Partnership Grants

Do you have a great idea for bringing research alive in schools?

Partnership Grants of up to £3,000 are available to UK schools and colleges to carry out investigative STEM research projects in their classrooms in partnership with a STEM professional from academia or industry. The grants are designed to help schools and colleges purchase equipment to run these projects. The scheme is open to both primary and secondary schools, including sixth form colleges. Schools outside of the UK are not eligible to apply.

For 2020, there has been a new extension to the scheme called Tomorrow’s Climate Scientists. This programme is funding schools who are specifically carrying out research into climate change and biodiversity. The extension is now closed to new applications and details about the funded projects will be released soon.

Image ©Kkolosov

Applying for this scheme

The 2020 round is now closed to new applicants and the next round of funding will open in 2021.

Covid-19 update: for those applicants still working on their Stage 2 form, the second deadline is Friday 30 October at 10pm GMT.

To access your Stage 2 application, please click here.

Please contact education@royalsociety.org with any questions.

Why apply for this scheme?

The scheme:

Provides an opportunity for students to develop key skills, including research skills, problem solving skills and data-handling skills, which will be invaluable for their future careers.
Demonstrates the range of STEM careers available to students.
Fosters long-term working relationships between schools and STEM professionals.
Fulfills the requirement of Benchmark 8 of the Gatsby Practical Science Benchmarks – ‘Students should have opportunities to do open-ended and extended investigative projects.’ Additionally supports the requirements of the Gatsby Career Benchmarks - ‘Encounters with employers and employees’.

How to apply:

There must be two partners involved in a Partnership Grant – a school partner from the UK and a STEM partner from academia or industry. More information about the partnership can be found here.
The school partner must be the lead applicant and start the application, which is completed online through Flexi-Grant.
Applications must be for a specific investigative project rather than a general request for equipment or STEM resources.
Full eligibility criteria can be found here.

Key dates:

February: complete Stage 1 of the application process
March: complete Stage 2 of the application process
April – June: judging
June – July: applicants notified if they are successful or not
September: projects can begin
A detailed timeline can be found here.

For further information about the scheme please visit the pages below. If you have any questions, please contact the Schools Engagement team at education@royalsociety.org or 0207 451 2531.