The six-year programme forms a key part of UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) strategy to enable the public to engage with and influence research and innovation.
Young people and communities
It will focus particularly on young people and communities that are currently underrepresented in research and innovation.
The programme will:
- help them explore how research affects their everyday lives
- ensure their perspectives inform future discussions about research and innovation more broadly
The programme will be delivered by the British Science Association in collaboration with organisations from across the UK research engagement sector.
Supporting local engagement
As part of the programme, UKRI is making £2.7 million of grant funding available to schools and local communities to support engagement activities over the next six years.
This funding will support:
- free kit boxes for primary schools to support pupils to develop skills that underpin research and innovation
- opportunities for secondary schools to connect with research and local researchers
- community-led projects exploring how research and innovation can address local priorities
- longer-term collaborations between community organisations and researchers
Hearing what people care about
The programme will also include a series of dialogues with young people across the UK, giving them opportunities to share their views directly and discuss issues linked to research and innovation.
The first dialogue will explore the use of artificial intelligence in education, providing insight into young people’s views on a rapidly developing area of research and innovation.
Public perspectives on research and innovation
Learning from these conversations will help inform UKRI’s wider understanding of public perspectives on emerging technologies and the role of research and innovation in society.
The wider celebration will showcase researchers, innovators and research-inspired activity from across the UK, helping people discover how research and innovation contribute to improving lives, communities and livelihoods.
Applications for the first funding opportunities are open now, with activity beginning from 2027 and continuing throughout the six-year programme.
Shaping future conversations
Poli Stuart-Lacey, Chief of External Affairs, Communications and Public Engagement at UKRI, said:
We are looking forward to working with the British Science Association and partners on this important programme.
We know from UKRI’s Public Attitudes to Science survey and other studies that while people have high levels of trust in researchers, many simply do not see how research and innovation connects to their everyday lives.
This new UK-wide celebration will help bridge that gap and strengthen those connections by creating opportunities for people across the UK to explore, discuss and engage with research and innovation, and the people behind it.
It will also ensure that the views of young people and communities help shape conversations about research and innovation and its future.
Ambitious programme
Hannah Russell, Chief Executive of the British Science Association, said:
We are delighted that the British Science Association has been selected to deliver this ambitious new programme to engage people across the UK with research and innovation.
This programme builds on our long track record of creating meaningful connections between society and research and innovation, convening stakeholders and creating the conditions for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in, influence and benefit from science and research.
We look forward to working in close partnership with UKRI and a wide network of organisations to deliver a programme that is inclusive, collaborative and impactful over the next six years.