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Capital funding for public engagement and medical history

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Purpose

This scheme provides capital funding (normally above £200 000) for large-scale projects that support public engagement and/or medical history.

Capital funding to support learned societies or for science-based activity is also available from the Trust.

What's included

Awards normally over £200 000 will be made.

We will consider proposals for the funding of building, refurbishment and capital projects.

Eligibility

We will consider applications from organisations in support of at least one of the following types of project:

  • projects that enhance public engagement with biomedical science related to museums, involving a building or collection housed within it - projects should normally involve collections of national or international significance and/or focus on buildings or sites of outstanding medical interest
  • projects involving the renewal, replacement or redevelopment of an exhibition space - such projects should normally present science and technology exhibitions to the public, have been in existence for at least one year and attract a minimum of 30 000 visitors per annum
  • other significant capital projects involving public-engagement activity.

General principles

  • Projects will normally be based in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
  • Projects should normally involve the commitment of funding from other sources (charitable, private or government) and/or significant direct input from the body running the collection or site or the host institution.
  • Projects must demonstrate that our capital expenditure will be backed up by a commitment to ongoing revenue funding from the body running the project or the host institution.
  • Our charitable status requires that commercial activities and commercially based research be kept to a minimum in space funded by us. Any such activity would require our prior approval.

Application process

Prospective applicants should contact us in the first instance to explore whether their proposal meets our criteria. This should be done well in advance of the deadline for preliminary applications.

If the criteria are met, applicants will be asked to submit a preliminary application, outlining the mission, background, aims and objectives of the proposal, targeted audience and partnerships.

We then assess the preliminary application. If it is approved, a full application will be requested.

The full application must include fully worked up details of the project, its rationale, aims and objectives, details of the audience and marketing plans, implementation plans, expertise of the project team, financial information, business plan, evaluation strategy, potential risks and any other relevant information.

The application is peer reviewed by at least five independent reviewers, and applicants are invited to respond to the reviewers' comments.

Applicants will then be asked to present to the MHE Capital Awards Committee. At this meeting, the full application, reviews and applicants' responses are discussed by the Committee, which is made up of a number of external advisors and Trust governors. A funding decision is made following the discussion.

Application advice

Projects will only be considered if they fulfil most of the following criteria:

  • relate to public engagement of science or the history of medicine in its broadest terms – i.e. its technical, scientific, material, architectural, social and cultural history
  • demonstrate their added value and an innovative approach to the issue of making biomedical science and the history of medicine relevant to contemporary audiences
  • involve collections of national/international significance or focus on buildings or sites of outstanding medical interest
  • normally be based in the UK or Ireland; consideration will occasionally be given to projects with an important regional profile - exceptions will be considered where the international significance of the project is evident
  • present a clear analysis of anticipated audiences for the proposed scheme - who the project is likely to appeal to, and in what numbers - as well as demonstrate a workable marketing strategy for reaching that audience
  • clearly demonstrate that our capital expenditure will subsequently be backed up by a commitment to revenue funding from the organisation responsible for running the project - we must be satisfied that the projects we considers funding will remain accessible to audiences for a significant period of time
  • involve funding from other sources (charitable, private or government) and/or significant direct input from the body running the collection or site.

Examples of previous funding through the scheme can be found here.

Deadlines

Applications will be considered once a year.

Preliminary application deadline is now closed (24 May 2013)

The application procedure - from initial preliminary application to funding decision - will usually take at least nine months. Timescales will be discussed with potential applicants.

Contacts

Capital Awards
Engaging Science
Wellcome Trust
Gibbs Building
215 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE, UK

T +44 (0)20 7611 8850
E pe@wellcome.ac.uk

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Wellcome Trust, Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK T:+44 (0)20 7611 8888