Funding to engage public audiences with ecological science.
This grant will support BES members to deliver independent outreach, public engagement and science communication activities that engage public audiences with the excitement, importance and relevance of ecological science, or enhance the experience and skills of others to communicate ecology with public audiences.
Your proposal must be aimed at a non-academic audience, and all projects must clearly demonstrate direct interaction with them. They should also show evidence of links to the research community at regional, national and international levels, where appropriate.
Funded projects must meet at least one of the top-level BES aims:
- Communicate evidence-based messaging for what ecology is, how nature works, and the use of ecological science as a solution to local and global challenges.
- Raise awareness and public understanding of ecological careers, their relevance and importance, breadth, and diversity, and show that anybody can become an ecologist.
- Share how individuals can take action to benefit the environment, themselves, and society.
- Increase the ability of others to deliver the above aims through outreach and engagement activities.
Whilst all forms of outreach and engagement will be supported, the funding may have the greatest impact if the grant particularly encourages applications for activities that achieve the following:
- Pilot novel methods of communicating ecological sciences with public audiences.
- Engagement which may stimulate dialogue with ecologists, inform behavioural change and action for both ecologists and the public, or encourage ecological career prospects.
- Encourage interdisciplinary collaborations.
- Produce engagement materials or outcomes others can use or benefit from subsequently.
- Develop the skills of others in communicating ecological science with public audiences e.g., training.
Awards are open to individuals, teams and organisations across all experience levels to organise ecological public engagement events. Collaborations between two or more people are also welcome.*
Grants of up to £2000 are available for projects lasting up to 12 months (starting from early December 2024 to early June 2025).
Deadline: 11 September 2024 (this call is repeated two times a year)
*The lead applicant must have BES membership (membership starts from £51 and can be purchased here).
Further details including eligibility and conditions can be found on the opportunity webpage.