Grants to create STEM outreach resources and activities
Can you inspire others with your love of crystallography or structural science?
Got an idea for a video, social media series, game, poster, or activity to get people excited about the topic?
CCDC Engagement Grants cover costs for you to produce resources or activities to increase schools and public engagement in crystallography and structural science.
About CCDC Engagement Grants
CCDC are a registered charity, our mission: to advance structural science for the public benefit. As part of this mission, we support education in the chemical sciences — through sponsoring PhD studentships, creating resources for teachers and carers, and through these Engagement Grants.
Launched in 2022, we hope the grants will enable more people to inspire the next generation of scientists by creating engaging resources.
What activities are eligible for a grant?
Activities must:
- Engage or inspire those not currently involved in STEM, including children, those undecided about what to study, or the general public.
- Be about crystal structures, crystallography, or structural science.
A range of formats are accepted, including:
- Video
- Social media content
- Handouts for the classroom
- Posters or infographics
- PowerPoint or other presentation slides
- Games or videogames
- Apps or webpages
- Science festival or science fair activity
- Any other accessible format with clear instructions, so others can re-use it
Activities do not need to be in English.
Who can apply?
Applicants must be 18 years old or over.
Applicants from diverse backgrounds and situations are encouraged to apply.
You do not need to have prior experience in creating educational or outreach resources.
Applicants can apply more than once, for separate activity ideas.
How do I apply?
Apply using the online form here.
To complete the application you will need:
- Description of the project and output resources;
- Full name, contact details, job title, and institution of all the members of the team that will work on the project;
- Proposed grant value requested, and detailed breakdown of the costs;
- Details on whether you are receiving or have received funding for this project from other institutions or sponsors;
- Timeline of the project;
- If the project is ongoing or part of a series, links to the work you have realized so far;
- Expected impact;
- Examples of any previous educational or outreach materials your team (you or any member) have created before (optional).
How much is available, and what can the grant cover?
You can apply for up to £2,500 per activity. However, we aim to fund multiple impactful projects and may not be able to accommodate your full request.
We will ask in the application if you are receiving funding from other sources for the project you have submitted.
In your application you must provide a breakdown of the expenses you require. We would expect your breakdown to include, but not be limited to:
- Licensing for software to create the activity.
- Materials and props.
- External consultants and professional services.
- You and your team's time.
What will happen to the activity I create?
CCDC will host or link to the activity on our website, and may share it on our social media channels. We aim to promote the activities for people to use and re-use. The activity must feature the CCDC logo in accordance with our branding guidelines, and acknowledge the funding received.
If your application is successful we will provide a contract with full terms and conditions relevant to your project.
Key dates and deadlines
- 24th August 2022 — applications open.
- 31st October 2022, 11:59pm GMT — application submission deadline.
- 24th November 2022 — results of applications announced
- December 2022 — contracts and invoices for successful applicants confirmed.
- 28th April 2023 — deadline to submit 4 month progress reports.
- 31st July 2023 — all projects completed and published.
Questions?
Contact education@ccdc.cam.ac.uk with any questions about the CCDC Engagement Grants, we're happy to help.
