New Delhi (PTI): After a successful run across India, the Science Express is all set to traverse the SAARC countries taking science to the masses.

Considering lack of rail network in some SAARC nations, the exhibition will be in the form of a caravan comprising several vehicles decked up with science experiments ranging from the origin of the universe to latest developments in emerging fields of nanotechnology. The decision to flag off the Science Caravan was taken at the first meeting of SAARC science ministers chaired by Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal here on Tuesday.

As not all SAARC member states have a rail network, it was decided to put key science experiments on a caravan of vehicles which will travel to eight nations in the region. Hill nations Bhutan and Nepal, and the newest SAARC member Afghanistan, do not have rail networks, while the Maldives is a group of small islands.

Science Express, a joint venture between the Department of Science and Technology and German Max Planck Society, was flagged off by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in October last year. The initiative, an exhibition in 13 coaches, travelled more than 15,000 kilometres in 217 days popularising science across the country.

Another coach was converted into a 'Kids Lab' designed by the German chemicals company BASF, where students performed chemical experiments. A whopping 22 lakh visitors trooped in to watch the exhibition on wheels at its 57 destinations across the country.