Funding
The CME Public Engagement Team provide advice and support on funding including public or patient engagement within your research grant application. We can help with your lay summary, impact section, or help develop activity ideas or audiences to engage with as well as tap into our networks of possible partners (eg artists, designers, facilitators, consultants etc).
The CME Public Engagement Grant Scheme is open to all staff (research, clinical and professional services) & post-graduate students from:
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences
- Department of Neuroimaging at the IoPPN, King’s College London
We offer two types of PE funding opportunities to best support our staff and PGR students to deliver a broader range of public engagement and patient involvement activities related to their research area:
- Seed Fund (up to £500)
- Larger Award (up to £3,000)
Seed Fund
You can apply at any time for up to £500 to put towards public engagement and patient involvement activities, with funds allocated on a rolling monthly basis.
This fund is designed to support researchers to support the piloting of new activities and take advantage of unexpected engagement opportunities. We will prioritise funding for activities which support the Centre’s Public Engagement Strategy aims and audiences and align to the Centre’s three key clinical challenges: Heart, Brain and Cancer.
To apply, download and complete this 1-page Process Plan to detail your proposed activity. Your Process Plan should be emailed to Bella.Spencer@kcl.ac.uk, Public and Patient Engagement Coordinator. You will receive a response within 3 weeks of your application.
Larger Award
For more developed ideas and larger-scale public and patient engagement activities, we are offering up to £3,000 to fund projects twice a year in the spring and autumn terms. The final round took place in Autumn 2022 and is now closed.
Previous CME PE Grant Scheme Award Winners
Take a quick look at some of our previous award winners below and read more via the King’s Imaging Blog:
- Dancing Bubbles Workshops, May 2022
Dr Antonios Pouliopoulos, Dr. Laura Peralta Pereira and Dr. Kirsten Christensen-Jeffries were awarded £3k to develop an interactive workshop about imaging and therapeutic applications of ultrasound for primary school aged children. The hands on activities include a game about echo location in animals, a live demonstration of a portable ultrasounds probe and bubbles dancing on a vibrating speaker. The workshop aims to inspire an interest in STEM and to highlight this research area. - Patient Involvement to Improve Headache Treatment Pathways, May 2022
Dr Matthew Lee was awarded £3k to develop in person workshops to bring researchers together with patients with a history of headaches. Through open dialogue, patients shared their experience of clinical care pathways for headache treatment and discussed the possible role of technology in the healthcare system. - Creative Patient Workshops, December 2021
Jonathan Jackson was awarded £3k to collaborate with creative facilitators to develop a workshop to bring researchers together with coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Through open dialogue and creative activities, patients will share their stories of living with CAD and express a shared vision of how the patient experience of CAD surgery can be improved.
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Science for Tomorrow’s Neurosurgery, May 2021
Dr Jonathan Shapey was awarded £3k to develop a patient and public involvement (PPI) workshop to bring together brain tumour patients and researchers to discuss developments in neurosurgery. The conversation was captured by an illustrator. Read more about the project here.
- Bigger Picture Podcast, Nov 2020
Dr Maggie Cooper was awarded £1K to develop a podcast with people living with cancer and those that support them, including families, healthcare staff and clinicians to engage with her research around radionuclear imaging and therapy – entitled The Bigger Picture. Listen to the podcast here.
- Illustrated Patient Information Sheet, April 2020
Giovanna Nordo and Mattia Veronese from the IoPPN were awarded £1K to work with a graphic designer to develop a visual Patient Information Sheet to increase accessibility and improve informed consent to take part in their neuroimaging research studies with participants who have various brain conditions. They developed this into a reusable template that other researchers across the Centre can adapt for their studies. Read more about the project here.
- What Did Your Placenta Ever Do For You?, Nov 2019
Dr Andrew Melbourne was awarded £1K to deliver a public lecture to adults and families as part of the Royal Institution (Ri) evening lectures. He worked with other researchers across the Centre to develop a giant 3D-printed (neon pink!) placenta model as a visually engaging explanatory tool for his audience around his research in placental imaging. Read more about the project here.
- I’ve got an Elastic Heart, April 2019
Dr Anastasia Nasopoulou was awarded £800 to deliver her public engagement activity at two different events – International clinical Trials Day (May 2019) and King’s Health Partners (KHP) Summer School (July 2019)- around her heart imaging research. Read more about the project here. what she got up to and her activities via the King’s Imaging blog.
Illustration capturing conversations of Science for Tomorrow’s Neurosurgery PPI group (Jenny Leonard).
The Logo of The Bigger Picture.
An illustration from the illustrated patient information sheet (Gill Brown).
KCL Funding
Funded by the Centre for Doctoral Studies and the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund, doctoral research students, research staff and academic staff at King’s are invited to apply for a small grant of up to £1,000 to deliver a public engagement activity.
External Funding
Below you will find a list of external funding schemes to support your public engagement activity.
Alzheimer’s Research UK, Inspire Fund
The Inspire Fund provides up to £30,000 funding for innovative projects that engage the public with dementia and the life-changing research going on into the condition.
Biochemical Society, Scientific Outreach Grants
The Society wishes to support scientific outreach activities that communicate the excitement of molecular bioscience to young people and the community. There are two round of applications per year, in September and April, with grants of up to £1,000.
Institute of Physics, Public Engagement Grant Scheme
This scheme provides up to £3,000 to individuals and organisations running physics based events and activities in the UK and Ireland. There are two rounds of funding per year.
Medical Research Council, Alexander Fleming Dissemination Scheme
This scheme provides funding to support the dissemination of MRC-funded research to patients, public and policy makers. Funding up to £30,000
Physiological Society, Outreach Grants
Outreach grants of up to £20,000 are available to both Members and non-Members of The Society. The grants should be used to increase understanding and awareness of physiology with the aim of engaging study at higher education and beyond, and to promote The Society, its vision and its activities.
Royal Academy of Engineering, Ingenious Awards
Ingenious is an awards scheme for projects that engage the public with engineers and engineering while providing engineers with skills and opportunities in public engagement. Funding from £3,000 to £30,000.
Royal Society of Biology, Outreach and Engagement Awards
These grants look to fund outreach and engagement events worldwide. We run two rounds of funding: one for activities and events taking place throughout the year, and one for events specifically in Biology Week.
Royal Society of Chemistry, Outreach Fund
The Outreach Fund provides financial support to members, individuals and organisations in order to enable them to run chemistry-based public and schools engagement activities.
Wellcome, Research Enrichment Funding
This funding is for Wellcome grant holders only, who want to engage the public with their research. Ranges from £10,000 to £250,000.