year, we open our doors to local sixth-form students in Chelsea and Sutton for an interactive open evening showcasing careers in research. These events focus on inspiring future diversity in science and encourage those currently underrepresented in science to attend.
Over the course of the evening, students get the chance to step into the shoes of a cancer researcher, visiting working research labs and trying their hand at practical scientific techniques. They can discuss the broad range of careers available in cancer research with our scientific, clinical and corporate staff, and students.
If your school is interested in attending this event, please contact the Public Engagement Manager by e-mailing [email protected].
Great Exhibition Road Festival
ICR staff and students share our research with the public at the annual Great Exhibition Road Festival, which takes place in our local borough of Kensington and Chelsea in partnership with the CRUK Convergence Science Centre.
The Great Exhibition Road Festival draws a large and varied local crowd of families, students and alumni of Imperial, and over the course of the weekend the ICR team engage more than 600 visitors at the stand.
Sutton STEAM Fair
ICR staff and students engage with the local community at the Sutton STEAM Fair, where we showcase our world-leading research with a range of hands-on activities.
The ICR partners with the London Borough of Sutton, to deliver an exciting engagement programme that lets local people share in the great research happening on their door-step.
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