IN CONFIDENCE

SCIENCE IN SOCIETY SMALL AND SCIENCE CENTRE AWARD SCHEME

Application form: funding for projects for Public Engagement with Science and Technology

NB: For step-by step help with completing this form please refer to the accompanying ‘Notes for Guidance’. Go to: http://www.scitech.ac.uk/PandS/Fund/Sml/smlnotes.aspx.

APPLICANTS’ DETAILS

1.        DETAILS OF ORGANISATION THAT WILL RECEIVE AND MANAGE THE AWARD (the organisation must have audited accounts)

2.         PRINCIPAL APPLICANT DETAILS

3.         CO-APPLICANT DETAILS (if applicable)

Each co-applicant must complete and attach a ‘Contact Details Form’. This is for STFC administrative purposes only and will not be used as part of the process that reviews the proposal.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

4.        TITLE OF PROJECT (in less than 10 words)

8.        PROJECT INDICATORS - SCIENCE AREAS AND AUDIENCES

8.1 STFC GRANT FUNDED SCIENCE AREA (S) OR RESEARCH FACILITIES Tick as many as applicable

8.2  TARGET AUDIENCE(S)  Tick as many as applicable

8.3 EXPECTED NUMBERS THAT WILL BE REACHED

NB: If the project is an extension or a spin-off from a previous project please attach any evaluation summaries, publicity materials or examples of resources produced from the previous projects to support your application (up to a maximum of four sides of A4)

BUDGET

15. OTHER INCOME SOURCES (if applicable) If the total budget exceeds the amount requested from STFC, please list the other sources of funding and how much they are providing. This can include in-kind contributions.

16. BUDGET BREAKDOWN  This should be a full breakdown of income through grants, sales etc. and expenditure including office costs, equipment, salaries etc.

17. SPEND PROFILE  Give estimated annual spend of the Award by Financial Year (FY) 1 April – 31 March.

AWARENESS and EVALUATION

18. AWARENESS RAISING, DISSEMINATION AND NETWORKING  STFC are very keen to ensure other educators and science communication practitioners are aware of successful projects. Explain how you intend to distribute any resource that you produce, and how will you inform other scientists, educators and communicators of successful ideas.

19. MONITORING AND EVALUATION  State how you propose to monitor progress of the project and evaluate the effectiveness in reaching your target audience(s).   State how you would measure success, in terms of your aims and objectives.

20. REFEREE  Give name and address of a referee, independent of you and the project, who knows your work related to this proposal (we may contact them at our discretion).

21. HOW DID YOU HEAR OF THE SCHEME?  (e.g. Website, email, flyer, magazine etc).

22. DECLARATION

I agree that if successful I will abide by the rules stated in the ‘Notes for Guidance’.

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:

2 pages, including figures

The Science:

• what we want to teach and why
• clear and timely links to current STFC-supported research - projects must be relevant to the Science that STFC supports

The Project’s Goals:

Note that the application form has boxes for the projects Aims (qualitative impact and legacy, consistent with Scheme’s aims) and also Objectives (quantified goals) - the description should include these too to show them in context. The aims of the Scheme are:

• To promote and explain frontier research science
• To capitalise on the inspirational value of the subject area for many national audiences, including the general public, schools, young people and other groups
• To encourage STFC-funded scientists to communicate their research to wider audiences and to discuss issues with non-specialists
• To develop novel small or pilot projects which could be repeated across the nation, or to provide partial support for a larger projects
• To encourage partnerships, such as those between scientists and educators, industry and professional communicators.

The Team:

• why us?
• partnerships with schools or local community
• innovative pilot scheme
• sustainability in future, sharing of ideas from this project with other groups

The Audience:

• Who we will reach, how many, why them. (The audience must include at least one of the STFC’s key audiences. These are: young people aged 10-18 (particularly those age 10-16); teachers; the general public; opinion formers; and, audiences not previously engaged with science.)
• Impact: relative to cost. Multiplier effects

Practicalities:

• Including copyright, insurance and health and safety issues.

Evaluation Plan:

• How will the project’s impact be measured?
• How these measurements will demonstrate the meeting of the project’s goals...

Notes for Guidance

Aims of the Small Awards Scheme:

•    To promote and explain frontier research science and technology, including, in particular, work supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). STFC grant funding supports research in particle physics; nuclear physics; space, planetary, ionospheric and solar-system science; astronomy; astrophysics & cosmology. STFC has research groups in many scientific areas including particle physics, nuclear physics, nanotechnology, computational science, biology and medicine, energy and space science. STFC’s research facilities include synchrotron light sources, pulsed neutron and muon sources, lasers, telescopes and observatories and particle accelerators both in the UK and overseas.

•    To capitalise on the inspirational value of these subject areas for many national audiences, including the general public, schools, young people and other groups

•    To encourage STFC-funded scientists and users of STFC research facilities to communicate their research to wider audiences and to discuss issues with non- specialists

•    To provide funding for novel small or pilot projects which could be repeated across the nation or to provide partial support for larger projects

•    To encourage partnerships, such as those between scientists and educators, industry and professional communicators.

What can the funding be used for?

There are no set restrictions on the type of costs that may be applied for. For example, contributions to salaries (where a named individual will undertake work that would not be considered part of their normal duties), cost of materials, and travel & subsistence are eligible.

We will not fund:

•    Fees or honoraria to people already in paid employment to visit or give talks at schools, societies etc, where such activities would reasonably be undertaken as part of their normal duties

•    Bids where the budget is not clear or costings do not appear to be based on valid estimates

•    Bids for expensive hardware, equipment or buildings, unless they can be shown to be intrinsic to the success of the project

•    Projects where it is clear that the whole project would go ahead even without STFC funds

Applications for Websites

If your application is for the construction of a website the Panel will take into account the following points when grading the application.

•    Does the application have a plan (and budget) for keeping the website sustainable in the future?

•    Does the application take into account web accessibility rules and regulations?

If you need advice on these two items STFC’s web team will be happy to discuss and offer their expert advice. If resources permit the web team is also happy to offer their services to help construct the website which will mean you only have to provide the content for it.

Key things to Include in your proposal:

•    The review panel particularly welcome applications which involve partnerships with other schools or your local community,

•    Projects must be relevant to the Science that STFC supports and the aims and objectives of the Scheme

•    Please ensure that you take time to complete sections 18 and 19 (Awareness and Evaluation) of the application form.

•    Remember, a detailed and well thought out evaluation plan will strengthen your application.

What we won’t fund

•    We will not accept applications which are aimed solely at the low end of primary school children aged 5-8. We will however consider applications which include them along with one of our ‘Key Audiences’ (see Part 2).

•    Applications for a piece of equipment for your school alone are not viewed positively, unless the equipment is part of a novel project that could be copied by other schools.

How awards are judged:

We receive many applications so it is not possible to fund every project. Unfortunately many essentially worthy projects do not stand up well against others because the applicant’s intentions or planning are not clear. The Small Awards Scheme is ‘peer reviewed’, - it is not marked by us but is referred to a panel of judges who score it against certain criteria (see ‘selection criteria’ below). Though we try to match the applications to the most appropriate judges please be aware that they may not be familiar with what you are trying to achieve so fill in the form accordingly.

The judging panel is made up of academics with a strong interest in science engagement, science communications professionals and teachers. Up to four members of the panel independently mark each application. After the applications have been marked they are ranked according to their average scores. The judges then meet to finalise the marks and to allocate funds, with the top ranking awards most likely to be funded. Many successful awards are not funded to the full amount to enable us to support as many worthy applications as possible.

Selection criteria:

1) Relevance to STFC areas of science and technology

Proposals which can demonstrate a clear and timely link to current STFC-supported research projects (e.g. the Large Hadron Collider, space missions such as Herschel and Planck, new results from neutron or light sources) are more likely to be funded.

2) Key Audience Included

The audience must include at least one of the STFC’s key audiences. These are: young people aged 10-18 (particularly those age 10-16); teachers; the general public; opinion formers; and, audiences not previously engaged with science.

3) Quality of Project Team, Planning and Delivery

Proposals should demonstrate that the project team has the appropriate range of skills to carry out the project successfully. Plans should be realistic and clearly linked to the desired objectives.

4) Impact and Cost Effectiveness

Proposals which are likely to have a large impact (either reaching a large audience or having a significant impact on a smaller one) in relation to their cost are more likely to be funded.

Projects where there is evidence of a 'multiplier effect' (for example projects which inform or train science advisers and providers of in-service training) will be viewed positively.

5) Timeliness

Projects relating to topical themes (e.g. International Year of Chemistry, Herschel space mission etc), or current initiatives in education and other relevant fields are desirable.

6) Innovation/Proven Success

Innovative projects and pilot schemes are encouraged, particularly if there is likely to be a sustainable outcome. When a STFC-funded activity proves successful, we are willing to consider continued funding, provided that a clear forward plan is provided.

We are happy to accept project submissions that are necessarily one off (e.g. because they relate to a specific event such as a Solar Eclipse) particularly if there can also be a sustainable outcome.

Projects where it is clear that there will be no possibility of sharing the idea with others are not desirable.

7) Quality of Evaluation

The inclusion of a strong, realistic evaluation plan, commensurate with the size of the project is viewed positively.

Case Studies

A selection of projects that have been funded from previous rounds are provided below for reference.

GCSE CERN@school – Simon Langton Grammar School for boys - Awarded £5,698.00

This project builds on the previously successful application CERN@school project which was

aimed at Sixth Formers. CERN@school detectors are being initially placed in Ten Kent Schools.

Sixth form students are able to use sophisticated CERN detector technology for a range of

experiments including measuring cosmic radiation on Earth. Data so gathered is sent to the

server based at the Langton Star Centre. Thereafter the information is made available to all

schools involved in the project via the CERN@school website. Resource booklets have also

been published.

This award will enable the applicant to extend this project to GCSE students. A guide for

teachers and students will be produced. This will develop work on radiation in Year 10 Science

and some “How Science Works” ideas can be developed using the CERN@school detector.

GCSE students will now have an opportunity to work and be involved with CERN technology

and research – including understanding of the nature of Big Science, collaborative work,

working in teams and sharing data. It is hoped that many GCSE students will be excited and

enthralled by such a project and will choose Physics as an A Level subject.

Super K sonic booooum - Queen Mary University London - Awarded £8,800.00

This simulated project is aimed at the general public and will be of interest to all ages and to

people with a variety of interests including design art science and technology. The installation

is a simulated version of the Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan. Audiences will be

transported in a dinghy along a tunnel for an extraordinary voyage through the strange seas

of particle physics. With 50,000 tonnes of extremely pure water and a crew of navigators from

Imperial College and Queen Mary University Super K Sonic Booooum will demonstrate the

visual equivalent of a massive sonic boom caused by the collision of Neutrinos with Electrons.

LHC sound: sonification of the ATLAS data output - University College London - Award £7,500.00

This application is an extension of a successful pilot project also funded by STFC. It is hoped

to attract new audiences to the results of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiments in a

way that is novel, exciting and accessible. It is intended to extend present methodologies of

translating real LHC collisions data into sound. The next phase of development is to focus on

making the output manipulable for use in composition. Thereafter a Library of sounds and

breakpoint files corresponding to ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC Apparatus) will be built. There will be

opportunities to take the project into schools and communities as a workshop. The ultimate

aim is to produce a number of ringtones and an LHC sound iPhone application.

Antarctica: Mars on Earth Science competition – Twyford Church of England High School - Awarded £2,750

In the autumn of 2010 the applicant will spend some 6 weeks in Antarctica. A competition will be launched in January 2010 both locally and nationally and students will be encouraged to put together Mars themed and engineering projects. It is hoped to hold workshops in local schools from January to June. Entries will be submitted in July and the best projects chosen in September. The selected projects will be taken to Antarctica and the Applicant and three other science teachers will work on them. Prizes will also be awarded to the competition winners.

Contact us: The Science in Society Team is always happy to discuss proposals before submission.

The Application Process

Submitting your application:

The deadline for applications (14 April 2011) is firm. All applications should arrive with us by 16.00 on the day of the deadline. Please note that we cannot accept applications for retrospective funding, including those projects with a start date after the closing date for applications but before the funding decisions are announced. For the 2011A round please do not apply for funding for a project expected to start before 1 July 2011.

We do not require signed hard copies of your application form, we simply need an electronic copy. When making your final submission we would expect to receive only one email from you in which you would include the completed application form and all additional documents (see Part 3 11.3), including Contact Detail forms where necessary. Emails should be sent to chris.woolford@stfc.ac.uk. An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent within one working day.

Please type in the name of an authorising person in your organisation (section 22) who is aware that you are submitting the application. By typing their name in this box you are confirming that the organisation is supporting you in submitting the application and if funded will accept the award (subject to accepting the terms and conditions of the contract)

If you are successful – the documents that you will receive and what you must return:

Applicants will be advised of the results in writing usually within 9-10 weeks of the closing date. The Judging Group's decision is final. Individual feedback can be obtained by telephoning the Science and Society Team at STFC.

Awards will be given in the form of a contract from STFC to the principal applicant's organisation. Standard Conditions of Contract can be obtained on request, and will be supplied along with formal notification of any Award. If you are successful you will be sent sufficient copies of the contract for each named applicant. These are for your records and should not be returned. You will also receive a Certificate of Acceptance. This must be signed and returned as soon as you start spending money on the project. Returning this signed document confirms you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions stated in the contract letter. Payment will be by BACS transfer only, hence successful applicants will be asked to submit their bank account details, which will be treated in the strictest confidence.

The normal method of payment is on completion of your project and receipt from you of a Final Report and an invoice from you to STFC. We can arrange 'staged payments' for larger Awards, especially if your project requires payments against invoices for large items or against certain milestones. These should be arranged with us as soon as you are told that your application has been successful and before you start spending against the award. Further details are sent to winners with their contracts.

The Reporting and Claiming Process

Three events will trigger the need for successful applicants to supply documents to STFC:

•    on completion of the project - a Final Report and an invoice to claim the agreed funding;

•    for projects lasting more than one year you must send a progress report every 12 months; or,

•    if you make any other application to a STFC-run 'public engagement' scheme

Applicants must agree to provide STFC with access to completed materials generated by their projects, at the Final Report stage, and a means by which to make such materials publicly available wherever possible.

Filling in the Application Form

The application form question-by-question with related rules

Q1    About the Lead Organisation

1.1 Eachapplicationneedstohaveaprincipalapplicant(thepersonmainlyresponsiblefor the project and who will be the main contact for the STFC).

1.2    Related rule: Awards can only be given to organisations with audited accounts, and the STFC reserves the right to ask for copies of the most recent such accounts. The principal applicant must be part of such an organisation (university, school, company, Trust, etc).

1.3 Givethenameoftheorganisationandthedepartment(ifany)wheretheprincipal applicant works.

Q2    About the Principal Applicant

2.1 Letushaveyourdetailsandhowmanyhoursperweekwillbespentontheproposed project.

2.2    STFC Pin. If you have previously applied to STFC for funding you will have been given a personal identification number (PIN) which should be entered in the box. If this is your first application or you cannot remember your PIN, please leave the box blank and a PIN will be provided.

2.3    Contact Details Form. Each applicant must fill out one of the Contact Details forms if this is the first time you have applied or any of your details have changed. It is essential that this form is completed in full, and you should please ensure that you supply your full address and contact details. The information on this form is used by us for administrative purposes only, and is not used as part of the application review process.

Q3    About All Your Co-Applicants

3.1 Letusknowaboutyourmainco-applicant.Thereisonlyspaceontheformfor information on one of your partners, so if there are more please write out exactly the same information about each one of them on an additional sheet, and let us know the total number of co-applicants in the box indicated. You can have as many co-applicants as you wish, and remember that we do encourage partnerships.

Q4    Your Project

4.1 Letushaveaclear,explanatorybutconcisetitle.Thistitlewillbeusedonpublicityand further communications.

Q5    Proposed Start Date

5.1 ForSTFCpurposesthismeansthedateonwhichyouwouldstartmakingcommitmentsto spend STFC money. STFC cannot provide retrospective funding for projects, include those with a start date after the closing date for applications but before the awards are announced. For the 2011A round please do not apply for funding for a project expected to start before 1 July 2011. If you are successful you will be offered a legal contract by STFC, and obviously you should not commit to spend any STFC money until you accept a contract from us.

Q6    Period Requested

6.1 Letusknowthelengthoftimeoverwhichtheprojectwillrun.Wenormallyaccept applications for periods of up to 36 months. If you are running a ‘pilot’ project or wish to extend the project then you are welcome to apply for further funding if it is successful. Please state this in your ‘Aims’ (Q 9) and the ‘Description’ (Q 11).

Q7    Sum Requested

7.1 LetusknowthetotalsumyouseekfromtheSTFC.

7.2    Related rule: Any Award we make to you will be the maximum amount payable, and will include any VAT payable. Applicants from HEIs should note that the scheme does not come under the Full Economic Costs (FEC) system and that the £10,000 upper limit is the maximum amount payable by STFC.

Q8    Project Indicators – Science Areas and Audiences

8.1    STFC Grant Funded Science Area(s) or Research Facility. Indicate the STFC grant funded scientific areas or the research facility which your project will involve. Where your project promotes a research facility not listed, please state, where indicated, which facility it is.

8.2    Target Audience(s). Indicate your target audiences. Let us know the details of any 'other' audience, especially if you are targeting a specific group (e.g. 'children with special needs').

8.2.1 Related Rule: The audience must include at least one of the STFC’s ‘key audiences’ (see. Part 2)

8.3    Expected Numbers Reached. Indicate the numbers of these target audiences you expect to reach. We are interested in the direct numbers rather than indirect - we are well aware potential 'multiplier effects’. You can describe any multiplier effects in your reply to Question 10.

Q9 Aims

9.1 Theaimofyourprojectshouldbestatedintermsoftheimpactyouwishtohaveonyour audience and the potential legacy of the project (e.g. to inform and enthuse the public about a particular piece of research, or to motivate school students to study physics beyond 16).

9.2 YouraimsandobjectivesneedstobeconsistentwiththeoverallaimsoftheSmall Awards Scheme (see Part 1) and the STFC Science in Society programme

9.3 Youwillbeaskedtoprovideareportwhichincludesanevaluationofyourprojectandits impact on the audience. Your aims and objectives need to be clear enough for you to assess the extent to which they have been achieved. It may help you to look at the Final Report Form .

Q10 Objectives

10.1 The objectives should be specific about what you wish to achieve (e.g. hold a public event attended by an audience of at least 100, or produce a curriculum resource to be distributed to secondary schools ).

Q11 Description of Project

11.1 Please provide a thorough description of the proposed project giving a clear idea of what you intend to do.

11.2 The description should include a realistic assessment of practical issues such as copyright, insurance and health and safety issues.

11.3 When submitting your application, in your email you can attach the equivalent of up to two sides of A4 for further text, drawings, etc. Any other material you send us will not be copied to the judges.

Q12 Project Personnel

12.1 You should include the names of the key personnel, and you should also identify personal contributions from those who will not receive any salary payments as part of this (for example, a university scientist may be working on the project as part of his/her general professional duties).

12.2 Please indicate the skills and expertise that they will bring to the project team.

12.3 Related Rule: STFC are keen to ensure that the project has relevant links to current research hence we expect the project team to include a current researcher in a STFC- funded area of science and technology. Please note that the researcher is expected to act as an adviser on current science and need not take an active part in delivering the project. If you do not know a suitable researcher, please contact the Science in Society Unit and we will suggest people who you may wish to approach.

Q13 Related Activities

13.1 Let us know what other related activities are going on in this field and what contact you have with others. In the UK there are a lot of science communications initiatives and we encourage applicants to    have some knowledge of what else is going on. The lists of winners of Small Awards which we publish in each Round includes project details to help raise awareness and to encourage 'networking' between people promoting STFC science. An overview of previously funded projects can be found at www.stfc.ac.uk/PandS/Fund/Sml/SmallWin.aspx

Q14 Other Awards

14.1 Related rule: If you currently hold any other STFC Award for Public Engagement with Science, you must submit a progress report on it along with your present application.

Q15    Other income sources

15.1 Related rule: Some projects are funded from several sources including the generation of income through sales, sponsorship or other grant applications. Income also includes in- kind contributions e.g. office costs    from the host organisation. Applicants must provide information about applications they have made to other sources (e.g. Sciencewise, Universities, and Local Authorities) or to other STFC Award schemes for the project or linked projects.

Q16 The Budget

16.1 Let us have your complete budget for the project including VAT where applicable, in as much detail as reasonably fits the space provided.

16.2 Please make it clear what you are requesting funds for by producing a breakdown of costs in section

16 of the application form.

16.3 Related rule: If the total budget exceeds what you are requesting from STFC you must provide a detailed breakdown in section 16 of what the funds from STFC will be used for.

16.4 The costs of the elements of the projects should be clearly defined and costed at best value for money.

16.5 Related rule: These Awards are not Research Grants, and do not currently fall under the Full Economic Costs framework; however, the budget should contain all necessary costs.

Q17 Spend Profile

17.1 Let us know your best estimates of how much of the Award you seek will be spent in each of our Financial Years. These run from 1 April to 31 March.

Q18 Awareness Raising, Distribution and Networking

18.1 There are two important parts to this question. Firstly let us know how you plan to distribute or market any product, resource or service you will produce in the project. Secondly let us know how you will inform other scientists, educators, communicators, and 'Public Engagement' people of your project and of the resources you may have produced. (As noted above, there are a lot of 'Public Engagement' and educational initiatives around the UK, and we encourage as much 'networking' as possible between practitioners).

18.2 Related rule: the STFC also reserves the right to circulate information about successful projects to all other applicants, general audiences and the media, for the purposes of ensuring 'good networking' of ideas and publicising the scheme.

Q19 Monitoring and Evaluation

19.1 To enable us to monitor and report on the impact of our programmes there are certain data we require from all award holders. We will provide all successful applicants with details of the metrics and data that we would like you to include in your final report. In addition we would like you to indicate how you will monitor the progress of the project and whether your objectives are being met, and how you will evaluate outcomes. In particular, you should explain what evidence you will gather.

19.2 Research Councils UK have published Practical Guidelines on Evaluation which you may find helpful in drawing up your evaluation plan.

19.3 When your project is completed you will be asked to complete a Final Report form so you may also find it helpful to refer to this now.

Q20 Referee

20.1 As we may not know you at all, please let us have the name and contact details of a referee who knows your work. They must not be connected with any part of the project, nor related to you. STFC and the Judging Group reserve the right to contact your nominated referees if necessary.

20.2 If you are a teacher who does not know anyone outside of your institution who can vouch for your work, it is appropriate to use your head teacher, though do ensure that you fully briefed them on what you intend to do.

Q21 How You Heard of the Scheme

21.1 Please help our efforts to promote the scheme by telling us how you heard about the Small Awards.

Q22 Declaration

22.1 Type your name or insert a digital copy of your signature into the ‘Name’ box, and the date into the ‘date’ box. By doing so we will assume that this is the finalised version of your application and that you have agreed to the terms and conditions of the award scheme, as described in this document.