UCL Culture are excited to be able to offer small grants of up to £500 for UCL Staff (Academic & Professional Services) and Students (Undergraduate and Postgraduate) for you to invite voices not often heard in academic settings into an online conversation. This can be for the simple aim of listening and understanding an individual or group better. 
 
This could be:  

• As part of a teaching module to develop real-world learning opportunities with partners (For examples of  teaching activities with partners, please visit the Community Engaged Learning Service pages). 

• To discuss engagement practices within our current context. (e.g., exploring issues around digital poverty or  inclusivity). 

• To seek out new potential partnerships with external community groups. 

• To develop dialogue with existing partner community group to develop a mutually beneficial engagement idea.   

We are looking to support applications which: 

• Choose to bring in individuals or groups who are unlikely to be heard within the academic setting otherwise. 

• Make a strong justification for their chosen conversation. 

• Demonstrate that they and their UCL participants are committed to listening and deepening understanding through the process. 

• Have a clear idea about how the conversation might be framed and managed (including how issues of accessibility e.g., digital poverty and language might be addressed and how everyone’s expectations from the session/s can be managed). 

• Clearly demonstrate that they have thought about issues of safety and safeguarding where necessary. 

The funds are intended to go to external partner/partners for their time; however, a small proportion of the funds may go towards people or materials that might facilitate these discussions e.g., BSL signer, interpreter, notetaker. The grants are not intended to support conversations with other academics or academic institutions, or for fostering business partnerships or for-profit enterprise.   

As part of our ongoing work to improve our inclusivity and accessibility, we encourage applications from those who are underrepresented in the sector and at UCL including but, not exclusive, to disabled, D/deaf and neurodiverse people, LGBTQ+ people, people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. 

Timeline: 
Deadline for Applications: Mid-day Tuesday 1 June 2021
Awardees Notified: by Friday 11 June 2021
Funds sent over to Awardees Financial Contact over IDTS:  by Friday 18 June 2021
Award spent by: Friday 30 July 2021
Funded Projects Debrief Meeting: August 2021 (exact date tbc)

Applications

Download the application form (Word) 

We strongly advise that before you submit an application you read the following: Application Form Guidance PDF 

We are launching later in the year than we would have liked, due to uncertainties of funding caused by the Covid-19 crisis. We appreciate that this is a short period to write your application and are aware that many are working harder than ever this term. We encourage staff to consider their own workload before applying. However, the Engagement team is happy to give advice before an application is submitted. Contact us on publicengagement@ucl.ac.uk.

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