Public engagement grants

The funding round for 2024 has closed. Applications for 2025 will open in October 2025.

Have you got a great idea for a new Public Engagement (PE) activity, and would like some support to get it started? Are you already involved in an excellent project, and want to develop it further?

The Faculty are pleased to announce that we have Public Engagement grants available to support you with engaging with individuals or groups outside of the University. You can apply for a grant of between £200 to £2,000 to support your project.

For the purposes of this grant, we broadly define public engagement as:

“…the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.”

This scheme is designed to support and promote public engagement with research. Before you apply, we highly recommend you reading about previous projects that have been funded by this scheme. For a wide range of resources and advice around public engagement we would also recommend visiting the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) website.

On Wednesday 23rd October 1-2pm, the Faculty Public Engagement team will be running a Tips and Treats training session about the grants scheme – with advice on how to complete your application and details of previous successful projects. Book your slot here.

Guidelines for completing your application

Assessment criteria

We recognise that there are lots of different publics, and a variety of ways to engage with them, and will therefore assess applications against a broad range of criteria.

Proposals will be judged on the extent to which they:

Provide an opportunity for meaningful engagement, giving the public the opportunity to engage with current research
Give University staff and students the opportunity to build their public engagement skills and experience
Have the potential to have a significant impact, this could be on the staff/researchers/students involved, the public, your research or on the University more widely
Offer quality; a well thought out plan, realistic timescales and budget, and a project that is likely to appeal to the target public, as well as staff and students
Demonstrate a clear plan for evaluating the project, and a consideration of the potential legacy of the project.

Eligibility criteria

All academic and academic-related staff, all researchers at postdoctoral level and above and all postgraduate research students in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences are eligible to apply for a grant
Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students cannot apply directly for this fund, as the focus is on researchers. However, activities involving these students will be considered for funding
Projects must be completed and all funds must be spent by the end of June 2025
The activities must engage with an audience outside of the University e.g. community groups, school students, families.

2024 Projects

Project Title	Awardees	Description
Between 2 Ovaries” - Our Women’s Health Podcast	Dr Alison Maclean; Eleanor Bristow	Our proposed public engagement activity is a women’s health podcast addressing medical myths, taboo topics and deep dives into gynaecological conditions.
The Poison Garden – Development of an interactive poisonous plant trail and seminar at Ness Botanic Gardens	Dr John Tulloch; Dr Eleanor Hill; Dr Emma Fishbourne	Primary aim - Develop an interactive, permanent trail at Ness Botanic Gardens to educate visitors on poisonous plants, their dangers, and key characteristics for human and animal safety. Secondary aim – Connect visitors, university staff, and students to Ness Gardens’ role within the university by showcasing related clinical and research work from the School of Veterinary Science and School of Medicine.
MicroAge II: Inspirational space outreach to improve access, participation and enthusiasm for key groups of underrepresented students	Professor Anne McArdle; Dr Samantha Jones	The overarching aim of this programme is to inspire the next generation into STEM careers, with a focus on space science and to improve access and participation outcomes for key groups of underrepresented students. This develops from our award-winning MicroAge Mission space-focussed outreach. The project also uses space to engage children and young adults to consider impacts of nutrition and exercise in daily living on their longer-term health.
‘Wild About… Nature’ at Birkenhead Park	Rebecca Verspoor; Rudi Verspoor	The activity is a pair of outreach days, hosted at Birkenhead Park, which will be delivered to local schools from the surrounding area. This catchment includes a diverse range of possible schools, including WP schools. The aims of the day are to engage children with nature and biodiversity. Events will focus on local birds (Becky Verspoor) and local insects (Rudi Verspoor), with a range of hand on activities and staff led demonstrations.
Empowering Dog Owners in assessing their dog’s mobility: Promoting the Innovative “DogMA” App for determining optimal canine health and well-being associated with the identification of early mobility issues	Dr Natasha Clark; Prof. Eithne Comerford	Our newly developed app “Dog Mobility App (DogMA)” offers a user-friendly platform to track a dog's mobility, record daily activity, create medication diaries, and share essential health data with veterinary professionals. Securing funding from the PE fund would allow us to attend Crufts 2025 with an information stand; we aim to expand our reach to a broader audience of dog owners who may not be aware of the app or the importance of monitoring their dog's mobility.
VOYCES: Voices Of Youth in Communities: Empowerment and Strengthening	Dr Catriona Waitt	A Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) campaign through public engagement in urban slum areas of Kampala, at sites associated with the MILK study. Improve access to essential information on health, education, and economic opportunities in marginalized communities. Build the skills and knowledge of community members to be advocates for positive change and agents in their own development.
Love your cells!	Dr Ian Copple	With support from the Faculty PE Team and ISMIB PE budget, earlier this year I developed a primary school science session entitled ‘Love Your Cells!’ targeted at year 5/6 children. The aim of this application is to secure funding for resources to improve the quality of the session, provide consumables needed for the session to run in 2025 and 2026, and to establish the session as a viable PE activity in the longer term.
Creation of toy surgical/postmortem dog to be used in vet school PE events	Hayley Crosby-Durrani	This activity would be to introduce the concept of abdominal/thoracic surgery on a dog or a postmortem examination of a dog to children and young adults in a family friendly manner with the main aim to inspire this group of people to consider a career in the veterinary industry. The grant money would be to support the creation of 10 toy dogs that are adapted to allow for participants to play at the abdominal/thoracic surgery or postmortem examinations.
BreakOut: Breaking barriers to women's participation in Outbreak research	Peter Waitt	To explore the challenges to obtaining clear, accurate information experienced by women affected by viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) in Uganda, and to determine their research priorities.
NeuroNights: Myths, laughs & brainy debates	Bethany Facer	Build excitement around neuroscience in Liverpool ahead of the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) 2025 Festival. Increase public understanding of neuroscience and foster curiosity about brain science. Make these concepts accessible and engaging to a general audience.

2023 PE grant-funded projects

Take a look at the projects we funded last year!