The Public Engagement Unit is looking to fund up to three projects, up to £5,000 each, that explore how to engage public groups with research in a way that embraces both online and ‘in-person’ methods and activities.
Innovate Fund: Resilience
The aim of this new Engage Grants fund is to advance engagement practice by funding creative projects that explore and test a new way of engaging public groups that use both online and 'in-person' methods to engage them with research.
The call is open to researchers, experimental and technical staff and doctoral students at any level from across all disciplines, whatever their level of public engagement expertise.
To facilitate the development of creative, collaborative and participatory projects we are bringing creative professionals and applicants together as part of a match-making workshop on Wednesday 2 June 2021, 1-5pm. You’ll have the opportunity to work together with the aim of co-creating a selection of project ideas, three of which will receive up to £5,000 each.
As part of the application process for the Innovate Fund: Resilience we anticipate all applicants to attend the match-making workshop and must complete an Expression of Interest form and return it to the Public Engagement Unit by Wednesday 19 May 2021, 5pm. Those successful will be notified by 5pm Thursday 20 May 2021.
Building resilient public engagement
During the COVID-19 emergency, public engagement with research practice was forced online. This move was driven by ‘crisis-mode’ responses of what is possible, rather than a carefully assessed understanding of public and researcher needs. This has created opportunities for more people to engage, but for many reasons has excluded others for many reasons.
With the prospect of nearly all behavioural restrictions ending by June 2021, it has been assumed public engagement activities will return to a pre-pandemic ‘norm’ of being in-person. However, whilst these activities create access and inclusion opportunities they also increase barriers for some.
With this one-off Engage Grants fund the Public Engagement Unit we would like to explore engagement activities that combine the best features of both online and in-person to ensure resilient and inclusive public engagement practice for all, regardless of the COVID-19 context and support researchers to develop their expertise in this practice.
Engage Grants for public engagement
Running since 2013, the Engage Grants aim to support researchers at the University of Bath to increase their skills and understanding of public engagement with research by funding activities where they have an opportunity to give public engagement a go for themselves.
Over the last eight years, we have invested over £105,000 in 74 diverse public engagement projects from the Faculties of Science, Design and Engineering and Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Management.
Dean Veall is Deputy Head of Public Engagement at the University of Bath
Respond
