FAQs

Give us a call on +44 (0)20 3034 4870 or drop an email to Ffion Lane, Member Engagement and Communities Manager, via f.lane@microbiologysociety.org. We are more than happy to have a chat to see how you can get involved and to offer any support to help get you up and running.

Start with what you feel comfortable doing. If you don’t have any previous event organising experience, that’s OK. Consider putting up some posters; offering to make a short presentation to work or class mates about being a Champion or the Society; use social media to promote a forthcoming event of interest etc. If you’d like to organize something bigger speak to us at the Society or work/study colleagues who may be able to offer some advice/guidance/support. We will do what we can to help but remember, it will often take longer than you think to organise an event, so start any conversations early in the planning process.

It depends on the nature of the event, but broadly speaking you need to:

• Submit a project funding request (if you are looking for funding support) that specifies the budget requirements. The form can be downloaded from the Champions area of the website.
• Plan and deliver the event (be aware of any health and safety implications. A risk assessment form is available to download from the Champions area of the website, if required).
• Send any photos, blogs, reports etc requested as part of any Society funding agreement.
• Claim for any pre-agreed expenses/costs (an expenses form is available form the Champions area of the website).

If you have any questions in relation to what you are planning, contact Ffion Lane, Member Engagement and Communities Manager, via f.lane@microbiologysociety.org. They should be able to help or find someone who can. You could also approach other Champions. Their contact details are on the Meet our Champions page.

The Society holds a budget to support Champions' initiatives and activities. The budget is modest and is used to support a wide variety of Champions’ related expenses. A decision for sums under £300 can be made instantly; for larger sums the turnaround is a little longer (usually 2 -3 days).

There are two ways:

• You can claim expenses using the appropriate form with receipts attached.
• You can submit an invoice and we will pay against this (this is usually if another organisation is involved eg. your education institute or place of work)

You should have received samples of Society print resources and other items when you became a Champion. If you require further quantities of these please contact Ffion Lane, Member Engagement and Communities Manager, via f.lane@microbiologysociety.org. Some print resources are also available to download from the Resources page in Champions Area.

Not currently. Previous Champions have started Facebook groups and other mechanisms to communicate with smaller groups. If you would like to investigate this further, please get in touch. 

Opportunities to volunteer and get further involved in Society’s activities are communicated through the monthly Champions e-newsletter. However, if you see something of interest independently (and that also delivers against Society/Champions objectives), please bring it to our attention and we may be able to consider support for the opportunity. This would be done on a case by case basis.

You can submit a proposal for either. As long as it helps deliver our Society objectives, we’ll consider it. We’re looking for involvements that raise the profile of both microbiology and the Society. Please see the Society’s strategy document for further details to help you determine a more defined criteria.