BU Research Blog

14 January 2025

Opportunity to get involved with the British Science Festival 2025

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

There is one week left to apply to run an event at the British Science Festival 2025!

The British Science Festival will take place in Liverpool from the 10 – 14 September 2025, and will be hosted in partnership by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University.

The programme showcases cutting-edge science, technology and ideas that challenge, inspire and excite audiences. Each year, thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in research and engage in open discussion about issues affecting our culture and society.

Open Call for proposals – Do you have an idea to engage public audiences with science and research?

Anyone can propose an event and the Festival celebrates science in its broadest sense. The organisers are looking for proposals from individuals, researchers, industry professionals, artists, writers, organisations, charities, academic institutions, and more. They aim to programme a range of formats from talks to drop-in activities and creative content that challenges perceptions of what science is and can be.

The Festival is free and open to all, but content should be appropriate for an adult (16+ audience).

More information, including how to submit a proposal, can be found here

The deadline for proposals is 23.59 20 January 2025.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss your proposal, please email festival@britishscienceassociation.org.

Alternatively, should you wish to discuss your application with BU’s Public Engagement with Research team, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

7 January 2025

British Science Festival 2025 – Call for Event Proposals

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

The British Science Festival will take place across the city of Liverpool from the 10 – 14 September 2025, and will be hosted in partnership by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University.

Anyone can propose an event. Artists, researchers, community activists, critical thinkers, industry partners, charities and beyond- from across disciplinary backgrounds are invited to submit proposals events, activities or installations.

The British Science Festival celebrates science in its broadest sense. The programme showcases cutting-edge science, technology and ideas that challenge, inspire and excite audiences. Each year, thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in research and to engage in open discussion about issues affecting our culture and society.

While the primary focus is on events programming, the organisers are keen on programming public installations and welcome proposals that could be hosted throughout the festival in site-specific locations like shopping centres, public buildings and town squares.

The Festival is free and open to all, but content should be tailored to an adult (16+) audience.

The target audience for the programme is:

Non-specialist young adults (16-30 years old), particularly from groups underserved and underrepresented in science

Those with broad interest in science but don’t actively seek to engage with it

Those who might not self-identify as interested in science, but who are interested in cultural experiences (e.g., music, technology, films, fashion etc) or have a personal connection to a particular field of science (e.g., gardening, sports, mental health, accessibility technology, etc)

The organisers particularly welcome creative content that challenges perceptions of what science is and can be. They anticipate that the majority of events in the 2025 programme will use a range of participatory formats and take place outside traditional lecture-theatre settings. A limited number of talks and panel discussions will be programmed.

To submit a proposal for an event please complete the proposal form.

The deadline for open call applications is 23.59 on Monday 20 January 2025.

Before developing and submitting your proposal, you are encouraged to read the FAQs

If you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss your proposal, please email festival@britishscienceassociation.org.

Alternatively, should you wish to discuss your application with BU’s Public Engagement with Research team, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

8 January 2024

Do you have an idea to engage public audiences with science & research? British Science Festival 2024 Open Call – Deadline Tuesday 16 January

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Do you have an idea to engage public audiences with science and research?

Event proposals for the British Science Festival 2024 are open.

The British Science Festival will take place in East London from Wednesday 11 – Sunday 15 September 2024, and will be hosted by the University of East London.

The programme showcases cutting-edge science, technology, and ideas that challenge, inspire and excite audiences. Each year, thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in research and engage in open discussion about issues affecting our culture and society.

Anyone can propose an event and the festival celebrates science in its broadest sense. The British Science Festival are looking for proposals from individuals, researchers, industry professionals, artists, writers, organisations, charities, academic institutions, and more. They aim to programme a range of formats from talks to drop-in activities and creative content that challenges perceptions of what science is and can be.

The festival is free and open to all, but content should be appropriate for an adult (16+ audience).

More information, including how to submit a proposal, can be found here: British Science Festival 2024 Open Call

Before developing and submitting your proposal, please read the FAQs

To submit a proposal for an event please complete the proposal form

Deadline for proposals: 23.59 on Tuesday 16 January 2024.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss your proposal, please email festival@britishscienceassociation.org.

Alternatively, should you wish to discuss your application with the Public Engagement with Research team, please email publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

8 November 2023

British Science Festival 2024: Award Lecture Applications Open

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Applications are open for Award Lecture applications for the 2024 British Science Festival, hosted by the University of East London.

Call for Award Lecture applications

Are you, or do you know, an exceptional early career researcher?

Every year the British Science Association opens applications for the seven Award Lectureships available to early career academics who are skilled at engaging people with their research. These Award Lectures aim to promote open and informed discussion of science and related disciplines.

Awards are available in seven different areas:

Social sciences
Engineering, technology and industry
Environmental sciences
Agricultural, biological and medical sciences
Physical sciences and mathematics
Digital innovation
Science and the arts

As well as presenting your lecture at the British Science Festival, Award winners will also receive public speaking coaching and a £250 honorarium. There may also be other opportunities to present the Award Lecture at other science festivals in the UK.

More information, including the application process can be found here

The deadline for applications is 23.59 on Sunday 10 December 2023.

If you have any questions please contact Louise at louise.cooke@britishscienceassociation.org

19 December 2022

Do you have an idea to engage public audiences with science and research? – British Science Festival 2023: Open Call for proposals

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

The next British Science Festival 2023 will be hosted by the University of Exeter from 7-10 September 2023.

Proposals are welcomed from individuals, researchers, industry professionals, artists, writers, organisations, charities, academic institutions, and more. Festival proposals should be aimed at non-specialist adults (16+) with a broad interest in science.

Festival organisers are looking for events that showcase cutting-edge science, celebrate the latest developments in science and technology and engage their audience in open discussion about relevant issues that affect culture and society. They aim to programme a range of formats from talks to drop-in activities and creative content that challenges perceptions of what science is and can be.

More information, including how to submit a proposal, can be found here: British Science Festival 2023 Open Call

Before developing and submitting your proposal, please read the FAQs

To submit a proposal for an event please complete the proposal form

Deadline for proposals: 9am, Monday 20 February 2023

If you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss your proposal, please email festival@britishscienceassociation.org

Alternatively, should you wish to discuss your application with the Public Engagement with Research team, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

30 October 2020

Apply for an Award Lectureship from the British Science Association

conferences, Funding opportunities, Public engagement, Training Adam Morris

Are you, or do you know, an exceptional early career researcher?

Every year the British Science Association asks for applications for the seven Award Lectureships available to early career academics who are skilled at engaging people with their research. These Award Lectures aim to promote open and informed discussion of science and related disciplines. Awards are available in seven different areas:

Social sciences
Engineering, technology and industry
Environmental sciences
Agricultural, biological and medical sciences
Physical sciences and mathematics
Digital innovation
Science and the arts

More information, including the application process can be found here:

https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/award-lectures

or you can contact Hannah at hannah.lawrence@britishscienceassociation.org with any questions.

The selected lecturers receive an all-expenses paid trip to the British Science Festival where they will present their lecture, as well as public speaking coaching and a £250 honorarium. There may also be other opportunities to present the Award Lecture at other science festivals in the UK.

The deadline for applications is 17.00 3 December 2020.

22 January 2020

Reminder: Applications Closing Soon for British Science Festival 2020

Public engagement ballen

Reminder: British Science Festival 2020 applications closing soon!

Proposal deadline: Monday 17 February at 5pm

Each year, thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in research and engage in open discussion about issues affecting our culture and society. Through a mixture of traditional and creative formats, it focuses on showcasing cutting-edge science and technology.

The Festival will be hosted by Anglia Ruskin University and will be taking place from the 8-12 September in Chelmsford and Essex. All events will be free to attend!

Call for proposals

The open call is an opportunity for anyone to submit an event idea. Festival proposals should be aimed at non-specialist adults (16+) with a broad interest in science. During the week, Festival events will take place in the daytime on the university campus, followed by events throughout the city each evening. To close the Festival, there will be a final celebration over the weekend. The programme is aimed at a range of formats from talks to drop-in activities and creative content that challenges perceptions of what science is and can be.

Proposal deadline: Monday 17 February at 5pm

More information including the application process and FAQs, can be found here.

If you’re thinking about submitting a proposal, please chat with the Festival team before completing the form.

Please contact anna.woolman@britishscienceassociation.org

Alternatively if you would like advice on planning or submitting your application or to discuss ideas, you can contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer) publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

25 October 2019

British Science Festival Chelmsford 2020: Calls for proposals now open

Public engagement ballen

Calls for proposals for British Science Festival 2020 are now open!

Taking place from the 8-12 September in Chelmsford and Essex, the Festival will be hosted by Anglia Ruskin University.

Each year, thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in research and engage in open discussion about issues affecting our culture and society. Through a mixture of traditional and creative formats, it focuses on showcasing cutting-edge science and technology.

Festival proposals should be aimed at non-specialist adults (16+) with a broad interest in science. All events are free to attend.

There are two ways to get involved…

Award Lecture nominations

Are you, or do you know, a promising early career researcher?

Every year nominations are requested for the seven Award Lectureships available to promising early career academics, skilled at engaging people with their research. These Award Lectures aim to promote open and informed discussion of science and related disciplines. The selected candidates will have the opportunity to present their winning Award Lecture at the 2020 Festival. To get an idea of what it’s like to be an Award Lecturer, check out the blog from one of the 2018 winners.

Nomination deadline: 17:00, 6 January 2020

Open call for proposals

The open call is an opportunity for anyone to submit an event idea.

Festival proposals should be aimed at non-specialist adults (16+) with a broad interest in science. During the week, Festival events will take place in the daytime on the university campus, followed by events throughout the city each evening. To close the Festival, there will be a final celebration over the weekend. The programme is aimed at a range of formats from talks to drop-in activities and creative content that challenges perceptions of what science is and can be.

Please submit one proposal per event.

Proposal deadline: 17:00, 17 February 2020

More information about the above, including the application process and FAQs, can be found on the website

People who are thinking about submitting a nomination or proposal are strongly encouraged to chat with the Festival team before completing the form(s). If you’re interested please contact anna.woolman@britishscienceassociation.org

Alternatively you can contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer) if you would like advice on planning or submitting your application or to discuss ideas.

And finally – a reminder about the upcoming UK Science Festivals Network conference taking place in London on the 19 November. Perfect for anyone working or interested in the science Festival, or wider engagement sector. More information and tickets available here

4 December 2017

Get involved with the British Science Festival 2018

Public engagement Natt Day

Would you like to get involved with the British Science Festival 2018? If so, the call for festival proposals is now open for applications!

The British Science Festival is Europe’s longest standing science festival with a diverse programme of free events for the public to get immersed in and help them connect with scientists, engineers, technologists and social scientists. This year the BSF will be in Hull & the Humber from 11-14th September.

Proposals are now open for events exploring the scientific spectrum and beyond. Creative events and applications for drop-in activities are also welcome.

To find out more and submit your application, click here. Proposal deadline if 9am 19th February.

Don’t forget, if you have a proposal and would like to work with our Public Engagement team on it, you can! Just email our Engagement Officer Natt Day (nday@Bournemouth.ac.uk) to arrange

1 December 2017

Nominate an Award Lecture for British Science Festival 2018

Public engagement Natt Day

Do you know or work with a promising early career scientist? If so, why not nominate them for an Award Lecture at the British Science Festival 2018!

The Award Lectures aim to promote open and informed discussion on issues involving science and encourage scientists to explore the social aspects of their research. Previous Award Lecturers include the likes of Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Brian Cox.

Awards are available in seven different areas:

Margret Mead: Social Sciences
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: Engineering, Technology and Industry
Charles Lyell: Environmental Sciences
Charles Darwin: Agricultural, Biological and Medical Sciences
Rosalind Franklin: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Daphne Oram: Digital Innovation
Jacob Bronowski: Science and the Arts

The selected lecturers will receive an all expenses paid trip to the British Science Festival in Hull to present their talk as well as a £250 honorarium and an invitation to the Festival dinner.

To find out more information and apply, click here. Deadline for applications are 9am 2nd January 2018.

21 November 2017

Public Engagement – Evaluation is key

biddled

Something that is just as important as engaging the public in your research is gauging the impact of your event. Academics can use evaluation to help improve future research activities or understand if their event was successful in making impact with the general public.

Don’t be generic

When looking at generic feedback and evaluation forms, they don’t give much help in analysing the success of your event. If you want to know how many points out of 10 you get then look no further than your average Likert scale!

However, there is a wealth of other opportunities to understand and evaluate how impactful your events are – these opportunities are something the Knowledge, Exchange, and Impact Team love to collect.

Inspire us

If you have any ideas, or want to be inspired then don’t hesitate to get in touch for examples of what you can to do evaluate your public engagement event – we are always open to expand the evaluation repertoire.

13 November 2017

Public Engagement – why keep it on campus?

Public engagement biddled

The British Science Festival was a fantastic opportunity to see the weird and wonderful places you can engage people in science! Locations for events ranged from lecture theatres on campus to a karaoke bar down in the lanes… certainly a wide range of options to attract anyone and everyone.

All the different locations dotted around Brighton

It’s a good idea to look into the unique places around Bournemouth that might be better for your research than on campus – you can see in the map that the British Science Festival had a large majority of their events in the city centre instead of up on the University grounds. This made it easier for visitors of the city to find the events they wanted.

It would be great for both community and BU to see all of Bournemouth town used to engage the public in the Festival of Learning – whether it is a night time event to keep the fun going to the early hours, or an event closer to the station to help the public find it’s location without all the buses. When thinking of an event you can run for the Festival of Learning, just remember – why keep it on campus?

If you have any ideas and want to run them by us at the Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

15 February 2017

Why not get involved in the British Science Festival 2017?

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement Joanna Pawlik

The call for proposals for this year British Science Festival is open till 9am Monday 27 March 2017.

Help the British Science Association to curate a vibrant programme of events! Nominations for the annual Award Lectures and the call for proposals for the British Science Festival 2017 are now open. Please click on the links below to find out more:

Propose an event
Nominate an Award Lecture

The deadline for submissions is 9am Monday 27 March 2017. To submit a proposal for events please fill in the proposal form.

In 2016 the festival took place in Swansea and you can watch highlights film from that event Here

25 January 2017

Nominate Award Lecture at the 2017 British Science Festival

Public engagement Joanna Pawlik

Do you know of or work with a promising early career scientists? Nominations are currently being accepted for Award Lectures at the British Science Festival! The deadline is 9 am Monday 6 March 2017

Previous Award Lecturers include Brian Cox, Richard Wiseman and Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Awards are available in seven different areas:

Margaret Mead – social sciences
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, supported by Siemens – engineering, technology and industry
Charles Lyell – environmental sciences

Charles Darwin – agricultural, biological and medical sciences
Rosalind Franklin, supported by Siemens – physical sciences and mathematics
Daphne Oram – digital innovation
Jacob Bronowski – science and the arts

To propose a nomination, fill out this form

16 January 2017

Call for proposals for The British Science Festival 2017

Public engagement Joanna Pawlik

The British Science Festival 2017 is taking place from the 5-9 September and will be co-hosted by the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex

The British Science Association needs your help to curate a vibrant programme of events! Nominations for the annual Award Lectures and the call for proposals for the British Science Festival 2017 are now open. Please click on the links below to find out more:

Propose an event
Nominate an Award Lecture

The deadline for submissions is 9am Monday 27 March 2017. To submit a proposal for events please fill in the proposal form.

In 2016 the festival took place in Swansea and you can watch highlights film from that event Here

22 August 2016

Public Engagement in the sunshine!

PG research, Public engagement Naomi Kay

We recently headed down to a very sunny Boscombe for a day spent talking about science as part of their bustling Saturday market. Pitching up in between two amazingly fragrant food stands we spent the day talking to the community about two research projects with the potential to change lives as part of a British Science Association and Royal Society of Chemistry series of events known as Science in the City.

The idea of Science in the City has been to take science into highly deprived communities and talk to people about research who wouldn’t usually engage with us through events such as Festival of Learning. Working with University of Southampton (UoS) we submitted the bid in December 2015 and were successful in being picked to host an activity as part of the 2016 round of funding and approached Boscombe Market for a venue to let us talk to the community.

Keen to take the opportunity to share some of our high profile research we were especially pleased to be joined by Oleg Fryazinov and Mark Moseley who have been highly involved with the award winning SHIVA project which enables disabled children to design and 3D print objects using a simple interactive system that can be controlled using either touch or eye tracking software. This project has recently received funding through HEIF5+1+1 to expand the project further and work with new schools. Currently they are working closely with the Victoria School in Poole and may of the objects seen in the image below where designed by their students (unfortunately not the dinosaur as the software isn’t quite up to this yet!).

As well as BU’s research we also took an activity from UoS’s public engagement Roadshow. David and Alex, two PHD researchers from the university joined us for the day to talk to people about the technology behind hydrogen fuel cells and how they have the power to revolutionise our lives and minimise the amount of unclean energy needed to run our cars, buses and lorries. As well as a demonstration of the fuel cell in action they also were helping the public understand how catalysts could be used to reduce the amount of energy you need to put into a reaction and how coating a cheap substance (in our case copper pennies) with a catalytic material (a brass coating made by coating the penny in zinc and heating to produce an alloy) can reduce the costs involved with using them.

30 November 2015

Why not get involved in the British Science Festival 2016?

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement kbreadmore

The call for event proposals and Award Lecture nominations for the British Science Festival 2016 are now open.

The British Science Festival is Europe’s longest-standing national event which connects people with scientists, engineers, technologists and social scientists. Tens of thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in science and to engage in open discussion about issues that affect our culture and society.

Each September the British Science Festival transforms a different UK city into a vibrant celebration of science, engineering and technology.

The British Science Festival will be returning to Swansea University from 6-9 September 2016. The Festival is a national platform to showcase cutting-edge science, celebrate the latest scientific developments and engage in open discussion about issues that affect our culture and society.

The British Science Association needs your help to curate a vibrant programme of events. Proposals should be aimed at non-specialist adults with a broad interest in science. Find out how to submit an event and nominate an Award Lecture on the British Science Festival website here: http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/british-science-festival

Specifically, they are looking for original, high quality science entertainments events for a wide range of audiences, including families, children, young adults, special interest groups and followers of the arts.

Previous kinds of events have included:
Workshops for adults and for families.
Comedy, drama and musical shows.
Sci-art collaborations
Trips to places of interest in the local area
Behind the scenes tours
Science shows

Anyone can propose an event – individuals, researchers, organisations or academic institutions from all over the UK. Events can be talks, debates or discussions for a public audience.

The call for proposals will close on 25 March 2016 and the deadline for Award Lecture nominations is 4 March 2016.

If you have any questions or want to discuss your ideas, please contact:

Rosie Waldron (Engagement Manager, British Science Association) T: +44 (0)20 7019 4941 E: rosie.waldron@britishscienceassociation.org

9 March 2015

Call for Proposals for this years British Science Festival!

Public engagement gibsonh

This year, the British Science Festival is opening its doors to academics, individuals and organisations who are interested in bringing cutting edge science to a national audience this year.

The British Science Festival is Europe’s longest-standing national event which connects people with scientists, engineers, technologists and social scientists. In 2015 the Festival will be returning to Bradford between 7-10 September and they are inviting researchers to apply to showcase their work at the Festival.

The British Science Association sets no restrictions on its call for proposals; anyone can suggest content for an event – staff and organisations from Universities, individuals, freelancers, organisations or academic institutions from all over the UK.

Their Open Call for proposals will remain open until 23^rd March 2015. Ypu can find out more about the Open Call and submit a proposal by visiting the webform here. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Hana Ayoob at hana.ayoob@britishscienceassociation.org

Tagged / British Science Festival

Opportunity to get involved with the British Science Festival 2025

British Science Festival 2025 – Call for Event Proposals

Do you have an idea to engage public audiences with science & research? British Science Festival 2024 Open Call – Deadline Tuesday 16 January

British Science Festival 2024: Award Lecture Applications Open

Do you have an idea to engage public audiences with science and research? – British Science Festival 2023: Open Call for proposals

Apply for an Award Lectureship from the British Science Association

https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/award-lectures

Reminder: Applications Closing Soon for British Science Festival 2020