Centre for Public Engagement Small Grants

All applications to the Public Engagement category must meet the following criteria:  

• A non-academic audience is the main focus of the activity: this means students, academic colleagues, practitioners, or industry collaborators should not be the primary beneficiary of the activity  

• There is a clear link to research, teaching or the core business of Queen Mary University of London 

• The activity clearly demonstrates two-way public engagement which means: 

• The activity has opportunities for conversation and dialogue between the organisers and the participants 

• The activity demonstrates mutual benefit for both parties. This means that both organisers and participants are impacted by the activity in some way and take these benefits away with them. Benefits might include knowledge, skills, insights/ideas, and perspectives.  

Further to the above criteria, the scheme prioritises activity which: 

• Is an example of a new or innovative approach to engaging a particular public group with Queen Mary. This may be new approaches within higher education or a new approach to engagement within your current discipline 

• Focuses on engaging with a new audience 

• Evaluates public engagement activity and/or demonstrates a novel approach to evaluation of the project 

• Can make a clear difference either by enabling the applicants to try out new ideas and approaches, or by kick-starting a longer-term engagement project. 

• Does not feature 'about us, without us' type content – where a topic is explored without representation from communities and individuals affected by it. 

All applications to the Community Engagement category must meet the following criteria:  

• There is a clear commitment to collaborate with community organisations to shape and deliver the activities 

• The projects are based on a need (or needs) identified by the local community 

• There is an opportunity to engage and involve the local community with research, teaching or the core business of Queen Mary University of London 

• The activity clearly demonstrates two-way engagement which means: 

• The activity has opportunities for conversation and dialogue between the organisers and the participants 

• The activity demonstrates mutual benefit for both parties. This means that both organisers and participants are impacted by the activity in some way and take these benefits away with them. Benefits might include knowledge, skills, insights/ideas, and perspectives.  

All applications to the PPI category must meet the following criteria:  

• A non-academic audience is the main focus of the activity: either patients, service-users, or members of the public 

• There is a clear link to health-related research, teaching or the core business of Queen Mary University of London 

• The activity clearly demonstrates two-way public engagement that provides mutual benefit and/or is an example of engagement-led research: knowledge and benefits of the activity flow between organisers and participants and have impacts on both parties  

Further to the above criteria, the scheme prioritises activity which: 

• Remunerates PPI participants for their time and expertise by experience. See NIHR guidelines for more information. 

• Takes equality, diversity and inclusion into consideration.  

Applicants must be current staff or students at Queen Mary, with an end date no sooner than 1 August 2025. We welcome applications from staff and students at all career stages—and this is not used as a criterion in the selection process.

Lead applicants must be the individuals who will be responsible for delivering the project and subsequent reporting. External applicants are able to apply to the scheme as named co-applicants if collaborating with Queen Mary staff or students on a project.

However to assure that applications engage external publics with Queen Mary research, teaching, or services, all submissions must have at least one applicant based at the University who will be held responsible for assisting in the delivery of projects and reporting on outcomes.

Projects must complete their activities and associated spend by the end of the financial year on 31 July 2025.

Guidance documents will be made available closer to the scheme's reopening.

The CPE run fortnightly public engagement surgeries where you can book a 20-minute slot with the team for some 1-2-1 support on Small Grant projects. The team will be able to help refine, shape, and strengthen proposals, as well as discuss practical considerations for project delivery. 

If you’d like to attend an Advice Surgery, check the forthcoming dates and book online.