Festival of Social Science

Applications are welcome from any researcher, regardless of career stage, including PhD students.

Applications are welcome from social scientists as well as researchers in disciplines outside the social sciences; however, to meet ESRC criteria there must be a social science component/collaborating partner for the event to be eligible.

Costs could include, but are not limited to: marketing/comms, venue hire, event support, resources/equipment, travel for UK speakers/organisers/participants, and light refreshments.

Costs supporting capacity building, external support, transport to events where needed for those who might otherwise be unable to attend (for example bus hire for schools or transport costs for those from low-income backgrounds), and any type of engagement activities that directly support the festival objectives are acceptable.

The following costs are not supported:

• Salaried staff costs. However, we can pay hourly invoiceable/‘timesheet’ type costs, provided that an auditable trail is kept that shows why the costs are justifiable in terms of creating value for the public.*
• Alcohol, and substantial food and beverage offerings**. However, light refreshments such as tea, coffee, juice, and biscuits can be covered, as can costs for appropriate sustenance for volunteers. Up to date details of the maximum amounts that can be spent per person can be found in Annex B of the UKRI business expense claims, business travel and subsistence policy.
• Goody bags (for example containing promotional and/or novelty items) or substantial giveaways. However, modest value items where appropriate, such as prizes for a young people’s competition, or materials to allow event attendees to continue an activity at home, are OK.
• Travel costs for international speakers/participants.
• Accommodation costs only under exceptional circumstances. Please email SocialScienceImpact@rhul.ac.uk to discuss this.

*Payments for an individual’s time.

Examples of acceptable payments for an individual’s time include (but are not limited to):

• Paying someone for whom presenting is their career, e.g. a specialist STEM presenter to run a children’s event.
• Paying a student/postgrad for their time (e.g. a £100 payment or a book token), in return for helping out with a task relating to an event.
• Paying a freelancer to create a brochure or digital resource.

**Food and drink

Examples of acceptable food and beverage costs:

• Hot or cold non-alcoholic drinks for participants, event leaders or volunteers.
• Small snack items e.g. biscuits or fruit for participants, event leaders or volunteers.
• A light lunch e.g. sandwiches, crisps and fruit, for event leaders or volunteers (not participants) IF they are working all day at event and there’s no practical alternative.

Examples of food and beverage costs that aren’t permitted:

• Meals for event participants (including those provided as takeaways or buffets, e.g. pizzas, buffets of snack foods).
• Meals for event leaders or volunteers before or after events.

‘Public’ does not have to mean ‘open to and suitable for everyone.’ We encourage you to consider which particular segment of the ‘public’ your event should focus on and why, and tailor accordingly. The NCCPE has a useful guide to ‘Who are the public?’. The NCCPE has a useful guide to ‘Who are the public?’.

Online public engagement training will be provided by ESRC. It is a requirement that all event leads attend these sessions to deliver a festival event. If the event lead is unavailable for a session, they can nominate another member of their event team to attend in their place.

Emily Gow (Impact and Partnerships Manager) can also provide advice and guidance to run a successful event.

Royal Holloway hosted a range of events under the theme 'Our Digital Lives':

• Beyond Calling? Addressing the demands of modern ministry. A workshop led by Professor Gillian Symon

• Finding your Feet: Supporting early intervention to avoid unnecessary diabetes-related amputations. An online event led by Dr Anne Majumdar

• Smart Socials and the Digital Youth. A series of events hosted by the ECHO-O Lab and led by Dr Beatrice Hayes

• Tackling Emotionally-based School Non Attendance (EBSNA). A workshop led by Dr Jessica Kingston and Professor Dawn Watling

• Human Genetic Engineering – Today’s Science and Future Society. A workshop led by PGR Anca Pop.

You can read more about Royal Holloway's 2024 events here.