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Public engagement strategy and funding
Strategy
We are focusing our public engagement activities around our strategic priorities:
- Industrial biotechnology and bioenergy
- Food security
- Fundamental bioscience enhancing lives and improving wellbeing
BBSRC supports collaborative and partnership activities in these areas.
Bioscience for Society Strategy Panel
Our science in society programme aims to enable informed debate and ensure broad input into our strategic decision-making. The programme is overseen by the Bioscience for Society Strategy Panel.
Objectives:
- To enable and encourage researchers to be reflective about issues raised by their research, and to take part in dialogue with the public and other stakeholder groups
- To conduct dialogue and consult with stakeholders to enable us to identify and respond to their needs, aspirations and concerns
- To enhance public access to research and researchers; publicising research outcomes and their implications and relevance to society
- To enthuse and inspire young people about science; empowering them as future citizens to participate in public dialogue about science, and to pursue science-based careers
- To publish accurate, accessible and up-to-date information about our policies, and increase the transparency of our operations
Public engagement spend
We currently spend around £1M per year on public engagement activities.
Working with RCUK
Through RCUK, we support a number of national schemes to increase scientist-public interaction, including:
RCUK has committed £4M to set up Beacons for Public Engagement - university-based collaborative centres to help support, recognise, reward and build capacity for public engagement work. The Beacons was launched in January 2008.
Public engagement awards
In line with the RCUK Concordat for engaging the public with research (see external link), we are working to embed our public engagement within research grants and so the BBSRC small awards for public engagement are no longer be available.
Contact
Patrick Middleton, Head of Engagement
patrick.middleton@bbsrc.ac.uk
tel: 01793 413368
fax: 01793 413382