Public Engagement Unit

We facilitate public engagement for our research students and staff to build links with the public.

Public engagement with research

Find out more about what public engagement is, why it matters, how it can benefit you and your research and how to start engaging public groups with your research.

Public engagement at Bath

A presenter talking about public engagement in front of an audience seated at tables

How we define public engagement with research, our approach and how support staff to engage public groups with their work.

Why public engagement matters

A participant seated around a table talking to others in their group during a training session

Find out about the benefits of public engagement to you, your research and public groups outside the University.

Engaging public groups with your research

A researcher engaging people around a table with a board game he made about his research

A quick-start how-to guide to engaging public groups with your research.

Celebrating public engagement

Join the Public Engagement Unit on Friday 21 May 2021, 1-2pm at Engage: Public Engagement in Practice 2021 to celebrate the public engagement achievements of colleagues from right across the University.

If you have an activity or project you'd like to showcase as part of Engage 2021 we'd love to hear from you.

Find out more about how to submit your public engagement project

Vice-Chancellor's award winner posing with the award trophy in their hand

Funding for public engagement

If you have an idea for a public engagement with research activity these funding calls could help make it happen. Find out more about the current funding opportunities available from the Public Engagement Unit and other funding organisations.

Engage Grants Innovate Fund - call now open

A group of people seated round a table in discussion

The Public Engagement Unit is looking to fund projects, up to £5,000 each, that explore engagement in a way that embraces both online and ‘in-person’ methods.

Royal Society of Chemistry Small Grants Outreach Fund

Students dressed in white lab coats in a lab taking part in chemistry experiments

Funding for projects up to £5,000 to run chemistry-based public and schools engagement activities. Deadline: Tuesday 6 April 2021.

Public engagement training and learning opportunities

Develop your public engagement knowledge and skills with these training opportunities and learning resources from the Public Engagement Unit and other organisations.

Working in Partnership Training Course

This course will help researchers develop the skills to create and maintain effective partnerships with others. 14 May, 2-4.30.

BIG Science Communication Socials

BIG’s Sci Comm Socials are a regular social gathering of people who work in, or are interested in, science communication, outreach or public engagement in STEM.

Science Communication Building Blocks: Engaging Participants in Online and Blended Environments

Join UWE Bristol’s Science Communication Unit for a three-part online training session to improve your confidence, knowledge and enjoyment of online engagement.

Online Science Filmmaking Courses

Taught by an ex-BBC science documentary filmmaker, these courses give you the skills to make and promote engaging films about research. March - September.

Engagement opportunities

Put your public engagement skills into practice with these engagement opportunities run by the Public Engagement Unit and other organisations.

Get involved in community radio

Morning Connections is a new broadcast magazine show on Soundart community radio where communities are in control. Find out more about how to get involved.

Share your research at the Festival of Nature 2021

Create a pre-recorded audio / video clip or give a live interview / talk about your research for the Festival of Nature 2021.

I'm a Scientist: online STEM engagement

Scientist at a computer looking at the camera

Researchers and technicians invited to help students stay connected with STEM, their teachers and their classmates using this online STEM engagement activity.

Get involved in the Being Human Festival 2021

Two female participants standing in an art installation

The call is open for activities to participate in the Being Human Festival. Deadline 28 June

Celebrating your public engagement achievements

If you're looking for recognition for your public engagement work, check out the award schemes run by the Public Engagement Unit and other organisations.

Blogs from the Public Engagement Unit

Keep up-to-date with our latest work and thinking about public engagement from the Public Engagement Unit.

The Vice-Chancellor's Engage Awards 2021 shortlist

A woman sat at a workbench gluing foam to a visor in the production of ppe

The Public Engagement Unit is thrilled to announce the shortlist for the 2021 Vice-Chancellor's Engage Awards which celebrates high-quality public engagement.

Engage Grants Innovate Fund - call now open

The Public Engagement Unit is looking to fund projects, up to £5,000 each, that explore engagement in a way that embraces both online and ‘in-person’ methods.

FUTURES festival returns for 2021

A female scientist presenting her research

The FUTURES engagement festival is back for another year as part of European Researchers’ Night after securing funding from the European Commission.

Public Engagement Unit projects

Discover more about the Public Engagement Unit's projects and initiatives to embed a positive culture of public engagement with research at the University of Bath.

Engaged360@Bath

The host of an event presenting in front of the audience

Embedding a positive culture of public engagement with research at the University of Bath.

Viewpoints: Bringing Water Research to Life

Young people using nets to sample invertebrate life on the River Avon

A collaborative engagement project with the Natural History Consortium and researchers at the University of Bath exploring water quality across the River Avon.

ChallengeCPD@Bath

three people round table taking part in a training session

Investigating the provision, uptake and impact of training and professional development opportunities for researchers in public engagement.

Community Matters

Four members of a community organisation stand in front of a display about their project

A collaborative project between community organisations and University of Bath researchers to undertake community-based participatory research.

FUTURES: European Researchers' Night

A scientist demonstrating an experiment standing in front of their equipment

A Festival of Discovery that showcases and engages people across the South West of England with the region's research and innovation.

A Field Guide to Public Engagement and Culture Change

Illustration with groups of people carrying out different activity, one group looking a map, one group sitting and chatting, one person drawing, one person using a measuring tape to measure

An interactive tool sharing the approach the Public Engagement Unit takes to embedding a culture of public engagement with research at the University of Bath.

Manifesto for Public Engagement

The University of Bath is a signatory to the Manifesto for Public Engagement. Developed by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, the Manifesto outlines the three principles that support a positive culture of public engagement.

Find out about the University of Bath's commitments as a signatory to the Manifesto for Public Engagement.

About us

We facilitate high-quality public engagement for staff and students, building mutually beneficial links between our research and the public. We build and sustain institutional capacity for public engagement and aim to support researchers from all disciplines whatever their level of expertise.

Our work covers opportunities for researchers to; develop their skills, practice and understanding of public engagement and be recognised and rewarded for their public engagement work.

Contact us

Get in touch if you have any questions about our services.