The Summer Science Exhibition is the Royal Society's flagship public engagement event and takes place in July every year at the prestigious home of the Royal Society in central London. The call for proposals is now open.
We are pleased to announce that we have increased our support fund available to exhibitors for the 2026 Summer Science Exhibition, taking place from 30 June to 5 July. Please read on for further details.
Find out what it means to be an exhibitor and how to apply at our online introductory session and Q&A on Tuesday 9 September 2025, 12 noon — 1pm. Please register here.
Each year, over 10,000 members of the public, including 2,000 primary and secondary school students, visit the Summer Science Exhibition. Many more are reached through coverage on TV, in the media and through online content. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to connect with public audiences, share and discuss your research, and to raise the profile of your research and institution with key influencers, including potential funders and government. We welcome proposals from researchers in academia, industry and in between, as long as the project lead is UK-based.
Writing your proposal
- Guidance for completing your proposal (PDF)
- Example proposals (PDF)
- Blank application form to draft your proposal (Word DOC)
- Case studies (PDF)
Selection criteria
Selection is a competitive process, and the exhibits are chosen by our Summer Science Exhibition Committee, which is made up of Fellows of the Royal Society, industry leaders and public engagement experts. They aim to select exhibits that cover a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines and institutions from across the UK. We welcome multidisciplinary proposals and encourage applications from representative organisations in academia, industry, learned societies, charities, and other science-related sectors.
Selection will be based on:
- Quality and cutting-edge science: The most important component: the science on show should be high quality, novel, robust and ground-breaking
- Interactive and hands-on elements: Wherever possible, exhibits should contain elements that visitors can touch and try out to understand the scientific concepts behind the research
- Relevance and storytelling: The most successful exhibits are those that make their science interesting and relevant to a broad range of visitors and their experiences, and allow researchers and exhibition attendees to have meaningful conversations. Exhibits that really shine are ones that are able to capture the imaginations of non-specialist audiences
- Feasibility: Do you have the support of your host institution? Have you worked with your organisation's engagement or outreach teams in developing your application? Just as importantly, is your proposed activity practically feasible, physically, financially and from a Health & Safety perspective?
If you have an interesting proposal but don’t think you have the resources (financial, human, logistics) to take part, please get in touch with us, as we might be able to include it in the additional programme.
How to apply
You will need a Flexi-Grant account to submit a proposal. If you do not already have one, you can click on the "Submit a proposal" button at the top of this page. This will take you to the Flexi-Grant homepage where you can register.
Once you have created an account:
- Select "Grants application system"
- Go to "My applications"
- This will display a list of applications you can start - scroll down to "Summer Science Exhibition 2026"
After completing a section, you can save it and return to your application at any time
Contact us
The call for proposals for the 2026 Summer Science Exhibition is now open and will close 8 October 2025 at midnight.
If you have any questions, please email us or call on +44 20 7451 2649.