Read the blog, then ask questions and share your experiences of the scheme in the Teaching 11-19 Science & Primary STEM groups...and join the new Partnership Grants specific group too!
The Royal Society Partnership Grants scheme was identified as a unique offering to schools in a recent external evaluation, carried out in 2021. In a vast and sometimes overwhelming landscape of STEM engagement opportunities, the Partnership Grants scheme sets out to do something quite simple and that is to support children and young people to understand the mechanisms of science itself – the scientific process.
Schools and colleges can apply for £3000 for equipment and staff cover to make this happen by working alongside a partner from industry or academia. The partnership element is something that can be off putting for schools, but when done correctly the results can be astounding, giving young people a real sense of what science is really like and what types of careers are out there. One of the unique elements is that the scheme is fully supported, from writing your application to running your actual project. There are no complicated reporting processes - and in fact one teacher stated in the evaluation ‘they ask us what we want to tell them’.
£3000 and the Royal Society name can be barriers, and we know that many teachers see this opportunity as being out of their reach. In fact it is perhaps one of the easiest funding opportunities to access. That’s not to say it doesn’t take time and effort – it does and you need to plan several terms in advance. The detailed application and the scrutiny from the awarding panel ensures that the projects are of such a high standard that they cannot fail to be successful. And being part of this Royal Society scheme offers a wealth of additional benefits form filming grants, to conferences and beyond.
If you're not yet convinced, why not:
- Take a look at this interactive map detailing some of the active projects and see if there is anything you could mirror (your research project does not need to be unique!) Partnership Grant Projects - Google My Maps Two case studies have been highlighted below.
- Come along to one of our training sessions and find out more : Partnership Grants - how to access £3,000 for your school Tickets | Eventbrite
There are many excellent examples of Partnership Grant projects taking place in primary schools across the UK and one to take a look at on social media is the project 'Building a symbiotic city: can we design and build a sustainable city fit for the future?'This is being undertaken by 40 pupils at Craigentinny Primary School in Edinburgh and their partners from Sweco UK Ltd.
These grants are suitable for pupils aged 5 to 18 and at the other end of the age spectrum there is a fantastic genetic project being undertaken across a number of schools in Scotland, by older students who are developing excellent skills in molecular biology akin to undergraduate level study; Working alongside a range of scientists and by extracting and sequencing DNA from chloroplasts they hope to identify evolutionary pathways of the common daffodil. This collaborative project is on Twitter @DAffDNA which is definitely worth having a look at. Search for #PartnershipGrants to see other project updates.
So join the new STEM community group Royal Society Partnership Grants: supporting research in the classroom and start the journey towards your own Royal Society Partnership Grant project? As one teacher interviewee said in the evaluation: ‘Just do it! I can’t speak highly enough of it, it's so worthwhile.’
More information about the scheme can be found here (Partnership Grants | Royal Society) and why not explore the Tomorrows Climate Scientists (Tomorrow's climate scientists | Royal Society) arm of this scheme which gives young people advocacy to solve a problem that is local to them.
Image credit: @Kkolosov