Public Engagement Hints and Tips

We aim to promote best practice and the benefits of engagement activities throughout all the Sciences, sharing our experience and expertise with academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students, further helping to highlight the importance of engagement and to embed it within the institution.

Toolkits

National Co-Ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)

The NCCPE was established in 2008 as part of a project to inspire a culture change in how UK universities engaged with the public.

This ‘Beacons for Public Engagement’ project has provided useful insights into how to galvanise universities to embrace greater societal engagement in their work. Hosted by the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England, the NCCPE has been working with universities across the UK to embed engagement.

Their website has many useful guides, resources and toolkits. The following guide is useful for researchers who are new to public engagement:

Guide: NCCPE Guide to Engagement (1.4MB, PDF).

Institute of Physics (IOP)

The IOP have produced the following guide to good practice when engaging the public: IOP guide to good practice (1.9MB,PDF).

Funding opportunities for public engagement from the NCCPE

Public engagement in all its forms is supported by many funders, and there remain a number of funding avenues available. You can find details of a range of funding opportunities available to support public engagement activities suggested by the NCCPE by following this link.