International Engagement Awards

Purpose

Please note that the International Engagement Awards are currently under review and no further deadlines have been scheduled.

More information will be available here in due course. The information contained on this page is historical.

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 low- and middle-income 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 low- and middle-income 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 low- and middle-income 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.

Informação disponível em Português [PDF 215KB]

Información disponible en Español [PDF 215KB]

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 low- and middle-income countries or in the UK working with partners in the low- and middle-income countries. The activity must primarily take place in one or more low- and middle-income countries and the primary goal must be to involve participants or engage audiences located in low- and middle-income 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.

The International Engagement Awards will not fund traditional scientist-led health research. We may consider an application for participatory health research. This is research in which participants are supported to own and shape a research process, setting their own research questions and directing the research process. This type of research should not look like a consultatory exercise or health education but should aim to be collaborative process of enquiry in which the analysis is conducted and findings can be used by all participating parties. This could lead into circular processes of research and action.

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 by the date indicated under the ‘Deadlines’ tab.

All applicants are advised to refer to the Engaging Science Evaluation Guidelines document [Word 134KB].

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.

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

The International Engagement Awards are currently under review and no further deadlines have been scheduled. We cannot currently accept any new applications.

Further information will be posted here when it is available.

Contacts

International Engagement Awards
Wellcome Trust
Gibbs Building
215 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE, UK

T +44 (0)20 7611 2100
E internationalengagement@wellcome.ac.uk