Shell Springboard is part of Shell's social investment activities Social investment reflects our desire to make a wider contribution to the future of UK society. We have chosen to target this investment in the areas of science, ideas and business skills - as these play a central role in determining the UK's preparedness to meet many of the most pressing challenges faced by society today.

Shell Education Services encourages primary school children to be interested in science and take up science subjects - through visiting interactive workshops in schools.  Shell believes that science and engineering must play a leading part in meeting many of today's challenges, not least in sustainable energy.

Shell LiveWire unearths, encourages and recognises the young entrepreneurs of today, who will create the innovations, jobs and wealth of tomorrow.  Our support flows from a belief in the need to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship across the UK, and in Shell itself. Over more than 20 years, the programme has become a highly valued and well-used source of insight and advice.

For more information please visit www.shell-livewire.org

The Shell Eco-Marathon Youth Challenge UK is an annual fuel economy competition. Competitors from schools and youth teams construct a vehicle meeting required safety standards that runs using as little fuel as possible. They use innovation and creativity to consider aspects of aerodynamics, rolling resistance, engine efficiency and driving techniques to achieve the highest fuel economy. The Schools Initiative aims to encourage the inclusion of engineering in the delivery of the secondary school curriculumn to pupils aged 11 and 14 years.  Please visit www.shell.co.uk/ecomarathon

For further information on Shell Social Investment activity in the UK visit www.shell.co.uk/socialinvestment

At an international level, our most prominent activity is via the Shell Foundation, which is an independent, UK registered charity.

Set up with a $250 million endowment from Shell, the Shell Foundation is new and unlike most corporate foundations in three ways: firstly, it focuses only on issues linked to energy and multinational companies (energy and poverty, energy and environment, the impact of globalisation on vulnerable communities); secondly, it believes in applying business thinking to social problems, and acts more like an investor than a donor (expecting partners to be business-like in their pursuit and delivery of social/charitable objectives); thirdly, it taps in to the knowledge of Shell and Shell employees, offering partners not just money but expertise in building scaleable and self-sustaining solutions. Projects are mostly in low and middle income countries.For more information, please visit www.shellfoundation.org.