NASA has gifted The Science Museum of Minnesota US$14.5m (€12.6m, £10m) to head a national project aimed at sparking interest in earth, space and science.

The science centre will spearhead the Space and Earth Informal STEM Education (SEISE) project, which will seek to raise the capacity of both museums and learning centres across the US to actively engage children in science, and to help NASA connect its resources with learners around the country in new and innovative ways.

“We are excited to partner with NASA and our sister institutions to create a national learning resource,” said Alison Rempel Brown, president of the Science Museum of Minnesota. “NASA’s programmes are exciting and critical to our nation’s future for space exploration and scientific learning. I look forward to a successful partnership that inspires future scientists through fun and engaging programmes.”

The US$14.5m sum will be paid over a five-year period and is one of the largest amounts ever awarded to a science centre by NASA. The space agency has had a working relationship with the museum since 2009, funding programmes related to climate change and for the SPACE exhibition, which premiered in Minnesota last year before embarking on a tour of science centres across the US.

With NASA funding, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Network, which the museum played a big hand in creating, will become the National Informal STEM Education Network, with SEISE acting as its anchor. The existing NISE network – which aims to promote the development and distribution of exhibits and activities that raise awareness and understanding about nanoscience – has more than 600 active partners across the US, including science and children’s museums, university research centers, and professional organisations.