Opportunity profile: UKRI puts trust in people power

UKRI is building capacity in citizen science with projects to engage underrepresented communities

Top tips

• Make sure your proposal addresses an important societal issue and relates an essential role for citizens in understanding it
• Target citizens who are not already engaged with science or academia
• Ensure the role of citizens is integral to the bid, which may include co-creating the proposal
• Novelty can come from anywhere, so your methods need not be ground-breaking
• Engage with non-academic organisations, who can also help you reach your target audience

UK Research and Innovation has set aside £1.5 million for their Citizen Science Collaboration Grant call. Projects should aim to build capacity and expertise in research approaches that require the public to be active participants. All bids should address “societally relevant challenges”, the funder says. Project will be funded at 80 per cent full economic cost with a total value of between £156,250 and £375,000. They can run for between one and three years.