On World Refugee Day 2025, Friday 20 June, the new Maternal and Infant Health Equity Research Centre (MIHERC) website was launched. MIHERC is a hub for research, collaboration and action on maternal and infant health equity. MIHERC) is a collaborative effort between Sheffield Hallam University, Bournemouth University and City of Doncaster Council working to reduce health inequalities for mothers and babies. This year’s World Refugee Day’s theme, hashtagSolidarity, reflects MIHERC’s mission to stand with all mothers and babies – especially those facing health and social inequalities or barriers to care.
Tagged / public engagement
Contribute to the HE-BCI survey by sharing your involvement in BU’s social, community & cultural events
Have you taken part in a local festival, run a community workshop, volunteered at a cultural event, or used your BU expertise to support a community group? BU is required to report on a range of knowledge exchange activities for the HE-BCI survey, collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Research England uses this data to inform the annual allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).
For 2024–25, BU received £549,064.
We are collecting details of all social, community and cultural engagement activities delivered between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Entries must be submitted by Friday 17 October 2025.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. If you haven’t recorded your involvement yet, it only takes a few minutes. Every entry helps us show BU’s wider impact.
We have now moved to a single central table for collecting entries. If you have already submitted your activity to your faculty’s table, we will transfer this over for you.
This year, we can’t include information uploaded to the public engagement section of BRIAN, as it doesn’t capture all the data HESA requires. If you have added entries to BRIAN for this period, please upload the full details to the central table as well, or your activity won’t be included in the survey.
For guidance on what to include, see the FAQ section.
Please complete the central table
If you have any questions, contact us at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Join United Players FC family at their networking event June 20th 5.30-8.30pm
United Players FC family will be hosting a Meet the Team Networking event at 333 on Friday 20th June 5.30-8.30pm in Central Bournemouth, this will give people the chance to meet the team, hear about the positive impact the project is having on young people’s lives plus the chance to become a sponsor or volunteer with us.
Help us continue supporting young people, that have been separated from their families, creating connections through the love of football.
We would love it if you could join us at this event and please feel free to pass the event information to anyone else who may be interested , and there will be some fabulous nibbles by Salt Co.
Please book via the following link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1264438462479?aff=oddtdtcreator
Share your public engagement event with a wider audience
If you’re running an event or activity that is open to non-academic audiences and showcases BU research, the Public Engagement with Research team in RDS can help spread the word.
We can help you promote public engagement with research events through our monthly newsletter and social media channels.
To be included, your event must:
- Be aimed at and open to the general public (not academic audiences)
- Feature BU research – either as the main focus or part of a larger programme
- Be submitted by the middle of the month before the event (e.g. submit by 14 May for a June event)
Please note: we may edit event descriptions to align with our other communications.
Ready to share your event?
If you have any questions, get in touch with the team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Research Café: How are researchers working to prevent child drowning in Bangladesh? – Tuesday 1 July 6:30-8pm
Get inspired at BU’s Research Café
Join a community of curious minds to ask questions, share ideas, and explore research at Bournemouth University. Enjoy thought-provoking talks followed by lively discussions, where you can engage directly with guest speakers and fellow attendees.
Our next event will explore the Sonamoni Project, an international collaboration focused on preventing drowning among children in rural Bangladesh.
Join us on Tuesday 1 July, from 6:30 to 8pm, for a short talk and open discussion with researchers from Bournemouth University. They will share insights from the Sonamoni Project, which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research.
In many Bangladeshi communities, child safety has a direct impact on whether women are able to work. This talk will also look at how community-led safety initiatives not only protect children but also support women’s livelihoods.
The research team brings together experts from three UK universities, the RNLI, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research in Bangladesh, and Design without Borders in Uganda. The evening will also include an interactive virtual reality experience that brings the research to life.
Taking place at the BGB Café, the event will begin at 6:30pm. The café opens at 6pm, so arrive early to buy a drink and a bite to eat before the event begins.
If you have any questions about this event, please email the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Help highlight BU’s Impact – Share your involvement in Community and Cultural Events
Contribute to the HE-BCI survey: Share your involvement in BU’s social, community, and cultural events
BU is required to report a wide range of knowledge exchange activities as part of the HE-BCI survey, collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). It’s important that we provide a full and accurate picture, as Research England uses this data to inform the annual allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).
For 2024–25, BU received £549,064.
Data collection period
We’re collecting details of all BU-led social, community, and cultural engagement events taking place between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Please make sure all relevant events are uploaded to the SharePoint site by Friday 17 October 2025.
Find your faculty table
Complete the table for your faculty, ensuring all columns are filled in, particularly Number of Attendees and Academic Staff Time for Delivery.
Important note
This year, we won’t be able to include data uploaded only to BRIAN’s public engagement records, as these do not provide all the details required by HESA.
If you’ve already added events to BRIAN for this period, please also upload full details to the SharePoint site, otherwise your event can’t be included in the survey.
Further support
For guidance on what to include, check the FAQ section.
If you have questions about the process or data requirements, please get in touch at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Share Your Views on Public Engagement – Royal Society Survey Open Until 30 June
The Royal Society is inviting UK-based researchers and public engagement professionals to take part in a short survey on the factors that affect how public engagement with research is planned, delivered and prioritised across the sector.
It’s open to people at any career stage, whether you’re actively involved in engagement or not.
The 2025 study builds on similar surveys conducted in 2006 and 2015, helping to track how public engagement with research has evolved over time in the UK. The findings will inform future decisions and policies aimed at better supporting researchers in their public engagement work.
The main aims of the study are to understand:
- What public engagement means and involves in 2025
- Its value and significance within the research landscape
- The key enablers, barriers, opportunities, and risks
- How public engagement can be effectively supported and implemented
- How perceptions and practices have changed over time
How you can take part:
- Complete the survey to share your experience of planning and delivering public engagement.
- Share the survey with your colleagues and networks—particularly researchers at BU.
Even if you’re not currently taking part in engagement activities, you can still complete the survey to highlight any barriers or reasons why engagement hasn’t been a priority.
The survey is open until Monday 30 June 2025.
If you have any questions, you can contact the Royal Society at: publicengagement@royalsociety.org
Centres of Excellence / demonstration projects
Many organisations use the concept of Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the intervention design and testing stage of a labour migration project. CoE is an interesting concept, which links to the notion of a ‘show home’ on a building site, the Scottish Government notion of a ‘demonstration project’, or more basic the content of the suitcase of a travelling salesman in the last century. For example, currently the Scottish Government established a Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund, running from 2021 to 2026, to deliver good quality local authority sites with the initial ‘demonstration projects’ providing examples of how to design more and better accommodation for the community. Whislt a previous demonstration projects in Scotland featured teenage sexual health behaviour (1-2). A ‘model home’ or a ‘show home’ is the same house as the new one you will be buying or renting, but fully decorated with often expensive stuff. This to show the seller the house’s best potential, i.e. to give you a sense of what you own home could look like.
The idea behind a CoE is that a group of people with a share aim, provide leadership, skills training, research, and advice and support on topic based on a high level of expertise among the team members to ensure best practice. It is to demonstrate that something could work and also how it might work in practice.
Professor Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health
References:
- Tucker, J, van Teijlingen E, Philip, K, Shucksmith, J, Penney, G (2006) Health Demonstration Projects: Issues evaluating community-based health intervention programme to improve young people’s sexual health, Critical Public Health, 16(3):175-89
- Tucker, J., Fitzmaurice AE., Imamura, M., Penfold, S., Penney G, van Teijlingen E, Shucksmith J., Philip, K. (2007) Effect of national demonstration project Healthy Respect on teenage sexual health behaviour, European Journal of Public Health, 17(2): 33-41.
Reminder – Submit Your Application for the 2025 ESRC Festival: Deadline Friday 23 May
Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival
About the Festival of Social Science
The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.
The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.
The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.
What are the festival aims?
- Encourage, support & create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with the public and young people
- Promote & increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC-funded research, & the contribution social science makes to the UK
- Enable the public to engage with social science research
- Engage with teachers and young people and raise their awareness of the social sciences
Training to run a great event
The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.
Applications will be assessed on 5 key areas
- Motivation for taking part – Show you have thought carefully about why you are applying e.g. to pilot an idea, reach a new audience, or develop public engagement skills, and what you hope to gain.
- Target audience identified – Events must be aimed at a non-academic audience. Clearly define who your audience is (e.g. a specific public group, community, or professional sector). If you are proposing an event for professionals, businesses, policymakers, or third sector organisations, please note that ESRC rules only permit up to 20% of our events to be targeted at these groups. As we often receive many proposals in this category, selecting one of these audiences may reduce your chances of taking part.
- Audience motivation – Show why your chosen audience would be interested in your activity, and how and when they might engage.
- Content & format – Demonstrate initial ideas for what the activity will involve, why the format suits the goal (e.g. in-person, online), and considerations for timing and location.
- Appropriate costing – Budget should be realistic, clear, and fit the scale and type of activity.
How to apply
We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.
Apply to take part by completing the online application form.
Deadline for applications: 5pm FRIDAY 23 MAY 2025
You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.
Please read before applying
Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.
Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.
Contact us
Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
May’s Research Café – Showcasing tomorrow’s researchers
Postgraduate researchers took the spotlight at BU’s latest Research Café
We had a packed house at the BGB Café for a fascinating evening engaging conversation.
Three passionate postgraduate researchers from Bournemouth University took the stage to share their work. Each speaker gave a short talk on their research, sparking plenty of interest and questions from the audience. We covered everything from what drives our travel choices, to how nostalgia shapes our experience of video games, to the links between alcohol and eating habits in women.
Anna Preece Thesis: Disordered eating behaviours as a barrier to recovery in women with alcohol dependence | Rehabilitation and Sports Sciences (HSS)
Anna presented research on the behavioural links between food and alcohol, exploring how drinking habits and eating behaviours are connected in women. The talk highlighted the implications of these connections for mental health and well-being and discussed ways to improve support for individuals facing these challenges.
Jordan King presenting at Research Café
Jordan King Thesis: Exploring Nostalgic Experiences in Video Games | Psychology (FST)
Jordan explored the emotional power of video games, examining how they evoke memories from the past and create a sense of nostalgia. The talk focused on how digital play connects us to both personal and cultural memories, highlighting the deep emotional impact of gaming.
Wookjun Lee talking at Research Café
Wookjun Lee Thesis: Tourists’ use of public transportation in urban destinations: An experiential perspective | Marketing, Strategy and Innovation (BUBS)
Wookjun examined the factors influencing tourists’ travel choices, focusing on the role of public transport and how to encourage more eco-friendly travel habits. The talk highlighted strategies for promoting greener, more sustainable options for tourists.
It was a great chance to explore topics that affect our everyday lives and get a glimpse into the real-world impact of research happening at BU.
Attendees shared “It was a lovely event. A great time to learn and bond with other researchers” “It was inspiring to see the next generation of researchers sharing their work”
“I found it really interesting to hear directly from postgraduate researchers about the work happening at BU. The range of topics and the enthusiasm behind them made it a really engaging event”
Anna Preece speaking at Research Café
As one of the evening’s speakers, Anna Preece reflected on the experience
“I wanted the opportunity to share my research and hear people’s thoughts and questions about the project. It’s so important in research to hear different perspectives, especially those outside of academia, as they can challenge our thinking, or bring in new ideas… When you’re deep in the research, it’s easy to get lost in the data, so being reminded of the real-world context was invaluable… I hope attendees found the evening thought provoking and enjoyable and it helped them start to recognise the overlap between food and alcohol behaviours and consider what that might look like for themselves or someone they care about.”
Enrica Conrotto, Doctoral College Programme Manager at Bournemouth University, attended the evening and said
“a fantastic event showcasing the work of our Doctoral College PGRs. Congratulations to Anna Preece, Jordan King and Wookjun Lee for their engaging presentations, and a big thank you to the Public Engagement Team for organising the evening. An inspiring evening filled with engaging discussion”
Next up in our Research Café series
Tuesday 1 July, 6:30-8pm at BGB Café
More details coming soon
Contact
If you have any questions about this event or the Research Café series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science: Application Deadline Extended to Friday 23 May 2025
Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival
The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.
About the Festival of Social Science
The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.
The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.
What are the festival aims?
- Encourage, support & create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with the public and young people
- Promote & increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC-funded research, & the contribution social science makes to the UK
- Enable the public to engage with social science research
- Engage with teachers and young people and raise their awareness of the social sciences
Training to run a great event
The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.
Applications will be assessed on these 5 key areas
Motivation for taking part – Show you have thought carefully about why you are applying e.g. to pilot an idea, reach a new audience, or develop public engagement skills, and what you hope to gain.
Target audience identified – Events must be aimed at a non-academic audience. Clearly define who your audience is (e.g. a specific public group, community, or professional sector). If you are proposing an event for professionals, businesses, policymakers, or third sector organisations, please note that ESRC rules only permit up to 20% of our events to be targeted at these groups. As we often receive many proposals in this category, selecting one of these audiences may reduce your chances of taking part.
Audience motivation – Show why your chosen audience would be interested in your activity, and how and when they might engage.
Content & format – Demonstrate initial ideas for what the activity will involve, why the format suits the goal (e.g. in-person, online), and considerations for timing and location.
Appropriate costing – Budget should be realistic, clear, and fit the scale and type of activity.
How to apply
We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.
Apply to take part by completing the online application form.
Deadline for applications EXTENDED to: 5pm FRIDAY 23 May 2025
You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.
Please read before applying
Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.
Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.
Contact us
Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
BA ECRN: Impact and Engagement Workshop
5th June 2025, Impact & Engagement Workshop in Bath, including AHRC & British Academy
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Bath, 1000-1600 (optional to 1700)
The impact and public engagement agenda in the UK and internationally are rapidly changing the nature of academic work across disciplines and affecting the shape of academic careers and post-doctoral research opportunities more widely.
It is important to understand how the opportunities and requirements produced by this shift can help Early Career Researchers strengthen their research portfolios, networks, and ultimately help secure an interesting and meaningful research career.
Join us for a day of workshopping, discussions and networking where we’ll benefit from the insights of experts and peers on impact and public engagement in humanities and social sciences research.
We will be guided towards fruitful ways of (re)imagining our research, extending its reach, building academic and non-academic collaborations, and strengthening our standing in the national and international research space.
Book your place here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/earlycareerresearchernetwork/1676717
Tentative agenda:
| 09:15-10:00 | Registration and Networking |
|
10:00 – 10:05
10:05 – 10:15
|
Welcome – Bath Spa University
Aims for today & framework |
| 10:15 – 10.45
|
Temperature check
Interactive check-in – how is everyone feeling about their professional identity, current and future career? – what are the issues of concern? – what is going well? |
|
10.45 – 12.00
|
Building professional integrity through impact and engagement in a dynamic research environment and shifting culture (tentative title) – Tracey Stead, Leadership Development Consultant, Facilitator & Coach |
| 12.00 – 13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 – 14:30 | Public Engagement: an overview of the PE landscape with a presentation of case studies demonstrating the value and impact of PE (tentative title) – Mike Collins, Head of Public Engagement, Arts and Humanities Research Council |
| 14:30 – 14:35
|
Comfort Break |
| 14:35 – 15:30
|
Public engagement and impact: what does it mean for your career going forward?– a set of facilitated interactive sessions tbc |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Temperature re-check and moving forward
Check back to points raised at the start of day Plan: where to go from here? |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Afternoon Tea and Networking (optional) |
Take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science – Deadline for applications: Thursday 15 May 2025
Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival
The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.
About the Festival of Social Science
The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.
The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.
What are the festival aims?
- Encourage, support & create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with the public and young people
- Promote & increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC-funded research, & the contribution social science makes to the UK
- Enable the public to engage with social science research
- Engage with teachers and young people and raise their awareness of the social sciences
Training to run a great event
The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.
To help you develop your application, you can sign up to attend the Introduction to Festival of Social Science 2025 webinar on Thursday 8 May, 12pm via Teams.
Applications will be assessed on these 5 key areas
Motivation for taking part – Show you have thought carefully about why you are applying e.g. to pilot an idea, reach a new audience, or develop public engagement skills, and what you hope to gain.
Target audience identified – Events must be aimed at a non-academic audience. Clearly define who your audience is (e.g. a specific public group, community, or professional sector). If you are proposing an event for professionals, businesses, policymakers, or third sector organisations, please note that ESRC rules only permit up to 20% of our events to be targeted at these groups. As we often receive many proposals in this category, selecting one of these audiences may reduce your chances of taking part.
Audience motivation – Show why your chosen audience would be interested in your activity, and how and when they might engage.
Content & format – Demonstrate initial ideas for what the activity will involve, why the format suits the goal (e.g. in-person, online), and considerations for timing and location.
Appropriate costing – Budget should be realistic, clear, and fit the scale and type of activity.
How to apply
We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.
Apply to take part by completing the online application form.
Deadline for applications: 11:59pm, Thursday 15 May 2025
You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.
Please read before applying
Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.
Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.
Contact us
Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Action for Children to present at Community Voices Webinar Wednesday May 14th 12-1pm
The May Community Voices Webinar will welcome Lynn and Maddy from Dorset Action for Children – to shine a light on the services they provide and specifically Dorset Nightstop – providing young homeless people aged 16-25 with shelter through a network of vetted volunteer host families.
https://service.actionforchildren.org.uk/dorset-services/dorset-nightstop/
Action for Children is a UK-based children’s charity that provides practical and emotional care and support to vulnerable children and young people.
The charity has a wide range of services for parents and families, including parenting support, childcare, fostering, residential care and policy and research.
They also ensure children’s voices are heard and campaign for improvements in their lives.
In Dorset, Action for Children runs two services. A Parenting Support Service providing individual/group programmes and webinars for parents/caregivers struggling with their children’s challenging behaviour.
Also Dorset Nightstop that provides young homeless people aged 16-25 with shelter through a network of vetted volunteer host families.
Lynn and Maddy will be talking more about the work of Action for Children with particular reference to Dorset Nightstop.
Community voices is a collaboration between BU PIER partnership and Centre for Seldom Heard Voices to provide a platform and a voice to local community activists.
Please do join us for this webinar….
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 357 296 224 567
Passcode: F8yQ2oF6
Apply now to take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science
Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival
The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.
How to apply
We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.
Apply to take part by completing the online application form.
Deadline for applications: 11:59pm, Thursday 15 May 2025
You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.
About the Festival of Social Science
The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.
The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.
Training to run a great event
The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.
To help you develop your application, you can sign up to attend the Introduction to Festival of Social Science 2025 webinar on 8th May, 12pm via Teams.
Please read before applying
Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.
Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.
Contact us
Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Share your involvement – contribute to the HE-BCI survey on BU’s social, community, and cultural events
Contribute to the HE-BCI survey: Share your involvement in BU’s social, community, and cultural events
BU is required to report on a range of knowledge exchange activities for the HE-BCI survey, which is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). It is essential that we provide a comprehensive overview of these activities, as Research England uses the HE-BCI data to inform the allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) each year.
For 2024-25, BU received £549,064.
Data collection period
The SharePoint site collects details about all the social, community and cultural engagement events BU delivers between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Information about all events delivered during this period need to be uploaded by Friday 17 October 2025.
Find your faculty table
Please ensure you complete all the columns in the individual table for each faculty, especially Number of Attendees and Academic Staff Time for Delivery.
This year, for the first time, we will not be able to include information uploaded to the public engagement records on BRIAN as these do not provide all the data HESA requires.
If you have added data to BRIAN for the relevant time period, please also upload full details here or we will not be able to include your event in the survey.
Further support
For more guidance on what you must include, please refer to the FAQ section.
If you have any questions about the data collection or process, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Register your interest in co-development of new REF2029 Engagement & Impact element
The REF central team has announced registration is open to take part in the co-development of the policy and guidance for the Engagement and Impact (E&I) element of REF2029. This is in addition to the current recruitment to panels and subpanels.
Deadline for registering interest: Tuesday 6 May 2025
Co-development workshop: Thursday 5th & Friday 6th June 2025, London
Topics likely to be covered include (but are not limited to):
- the definition of engagement and its role in the assessment framework
- the definition of rigour
- the content and weighting of disciplinary statements
- the number of case studies required.
Click here for full details on the E&I deep dive two-day session and how to apply. Please email the BU REF team to let us know if you do apply.
Promote your public engagement event to wider audiences
At BU, we celebrate and support efforts to engage the public with our research.
The Public Engagement with Research team in RDS can help promote your event to relevant audiences through our monthly newsletter and social media channels.
To be considered for inclusion, your event or activity must be:
- intended for and open to non-academic audiences
- focused on BU research, either solely or as part of a wider programme (events that do not involve BU research, such as marketing or recruitment activities, will not be accepted)
- submitted no later than the first two weeks of the month before the event. For example, for a June event, submit by 14 May.
Please note: event descriptions may be edited for consistency with other content
Share your upcoming public event or activity
If you have any questions, please contact the team publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
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