UKRI Festival of Tomorrow
Please see below the details of an open call for researchers to participate in the hybrid ‘Festival of Tomorrow’ in February 2022. The call is open to ESRC-funded researchers at any stage in their career. ESRC IAA funded researchers are eligible to apply. Researchers may re-run events that they have previously delivered for other festivals. Further questions and expressions of interest should be directed to the Events Manager, Lou Trudgian (Louise.Trudgian@ukri.org).
What is the Festival of Tomorrow?
From the Festival About Us page: “Festival of Tomorrow is an action packed exploration of the wonders of science, technology and research to share new discoveries and help choose the future we want to see…. With cutting edge exhibitors, hands-on science, talks, shows and workshops, people of all ages and backgrounds can explore the surprising, the entertaining, and inspiring in a way which is fun accessible whilst being rich in the latest discoveries and advances of real scientists, engineers and researchers.”
When is it?
25th and 26th February 2022 for most events (face to face and virtual), with a schools’ programme running 7th – 19th Feb 2022.
What format is the festival in?
The 2022 festival will be hybrid, with a virtual events platform as well as in-person events.
Where will in-person events take place?
The physical event being held predominantly at The Deanery school in Swindon. “This school is the newest in Swindon and boasts some lovely auditorium space that we can use and, in addition, we are looking at some prime spots within the town centre as an extension of the exhibition.”
Is there a festival theme?
“The broad overarching theme is ‘sharing knowledge and innovation to shape our choices in a changing world’. Underneath that, we are loosely programming under the following themes:
- Space for All
- Living better, longer ( medicine & health / food & nutrition / wellbeing )
- Future Realities ( AI/ digital innovation/ gaming/ transport)
- Tomorrow Makers – showcasing innovation, especially locally businesses / early career researchers
- Nature & Climate Change”
Who can participate?
UKRI are looking for ESRC-funded researchers at any stage in their career. They do ask that they “are reasonably well-versed in public engagement events”, but are happy to have an initial chat with them to gauge this if there’s someone who is interested but unsure if they meet this requirement.
What are the benefits to researchers of participating?
The UKRI team comment: “Generally, benefits to researchers are the opportunity to talk to a broad range of people about their work, to gain insights from audiences they might not have considered before, to hone their presentation and public engagement skills, and to act as a role model for their field and UKRI.” They’ve sent a report from the 2021 festival which has some stats on reach and audiences – attached.
Can researchers run a schools’ event for any year group, 1–13?
“The feedback from our schools steering group was that for the primary school age children, they generally were much more engaged with trained professional science communicators who could deliver a show. The secondary school pupils got much more value from having the chance to hear from a real researcher and be able to ask questions. So, we’d probably recommend that researchers might find it better to concentrate on the secondary school audience for schools events. We are happy to chat through any ideas people may have though!”
Will schools’ events all be face-to-face and in the Swindon area?
“No, the schools programme will be 100% virtual again this year. This is in response to the feedback from the schools themselves, who really welcomed the virtual format & the opportunity to involve far more pupils than they would otherwise normally be able to do so. The participating schools will mainly be in the Swindon area, with a handful from the wider Wiltshire area (as we work closely with the White Horse Federation schools trust, who are keen to involve all their schools).”