Public Engagement Spark Awards 2026B

What the assessor looks for

• is of high quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• equitably engages with public groups and audiences
• is timely given current trends, context and needs
• promotes wider advocacy, leadership, promotion and championing of public engagement

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• clearly describes the different engagement, networking or capacity building activities planned as part of the project
• clearly identifies target audiences
• provides clear evidence of audience demand for the project
• demonstrates the appropriateness of the methodology proposed to reach and appeal to the intended audiences
• demonstrates and builds upon learning from previous activities and wider sector good practice
• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
• embeds equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant experience to deliver the proposed work
• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work including, where relevant, lived experience
• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
• contributed to developing a positive working environment and wider community and appropriate safeguarding measures when working with people with lived experience

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• project staff
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
• describe any additional value that they bring to the project
• have a page limit of two sides A4 per partner

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• their position or role
• the department, school or institute they lead
• their contact details

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• a detailed evaluation plan including methodology
• how the evaluation is linked to the STFC Public Engagement Evaluation Framework, as funded applicants will be required to report to this framework
• how learning from the proposed activity will be captured and shared

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• planning for dissemination of the resources, outcomes, outputs, and so on, to relevant audiences
• how wider audiences could benefit through activities, such as the sharing of good practice or sharing learning

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
• how you manage any, and all, safeguarding issues
• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)
• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
• how you will ensure that all data and content from activities that involves vulnerable adults, children and young people is securely and appropriately managed

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• clear evidence of demand
• clear evidence of how the audience would be reached and how proposed activities would appeal
• the appropriateness of the activities to the audience
• the potential impact on the audience

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• astronomy, solar and planetary science
• particle physics
• particle astrophysics
• nuclear physics
• accelerator science
• computational science
• quantum technologies
• STFC facilities

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.