Projects
ScotPEN Explorathon Enabling Fund
Explorathon, Scotland’s contribution to European Researchers’ Night, is one of Scotland’s largest public engagement with research festivals and has been running since 2014. It seeks to ‘Make Research Real’ by showcasing research going on within Scotland and the impact it has on people’s lives. The core audience for Explorathon is made up of families, young people and people who do not have a connection to higher education. Each year, over 10,000 people attend in-person Explorathon events across Scotland.
Originally funded through the EC Horizon Europe fund (and it’s predecessors), Explorathon is now funded through the UKRI Horizon Europe Guarantee Fund under Grant Ref: EP/X020762/1.
Explorathon is led by the University of Aberdeen with partner universities University of Dundee, University of Glasgow, University of the Highlands and Islands and University of Strathclyde. Previous partners included Heriot-Watt University (on behalf of the four Edinburgh universities) and the University of St Andrews. Explorathon supports researchers to engage with audiences throughout Scotland’s urban centres, in rural areas and geographically isolated communities in the Highlands and Islands.
In order to widen the number of organisations researchers involved in Explorathon, we invited Universities who are not part of the Explorathon consortium (Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee, Highlands & Islands and Strathclyde) to apply for up to £500 to deliver their own activities in 2025.
Wellcome Engagement Award (SWEA)
The ScotPEN Wellcome Engagement Awards (SWEA) funded 20 projects across Scotland, empowering researchers to connect with communities in innovative ways. From exploring patient experiences to tackling health inequalities, these projects demonstrate the power of public engagement.
It was designed to improve the quality and quantity of researcher led engagement projects and to create opportunities for inter-institutional collaborations and partnership working. SWEA has been highly successful, meeting its aims and objectives as a pilot. As Wellcome pauses to review its public engagement support to reflect its new strategy, this pilot leaves a legacy of knowledge and learning for future development of funding in this sector.
Futures Consultation
In July 2020, the ScotPEN committee set up a series of working groups to support ScotPEN logistics and coordination, and to improve communication. The ScotPEN Futures Working Group was created to explore the remit, membership and structure of the network, and how this may be improved in the future.Â
The ScotPEN Futures Working Group was made up of people who work in and around public engagement in Scotland: public engagement professionals from universities, freelance public engagement consultants and academic researchers. Between them, they represented different types of engagement practice, academic institutions and sectors.Â
The Futures Working Group met regularly online over an 18-month period from 2020 to 2021 and used the ScotPEN Facebook and mailing list to keep in touch with network members. In 2022, following a competitive tender process, Dr Charlotte Thorley was appointed to support the scoping process. Charlotte carried out further consultation with ScotPEN’s members and other people working in the public engagement sectors across Scotland, which culminated in a number of recommendations for ScotPEN to take forward. These recommendations were delivered as part of an interactive workshop delivered by the Futures Working Group at the ScotPen Annual Gathering at the University of Glasgow in 2022.Â
It is the hope of the Futures Working Group that the recommendations are used to build on the foundations of the network, continuing the excellent work it underpins across Scotland’s universities. Â
Edinburgh Beltane Beacon and Public Engagement Network
The Edinburgh Beltane Beacon project (2008-2012): In 2008 the Beacons for Public Engagement initiative was launched. It had one simple aim – to inspire a culture change in how universities engage with the public. Six Beacon partnerships and a National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement were funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils, Research Councils UK and the Wellcome Trust.Â
The Edinburgh Beltane Beacon was the only Beacon partnership established in Scotland. It was led by the University of Edinburgh and included all the higher education institutions in Edinburgh, plus the UHI Millennium Institute and thirteen other public, policy, engagement and research organisations. After 2012, the local partnership between the universities in Edinburgh continued as the Beltane Public Engagement Network.
Beltane Public Engagement Network (2012-present): Today, the Beltane Public Engagement Network is a partnership between Edinburgh Napier University, Heriot-Watt University, Queen Margaret University, and The University of Edinburgh. Its mission is to support and advance a culture of public engagement with research at these partner universities.
The network operates cooperatively, providing training, networking opportunities, and collaborative engagement activities including participating in national initiatives such as Soapbox Science, and in local festivals such as our collaboration with the Stand Comedy Club at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe through our flagship programme The Provocateurs.