The Royal Academy of Engineering is inviting applications for grant funding of between £3,000 and £30,000 through its pioneering Ingenious public engagement awards programme for imaginative and exciting projects that will empower engineers to inspire the public to learn about engineering.
Ingenious projects bring engineers and the public together to celebrate the wonders of engineering and explore a variety of different areas, learning how engineering is playing a pivotal role in tackling the world’s greatest challenges.
For example, one of the Ingenious projects currently underway is Sports Shoes - A Feat of Engineering which will introduce children aged 9-10 in Manchester to sports engineering and the design of sports shoes ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games and FIFA World Cup tournaments.
The End of the World Immersive Adventure is a narrative-based escape room in Lewisham coinciding with its London Borough of Culture 2022 status and Climate Emergency focus. Participants will have to negotiate a series of physical engineering, software engineering, and maths puzzles to escape the room and "save the world" from climate change disasters.
We prioritise projects that reach diverse and underrepresented audiences including communities in the top 20% of most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK. This could be in formal educational settings or informal settings such as museums, libraries, community centres, Girl Guides and STEM clubs.
Ingenious panel chair Professor Lucy Rogers FREng said “I believe ‘engineering’ means many different things to many different people, and this is a great opportunity for real-life engineers to share their work with members of the public.”
We are looking for projects that will reach diverse and underrepresented communities across the whole of the UK. The Ingenious Awards programme aims to:
· Inspire creative public engagement with engineering projects
· Empower engineers to share their stories, passion and expertise with wider audiences and develop their communication and engagement skills
· Raise awareness of the diversity, nature and impact of engineering among people of all ages and backgrounds
· Provide opportunities for engineers to engage with members of the public from groups currently underrepresented in engineering
Ingenious has funded over 250 projects to date, providing opportunities for approximately 7,000 engineers to take part in public engagement activities, to gain skills in communication and to help bring engineering to the very centre of society. Ingenious projects have reached over 3 million members of the public.
Applications are welcome from engineers and creative or public engagement professionals keen to explore ways to provide public engagement training and opportunities for engineers and to engage new groups of people with their work.
Notes for editors
Ingenious public engagement awards are open for applications until 26 September 2022, more information is available here.
The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.
Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.
For more information please contact: Helena Sutcliffe at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 7660 767; email: [email protected]