Microbiology in Society Award

Awards of up to £5,000 for organising any education, outreach or public engagement work that promotes the art and science of microbiology are available to Full, Full Concessionary and Postgraduate Student Members.

The Microbiology in Society Award of up to £5,000 will be presented annually to an individual or organisation for any education, outreach or public engagement work that promotes the art and science of microbiology. It should inspire and educate people about microbiology, and allow them to make informed decisions which recognise the importance of microbiology and its advances.

Key details

Enquiries about this scheme should be made by email to [email protected].

Please read all information on this page carefully and ensure you have read and agreed to the grant's terms and conditions before submitting an application. 

• Eligibility
• What is covered by the Award
• Application process 
• Award criteria
• Required information
• Administration of awards

Eligibility

The Award is open to Full, Full Concessionary or Postgraduate Student Members of the Society.

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  Microbiology in Society Award recipients

  The Microbiology in Society Award of up to £5,000 is presented annually to an individual or organisation for any education, outreach or public engagement work that promotes the art and science of microbiology. Find out more about what winning the Microbiology Society Award has meant to these previous recipients.

What is covered by the Award

Awards of up to £3,000 are available for making research visits of up to three month's duration (minimum length of four weeks) to carry out a defined piece of work. Support is available for eligible members to visit any other laboratory worldwide; please note this should not be within the same institution in which you study or work.

* Education and Outreach Grant link: https://microbiologysociety.org/grants/education-outreach-funds/education-and-outreach-grants.html

The Award is for education, outreach or public engagement projects which are expected to have a significant regional, national or international impact, and which will be delivered over a sustained period of time i.e. greater than one day.

Examples of such projects could include:

• Developing and delivering a public engagement activity over a number of days at a science/art/music festival.
• Developing an activity/resource for school students with the capacity to roll out at a national/international level.

Payments to volunteers, such as undergraduates who are giving up their free time to develop or deliver the activity, may be included in the costings in the application.

Funds may be used for the purchase of consumable materials, but not capital equipment.

Application process

Applications should be made online via Mi Society. All required supplementary material should be provided at the point of application. Full expected costs of attendance should be given in the appropriate part of the application. Applicants must provide a detailed description of the proposed activity, full costings and evidence of any collaborations or other sponsorship. Each application should also include a safety risk assessment and evidence of, or costing for, appropriate public liability insurance cover if the activity is to be held at a public venue. Applicants should also provide an evaluation plan for their activity.

Award criteria

Awards are made by competition. Funding decisions are made by an Award panel. Funding will be allocated once a decision has been made. If the project has not been completed within three years, all funds will be returned to the Society.

• The proposed activity must be related to microbiology.
• The proposed activity must be novel in approach or build on an existing activity.
• The activity must lead to a large scale impact on a regional, national or international level.
• The proposed activity should be delivered within one year of an award being made.
• The proposed activity should be delivered over a sustained period of time i.e. greater than one day.
• The project should engage the audience in dialogue with the topic and the wider implications of microbiology in society.
• The activity should be developed for a specific audience. Details of and the rationale behind the target audience for the activity should be described in the application.

Required information

• Applications should outline clear aims and objectives that are realistically achievable in the proposed time frame and are technically feasible.                                                    
• Full and reasonable costings should be given.
• Applicants must demonstrate relevant experience of delivering education, outreach or public engagement activities for all named participants.
• Applicants must demonstrate the sustainability or legacy of the activity.
• Applications must include a comprehensive evaluation plan of how they are going to measure impact and whether they are looking to change knowledge, attitudes or behaviour. The cost of evaluating the activities must also be included.
• Applicants should outline any opportunities for the Society to be involved in communications work associated with the activity and are required to work with the Society’s Communications Team to celebrate the work made possible through the award.
• Applicants may demonstrate how they will be working with other partners to maximise impact from the activity.
• Recipients must provide the Society with a final report and evaluation report.

Administration of awards

Applicants will be notified of an awarded grant via email. The grant award will also be displayed on the Mi Society account under ‘Grant History’.

To claim a grant, Applicants should log into Mi Society, and upload evidence of the claim (this can be receipts or invoices, and evidence of attendance) when completing the grant claim form.

Awarded funds will be paid to the applicant’s nominated account by bank transfer within one month of an award claim being made.