The Public Engagement Unit runs the Engage Grants.
The 2026/2027 edition of the Engage & Involve Grants is a funding call for researchers at the University of Bath to involve people in their research in a meaningful way and/or engage them with their research.
The aim of this funding call is to build connections between wider society and University of Bath research by involving or engaging people in research in a meaningful way.
In 2026/2027 we have a total of £25,000 available for this funding call.
Public Involvement and Engagement with Research
High-quality public involvement and engagement enables people to discover, use, discuss, participate in, and even create research in ways that matter to them. It should generate mutual benefit, helping both your research and the people involved achieve their goals.
Engagement can happen at any stage of the research cycle, and even after a project ends to sustain relationships. Activities vary by discipline and may include approaches like Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), Participatory Research, Deliberative Democracy, or Citizen Science, but they share common features:
They relate to specific research.
They involve people outside academia in ways that allow choice and agency.
They are relevant to publics’ interests, needs, and goals.
They benefit both the public and your research.
We are interested in funding a portfolio of projects across the research life cycle and welcome applications from across the broad spectrum of public involvement and engagement with research. We would be particularly keen to support applications that connect with the PEU’s 2026-9 strategic priorities. These include Upstream Engagement (UE) and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). We are also encouraging applicants this year to embrace risk in their engagement and involvement proposals.
Upstream Engagement (UE) is the process of working with individuals and communities outside research prior to applying for research funding, and before the research question(s) and methodologies are defined, to shape what research is needed and how it will be conducted. It can involve identifying questions, developing materials, or collaborating as co-researchers, helping bridge the gap between research institutions and society and making research more relevant and impactful.
We encourage applications that are about shaping future research that is speculative, exploratory, building first connections, getting to know new communities, and laying strong foundations to become “research-ready”. Good upstream engagement does not start by asking “How can we do this research well together” but “what research might we do together and how”, or creating citizen juries to explore how they feel about new emerging technologies and what they might mean for how they are used and by whom.
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a collective responsibility shared by funders, researchers, stakeholders, corporations, governments, and the public. It goes beyond risk and regulation to ensure research and innovation align with societal values, needs, and expectations, while addressing grand societal challenges. RRI seeks to:
Anticipate and avoid unintended negative impacts of research and innovation.
Reduce barriers to dissemination, adoption, and diffusion.
Maximize positive societal and economic benefits.
A key outcome of these grants work is to inform your understanding of Responsible Research and Innovation and how it applies to and influences your research practices.
We encourage applications that are future focused and collaborative. These should bring diverse voices together to consider not only what research will achieve, but how it will shape the future, for better or worse.
Embracing Thoughtful Risk
The Public Engagement Unit is sector-leading in its iterative and reflexive approach. We believe in innovation, experimentation, reflection, and taking risks. Over time, we’ve seen researchers’ confidence in engagement and involvement grow, and many tried-and-tested, impactful models are available. Just as in research design, your methodology should be the most appropriate to achieve your goals - not everything needs to be new or reinvented.
However, unlike more risk-averse funders, we have the freedom to welcome applications that are uncertain and experimental. We therefore welcome applications that may not be funded through any other grant scheme due to the level of risk taking. While no activity should put anyone at risk, we encourage applicants to try something new, even with a high level of uncertainty, provided all involved are treated ethically and equitably. Failure is part of the iterative process of innovation, and we believe reducing the pressure for constant success allows us to learn more interesting and useful things.
Other things to consider
We expect all applications to consider and align to the University’s goals for sustainability and EDI.
We recognise that researchers approach public involvement and engagement with research with varying levels of confidence, and that emerging frameworks such as RRI and UE demand fresh perspectives and new skills. We therefore welcome applications that identify skills gaps and propose ways to address them, whether through targeted training or external collaborations, provided these efforts are integrated into a clear and cohesive engagement delivery plan.
Funding available
The total funding available for the Engage & Involve Grants 2026 is £25,000, and we are looking to fund various activities of different scales. There are three levels of funding available:
Small – four grants of up to £1,000
Medium – four grants of up to £3,500
Large – one grant of up to £7,000
What we're looking to fund
We are interested in funding activities that improve the connections between research and society. We will not fund work that covers basic research needs but are looking for proposals that extend or enrich your research and skill sets.
Here are some examples to illustrate what we mean by this:
creating a pop-up stall in pharmacies in Bath to find out from pharmacy users what medicine safety issues are important to them to inform a research agenda
working with a group of young people to develop a resource for their peers to raise awareness about a key research outcome from a project on sexual health
working with people with brain injuries such as stroke to co-design and prototype an exercise game (exergame) for movement rehabilitation
engaging farmers, local authorities, and NGOs in scenario-building exercises to guide research directions on climate resilience strategies. (UE)
convening a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to understand, challenge, and change factors limiting the diversity of clinical trials (UE)
utilise a role-playing game (RPG) that helps citizens and researchers explore and respond to speculative futures of emerging technologies (RRI)
This is not an exhaustive list, and activities are not limited to these examples as they are for illustrative purposes only.
Before you consider applying for an Engage and Involve Grant, we’d like you to think about the purpose of your activity. We are using this adapted version of the International Association of Public Participation Spectrum of Public Participation as a guide to help you consider the purpose of your activity.
Who can apply
This call is open to staff members in the Research & Education and Technical & Experimental job families (any discipline or career stage) and doctoral students.
Doctoral students must secure permission from their supervisor(s) to apply for this award.
We welcome applications from all Faculties and the School.
Assessment criteria
We aim to fund a portfolio of different types of activities across the spectrum of public participation, from across the three Faculties and the School, at different stages of the research cycle and level of experience of involvement and engagement of those applying.
We aim to fund a portfolio of different types of activities across the spectrum of public participation, from across the three Faculties and the School, at different stages of the research cycle and level of experience of involvement and engagement of those applying. We anticipate three broad categories of applications:
Upstream Engagement (UE)
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)
Other PIER Approaches
The panel will be assessing all applications based on the following generic criteria. If an application is identified as UE or RRI, the panel will use the additional specific criteria.
The questions that follow each criterion are indicative of the types of questions the panel will be asking as they assess your proposal, you should not aim to answer the questions directly.
How well does the proposal meet the aim of the Engage and Involve grants to build meaningful connections between wider society and University of Bath research?
Is there a clearly defined public or community, and does the proposal demonstrate how the proposed work is relevant to them?
Does the proposal demonstrate working with individuals or communities outside research to shape what research is done and how?
Does the proposal show mutual benefit and potential to lay strong foundations for future research?
Innovation, Risk, and Ethical Practice
Does the proposal demonstrate an innovative, experimental, and reflective approach?
Is there a clear rationale for any uncertainty or risk, and how will everyone be treated ethically and equitably?
Does the proposal show willingness to try something new even if it may not succeed because failure is recognised as part of the iterative process of learning and innovation?
Would this proposal likely not be funded elsewhere due to its level of risk-taking?
Feasibility
Is there a clear and realistic timeline and budget?
How is public involvement valued (e.g., funds allocated to community partners or contributors)?
Are resources and methods appropriate for the stated goals?
Connection to Research
- Is there a clear and meaningful link between the proposed activity and the applicant’s research?
Reflection and Evaluation
How will the applicant reflect on and evaluate their experience and that of the people they involve or engage?
Have appropriate tools or approaches to evaluation identified?
Upstream Engagement
Is the research project already funded and underway?
Does the proposed work support the development of initial contact, relationship building, and explore future ways of working together?
Does the proposal aim to equalise power imbalances and enable the public to identify and influence research priorities, methodologies, and agenda setting?
Responsible Research and Innovation
Does the proposal align with societal values, needs, and expectations, and consider its role in addressing grand societal challenges?
Does it anticipate and avoid unintended negative impacts, reduce barriers to dissemination and adoption, and aim to maximize positive societal and economic benefits?
Is the proposal future-focused and collaborative, bringing diverse voices together to consider not only what the research will achieve but how it will shape the future for better or worse?
How to apply
Applicants need to fill in the Engage and Involve Grants application form.
Engage and Involve Grants 2026 application form
If you need support filling out this form, then please feel free to drop us a line (public-engagement@bath.ac.uk) and we can complete this form together.
Application forms must be emailed to public-engagement@bath.ac.uk no later than 4pm on Friday 27 February 2026 with ‘Engage and Involve Grants’ in the subject line.
Assessment process
If you have an idea for an activity, then please come along to one of our information events.
The Public Engagement Unit is hosting an information session online and in-person on Thursday 12th February 2026 at 1pm. We will also be hosting informal advice sessions.
Sign up to attend the information session
In-person and online advice surgeries can be booked at any point during the application phase by using the following link
Book an advice surgery with a member of the Public Engagement Unit
Applications will be reviewed by a panel made up of:
Members of the Public Engagement Unit and Research & Innovation Services
Researcher who has recently completed work funded through a E&I Grant
Monica Greco - Head of the Department of Social & Policy Studies, University of Bath.
A community partner
A member of the Public Engagement Unit will be in touch as to the outcome of your application the week commencing the 16 March 2026.
Successful projects will be invited to a series of workshops aimed to help you get the most from your grant. You may want to hold the following dates and times in your diary.
Tuesday 7th April. 12:30 – 14:00. Getting Going - relationship, ways of working, finance
Thursday 9th April.12:30 – 14:00. Motion - time allocation and check ins
Tuesday 14th April. 12:30 – 14:00. Evaluation - how to identify and monitor
Thursday 6th April. 12:30 – 14:00. Ending well - wrapping up and next steps
Deadline
Completed application forms must be received by 4pm on Friday 27 February 2026.
Reporting
Successful applicants are required to report on their learning, outcomes, and experiences to the Public Engagement Unit.
We have a reporting form we use but we are happy to accept a project report in a format that is appropriate to the applicant and the project.
We have found that projects of this scale usually take 6-12 months to develop and deliver. If you are planning a longer project, please make the case within your application.
Key dates
Call opens – 16th January 2026
Information session – Thursday 12 February 2026, 1pm
Call closes – Friday 27 February 2026, 4pm
Grant starts – April 2026
Midpoint review – Sept 2026
Reports due – Monday 1 March 2027