Purpose
International Engagement Awards support projects with grants of up to £30 000 that aim to achieve some or all of the following:
to strengthen the capacity of people in developing countries to facilitate public engagement with health research
to stimulate dialogue about health research and its impact on the public in a range of community and public contexts in developing countries
to investigate and test new methods of engagement, participation, communication or education around health research
to promote collaboration on engagement projects between researchers and community or public organisations
to support Wellcome Trust funded researchers in developing countries in engaging with the public and policy makers.
Projects could involve:
communities and members of the public (particularly those affected by or involved in health research)
science communicators, health and science journalists
healthcare professionals, educators, field workers, community workers
policy and decision makers.
What’s included
Applicants can apply for up to £30 000, for projects lasting a maximum of three years.
Eligibility
The scheme is open to a wide range of people, including media professionals, educators, science communicators, health professionals and researchers in bioscience, health, bioethics and history. Partnership projects (between different people and organisations, e.g. scientists and media professionals, ethicists and community workers) are welcomed.
Applicants must be based in listed developing countries or in the UK working with partners in the developing countries. The activity must primarily take place in one or more developing countries and the primary goal must be to involve participants or engage audiences located in developing countries. Applicants from listed restructuring countries in Europe and Asia are not eligible.
If your proposed project primarily takes place in the UK, please refer to our other Engaging Science awards. We would welcome applications to the Engaging Science schemes that engage UK-based audiences with global health research issues.
We can only accept applications in the English language but we welcome projects that bring together people from different backgrounds who speak diverse languages.
All projects must involve engagement with health research. Projects dealing purely with development research not related to health are not eligible. Please note also, that the scheme is not intended to support standard delivery of health education and promotion which does not focus on health research or involve health researchers.
Applicants must be affiliated to organisations or institutions. Organisations might include: media organisations, research centres or research groups, community-based development organisations, education organisations.
If this is the first time an organisation is applying to the Wellcome Trust an eligibility assessment will be carried out. For this assessment, the following documentation from the applying organisation should be submitted in English:
the articles of association
audited accounts from the previous year
a covering letter summarising the mission statement and core funding of the organisation, including similar projects/grant funding received.
Application process
Please contact the International Engagement Awards office well in advance of the deadline to request an application form and to confirm the eligibility of your project.
Email us – internationalengagement@wellcome.ac.uk – with an outline of your project idea (maximum of 150 words), including details of your organisation, proposed project location(s), key project aims, target audience and an outline of the likely methods of engagement.
We encourage informal preliminary discussions although we cannot review draft applications.
Preliminary expressions of interest should be sent at least four weeks before the application deadline.
All eligible projects will be peer reviewed and assessed individually on merit and need by a Funding Committee.
Application advice
This is a new scheme. We aim to support a portfolio of projects working in different locations, using a range of methods and involving diverse groups of participants. We anticipate that all successful applications will be responsive to local or national issues and contexts for engagement.
These contexts could include:
Community engagement
Some projects might involve researchers engaging with communities who are involved in health research. There are examples of such practice available (e.g. Utafiti in Coastal Kenya, Rakai Community Services). This type of work has included experimentation with discussion formats, different facilitation techniques and creative approaches such as the use of drama. It could be initiated either by researchers themselves or community organisations.
Stakeholder engagement
Other projects might involve interactions between researchers and specific stakeholder groups. Activities would then be designed to suit the particular needs of those involved. There could be a focus on schools through professional development seminars involving researchers and aimed at teachers; or projects might develop innovative mechanisms for supporting dialogue between health workers and scientists. Some researchers have undertaken participatory video work with research participants and then used the films to stimulate discussion amongst community and health service providers.
Media engagement
This could involve workshops for scientists and journalists to discuss issues around how health research is reported on radio or in the press; it could be media training for scientists, professional development for science and health journalists, or opportunities for researchers to interact with writers working on health storylines in TV or radio drama.
Policy engagement
Projects might focus on trying out new ways of facilitating policy-makers’ access to contemporary health research through events, discussion or electronic media.
See recently funded projects [PDF 60KB].
Projects are expected to have significant scientific input through health researchers working in partnership on the project or taking on an advisory role. Applicants are encouraged to investigate new methods of working with partners as well as new models of engagement.
Deadlines
There are two rounds of this competition in 2009.
Deadlines:
24 April 2009 (preliminary expressions of interest should be sent by 27 March)
30 October 2009 (preliminary expressions of interest should be sent by 2 October)
Decisions will be made approximately four months after the relevant deadline.
Contacts
International Engagement Awards
Wellcome Trust
Gibbs Building
215 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE, UK
T +44 (0)20 7611 2100
F +44 (0)20 7611 8269
E internationalengagement@wellcome.ac.uk
Source: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Grants/International-Engagement-Awards/index.htm
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