Public Engagement Training Content Microgrants
Sparked by initial support from the Lasker Foundation, with additional funding from the Dana Foundation and science communicator Dennis Mangan, Research!America launched a new category of microgrants in 2024 — Public Engagement Training Content Microgrants. The program offers stipends of $5,000 each to fund open access curriculum development in science communication and other public engagement skills.
BACKGROUND
Research!America welcomes novel ideas to develop and test public engagement training content for those in STEMM fields. It is our goal to support current practitioners engaged in public engagement training and to bring new practitioners into the field. Furthermore, the content created through these microgrants will be publicly available, which will help fill the gap in science communication and public engagement training in current graduate STEMM curriculum.
The content developed through these microgrants may include, but is not limited to, material that enables scientists to communicate more effectively with non-scientists, both in-person and online using bidirectional methods, the use of social media to reach non-scientists, and approaches to addressing mis/disinformation through a variety of formats. Training components may also include the roles and expectations of key stakeholder groups that impact the scientific enterprise including patient groups, industry, government agencies and policymakers, community groups and the media.
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION
- Hone skills in curriculum design for science communication and other public engagement knowledge and skills
- Expand professional networks in public engagement with science
- Collaborative peer learning around curriculum development
- Opportunity to pilot and refine curriculum content
- Increased visibility for created curricula
ELIGIBILITY
Each proposal is reviewed by Research!America using this rubric. Highly competitive proposals will address the areas listed in the rubric.
- Stipends will be open to PhD candidates, post-docs, professional degree candidates, and junior faculty in STEMM and STEMM-adjacent fields.
- Applications for the 2024-2025 cohort were due November 15, 2024.
For questions, please contact [email protected].
For 30 years, Research!America has been committed to advocacy for science, discovery, and innovation to achieve better health for all. Support for curricula development through microgrants is provided by the Lasker Foundation. Additional support received from the Dana Foundation for awards related to neuroscience and from science communicator Dennis Mangan.