Eligibility Criteria

We are looking to fund creative proposals that will utilise fun and interactive methods to deliver high quality engagement between researchers and the public.

The assessment panel is keen to see applications from interdisciplinary teams, proposals supported by equitable collaborations with cultural and community partner organisations and individuals, as well as those demonstrating new and creative approaches to engagement. All projects must meet the eligibility criteria, detailed below, in order to be considered for funding.

This scheme is open to broad range of projects and activities. Some examples of the kinds of projects that can be funded are; co-produced research projects, interactive online workshops, guided and immersive experiences, performance and arts-based activities, exhibitions, and workshops.

Examples of grant expenditure could include: travel expenses, materials, resources and consumables, digital resource subscriptions, hire costs for external venues, catering, and fees for external collaborators.
All main project activity and budget expenditure must be planned to be completed by 31 July 2024, and a favourable ethical opinion must be obtained prior to access of funds. Successful applicants are required to provide a final report detailing activity and impact of the project.

The types of activity that will not be funded are:

• Projects whose primary audience are UoL students or other internal, university groups.

• University open day and related activities

• Any activities targeted at student recruitment

• Research studies where the public are only participants for the purposes of data collection.

• University of Lincoln staff pay

Public Engagement Activity Grant 2022/23 Winners

Application Assessment

We embed Equality Impact Assessment in our planning and decision-making to ensure that the key decisions we make do not unintentionally exclude or disadvantage anyone.

Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Quality of Engagement

• To what extent will the proposed project create effective and meaningful, two-way engagement between researchers and the public and is the type of activity proposed suitable for the defined audience?

Wider Benefit of The Project

• Will the project to lead to demonstrable benefit to society? Is this reflected in the immediate and in the long-term outputs of the project? Will new knowledge be shared or generated? Will skills be gained, attitudes changed, or new partnerships, collaborations or resources will be made, etc?

Contributions to Quality or Scope of Research

• How will the project benefit the researcher, their research and/or the wider research community in Lincoln or beyond? Will new ideas and insights be developed? Will any new partnerships be established, or new research inputs/outputs be generated?

• How does the project align with the Research and Knowledge Exchange strategy?

Effectiveness of Evaluation

• Will the proposed evaluation strategy effectively assess the impact of the project’s activity and outputs? Are evaluation plans appropriate for the scale and scope of the project and well incorporated into the plans?

Budgeting and Costs

• Has the project been appropriately and effectively costed within the remit of the grant scheme and the project?

Overall Planning and Feasibility

• Is the project proposal feasible and realistic given the budget, time and other constraints?