BU Research Blog

14 February 2025

Being Human Festival 2025: call for applications now open

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The call for applications for Being Human Festival 2025 is now open

Being Human is the UK’s national festival of the humanities. Each year researchers and staff from universities and research organisations are invited to take part in the national festival by organising a public engagement event or activity, rooted in humanities research.

This year’s festival will take place 6-15 November with the theme ‘Between the Lines’.

Being Human is a place-based festival that emphasises interaction, collaboration and engaging with communities outside higher education. The festival supports innovative, participatory and creative activities that foster genuine, two-way connections with communities.

You can get an idea of what the festival looks like, and the types of activities they support, in the 2024 highlights film, and by reading the 2024 highlights blog.

There are various ways to participate in the festival:

Funded pathway

Festival Event Grants: up to £4,000 to organise a single event or multiple events. Deadline: Thursday 10 April Being Human 2025 – Festival Event Grant – Further Information.pdf

Please note: only applicants from UK Higher Education Institutions and AHRC-recognised IROs are eligible to receive grants.

Unfunded pathway

Festival Event: organise a festival event that does not require funding from Being Human. Deadline: Friday 4 July

Further details about how to apply, and answers to some frequently asked questions, are available here.

Apply to Being Human Festival 2025 Webinar

Find out more about applying to the festival at the online information session ‘Applying to Being Human Festival 2025’ taking place on Thursday 27 February 2-3pm. Sign up here.

Training Programme 2025

The full training programme for 2025, has sessions running from February to October. This year’s programme includes new events on engagement and inclusion and creative engagement, alongside sessions on audiences, partnerships, promoting events and delivering events.

The sessions are led by expert facilitators, alongside members of the Being Human Festival team. Training is primarily aimed at those taking part, or thinking of taking part, in Being Human Festival, but will be of interest to those working in public engagement more broadly.

All sessions are free and take place online, but booking is required. Find out more and book individual sessions.

Toolkits

The Public Engagement Toolkits have recently been updated. These downloadable PDF resources cover subjects including working with partners, delivering inclusive activities and finding the right format. Browse the toolkits

Contact

Should you require advice on public engagement activities or support with your application, please contact BU’s Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

13 February 2025

Share your research with a public audience at BU’s new Research Café

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Make an impact: engage the community with your research

Get involved with our new Research Café series—an excellent opportunity to share your research with the public in a relaxed setting. Move away from conventional slide-based presentations and connect with the community in a meaningful way.

After more than 12 years, our Café Scientifique series has come to an end. Building on its success, our new event series will open up to all areas of research. In the first talk in our new series, Bournemouth University cybersecurity expert Professor Vasilis Katos will explore how we might help to defend our towns and cities from attack – Find out more

Our event in May will showcase post-graduate researchers – more information coming soon.

For our upcoming July event, we are especially interested in hearing from arts and humanities researchers.

Why share your research with a public audience?

Sharing your research with members of the public builds understanding, trust, and support. It makes your research more relevant, encourages learning, improves communication, and strengthens the connection between research and society. The questions you receive from attendees may also help you think differently about your own research and even inspire new areas to explore.

Introduction to public engagement and available resources

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) highlights the value of public involvement in research and provides resources to help researchers engage with the public effectively, making research more impactful and accessible. Learn more about public engagement and access resources here

Can you present your research in a simple and engaging way?

We encourage you to share your research in 10 slides or fewer. The challenge of keeping it brief will help you focus your message and keep your audience engaged. The event format will involve delivering a short talk about your research, followed by a discussion where you can answer questions from a varied audience. We strongly encourage interactive methods to keep your talk engaging.

Event details

Location: BGB Café

Event times: 6:30-8pm. Attendees will be able to arrive from 6pm to purchase drinks and food before the event begins.

We are now inviting expressions of interest for speakers for our event on Tuesday 1 July.

Who can get involved?

This is an excellent training opportunity, especially if you are new to public engagement. The friendly audience and relaxed environment will provide a great setting to build your confidence. Whether you are just starting out, or looking to improve your skills, we welcome academics at all career stages, with a focus on those beginning their public engagement journey. We encourage collaboration between experienced and newer speakers to help provide support and gain a rewarding learning experience.

What support can you expect?

Organised by BU’s Public Engagement with Research team, part of Research Development and Support, the team will support you every step of the way—from brainstorming your ideas, developing interesting and interactive ways to help you connect your research with a public audience, to event set-up and promotion. We will be there on the day to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Evaluating your event

To help you get the most out of this experience, we will also support you in evaluating your event. By gathering feedback from your audience, you will gain valuable insights into how well your research was understood and received, and how you can refine your public speaking and engagement skills for future events.

Ready to get involved?

Complete our expressions of interest form to register your interest.

Please note completing the form does not guarantee a spot. We will reach out to discuss your potential participation.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

17 January 2025

Get in touch with the public engagement team for support in promoting your event

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Are you organising a public engagement activity or event that you would like help to promote?

Whether it’s a community event, public lecture, workshop, or any other public engagement activity, the Public Engagement with Research team can assist in promoting your event. Our monthly newsletters and social media channels offer a range of promotional opportunities to help you reach a wider audience and ensure your event is a success.

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 or activities that do not involve BU research, such as marketing or recruitment events, will not be accepted.
Submitted, at the latest, in the first two weeks of the month preceding the event. For example, an event taking place in June should be submitted via the form any time before 14 May.

Event descriptions may be edited for consistency in style with other content.

Share your upcoming public event or activity

If you have any questions, please contact the team publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

14 January 2025

Opportunity to get involved with the British Science Festival 2025

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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

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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.

Tagged / Public Engagement Activity

Being Human Festival 2025: call for applications now open

Share your research with a public audience at BU’s new Research Café

Get in touch with the public engagement team for support in promoting your event

Opportunity to get involved with the British Science Festival 2025

British Science Festival 2025 – Call for Event Proposals

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