The Science and Technology Facilities Council invites applications for its public engagement spark awards. These support programmes of novel public engagement that focus on a topic within the council’s remit, which includes astronomy, solar and planetary science, particle physics, particle astrophysics, cosmology, nuclear physics and accelerator science, or align to the science and technology work of the council’s national and international laboratories and facilities. Applications that highlight the social, ethical, and economic benefits of research are welcomed. Applicants are encouraged to propose novel or innovative approaches towards engagement, and to propose engagement with audiences considered to have low science capital. They are also explicitly invited to work with the wonder initiative’s target audience of eight to 14 year olds and their families and carers from the 40 per cent most socioeconomically-deprived areas of the UK. Digital content is only funded as part of a wider engagement programme. Applicant organisations must be based in the UK and must have audited accounts. The target audiences of the project must be primarily UK residents. Almost anyone may apply, including grant-funded researchers, STFC scientists and engineers, facility users, schools, museums, science communicators and amateur astronomy groups. Each application must include a researcher in an STFC-funded area of science or technology. Awards are worth up to £15,000 each. There are no set restrictions on the types of costs that may be applied for, but no more than £10,000 may be spent on equipment. 

Website: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/public-engagement/public-engagement-grants/stfc-public-engagement-spark-awards/