The Festival of Speed Celebrates STEM and Future Technologies
Published 4th September 2024
About FOS
Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard is motorsport's ultimate summer garden party, an intoxicating celebration of the world's most glamorous sport held in July in the beautiful parkland surrounding Goodwood House.
2024 marked 31 years since the first Festival and the event is determined to drive forwards with not just a great show, but a bold and exciting journey into the future. Technology is around every corner, designed to inspire curiosity as guests dive into immersive demonstrations of tomorrow’s technology from the automotive world and beyond.
About FOS TECH
FOS TECH encompasses all things technology at the Festival of Speed, including motorsport innovations, a curated STEM itinerary and the hands-on technology exhibition at Future Lab presented by Randox.
Few sporting industries have the innovative scope of motorsport and disciplines like Formula 1 have long inspired the new technologies we enjoy in road cars today. But the Festival isn’t all about motorsport. Paying homage to the event’s spirit of innovation, Goodwood curates its own technology exhibition – Future Lab. The exhibition’s theme is ‘Technology for a Better World’ and brings around 20 exhibitors each year at the forefront of robotics, virtual reality, sustainability, mobility and space innovations. In 2024, guests could see themselves as a hologram, teleoperate robot hands, race drones, operate a vertical climbing robot and experience the Apple Vision Pro ahead of the national launch.
Future Lab ambassador Tim Peake (British and ESA Astronaut and former ISS crew member), said: “Future Lab was outstanding – a highlight of the latest cutting-edge technologies presented in a fun, interactive and informative way.”
STEM at FOS
STEM is an area of education and industry that stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM education isn’t just a collection of subjects, but an interdisciplinary approach that encourages students to develop not just their knowledge, but their ability to apply that knowledge to real-world scenarios, preparing young people for the industries and jobs of tomorrow.
Goodwood’s STEM mission is to fuel curiosity, drive enthusiasm, spark creativity and pave the way for a future where young talents shape groundbreaking advancements in the world of STEM.
The FOS TECH: STEM Programme brings 11-16 years olds from across the UK to Festival of Speed to support their studies and explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the event. Launched in 2023, the programme has grown to this year invite over 1000 students and young people.
FOS TECH elements at FOS
Those invited enjoy a curated itinerary, exploring everything from automotive technology and alternative fuels to robotics, AI and space sustainability.
Students are able to spend the day getting hands-on at the Future Lab technology exhibition; meet STEM ambassadors from major motorsport innovators like McLaren and Indy Autonomous Challenge – who this year beat the world record for fastest autonomous car at Goodwood; visit the F1 Pit Lane presented by Sky to see the world’s fastest cars up close; see the Supercar Paddock for new car debuts before they fire up the infamous Goodwood Hill; watch how professional, world-renowned teams work and operate in order to prepare for a run; and quiz mechanics about a car's inner workings.
As well as the event itself, a selection of students are also invited to take part in STEM seminars held at the Goodwood Education Trust. The seminars are expertly tailored to inspire secondary school students and include the opportunity to hear from a variety of speakers over two days.
2024’s speakers included McLaren, robotics professors from University of Sheffield, pioneering space junk start-up Astroscale, Durham University’s student solar race car team (who also set a new record for a solar race car on the hillclimb) and an interactive seminar from The Drone Rules with flying drones.
Applications open now for 2025
FOS TECH’s vision is to ignite a fascination in technology and STEM subjects by showcasing world-changing innovations and creating remarkable and thought-provoking experiences.
Visit Goodwood’s website to find out more about FOS TECH, and explore some of their fantastic STEM highlights from 2024, with more content available soon.
Applications for 2025 will open early next year, but if you are a school or organisation interested in being invited you can register your interest now. The FOS TECH: STEM Programme is open to 11–16 year-olds across the UK. Register your interest by emailing STEM@goodwood.com.
