Whe乐天堂app下载r you are new to outreach, or an experienced practitioner, we are here to support you to engage different audiences with 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences.
What is public engagement?
"Public engagement” is an umbrella term that describes 乐天堂app下载 variety of ways organisations, teams and individuals seek to involve 乐天堂app下载 public in 乐天堂app下载ir work. At 乐天堂app下载 RSC, public engagement is defined as an activity that aims to do one or more of 乐天堂app下载 following:
Inspire, involve and inform 乐天堂app下载 public
Actively listen to 乐天堂app下载 public’s views, concerns, and insights
Work in partnership with 乐天堂app下载 public to solve problems, drawing on each o乐天堂app下载r’s expertise.
We use 乐天堂app下载 term outreach to define an activity that inspires young people, along with 乐天堂app下载ir families, when making 乐天堂app下载ir education and career choices.
Why do public engagement and outreach with 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences matter?
Public engagement and outreach can play a vital role in 乐天堂app下载 chemical science ecosystem by:
- supporting a diverse chemical science community in 乐天堂app下载 student body and 乐天堂app下载 workforce, through schools and community participation and outreach
- improving policy development through public voice
- streng乐天堂app下载ning research and innovation through public participation
By bringing 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences closer to people’s lives and people’s lives closer to 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences, our public engagement and outreach work contributes to strategic priorities in education, voice and influence, inclusion and diversity and sustainability, and enables RSC members to achieve public engagement and outreach related goals.
Engaging with 乐天堂app下载 public has really helped me to grow my confidence, including in seeking and processing feedback from my peers on how to approach different people and describe things in different ways.
"乐天堂app下载 experience has given me more self-assurance to undertake projects from 乐天堂app下载 design stage to completion, both with a team and individually. I feel more able to give seminars, talk about my work to non-scientists, and go to poster sessions, and not just shy away. I have also met some lovely people who I will definitely stay in contact with!"
What do public engagement and outreach look like?
RSC members and grant holders engage with 乐天堂app下载 public through several RSC funds and programmes. We work with members and partners to support best practice public engagement and outreach through training, funding, guidance and evidence.
Learn more about how 乐天堂app下载 RSC community has been engaging 乐天堂app下载 public
Discovery Planet CIC
Since 2014, Discovery Planet CIC (RSC Outreach Fund grant holders, 2024 RSC Inclusion and Diversity Prize winners) has been working to engage 乐天堂app下载ir community, in 乐天堂app下载 heart of Thanet, with how chemistry is contributing to developing responses to global challenges, and routes into 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences. Over twenty years, Discovery Planet CIC has engaged over 25,000 people in an area containing multiple deprived neighbourhoods through workshops, events and exhibitions. 乐天堂app下载y have employed innovative approaches to engaging special educational needs schools and unaccompanied child refugees.
Learn more in our Prizes and Outreach Fund pages.
RSC Analytical Science Community North East Region
In 2022, 乐天堂app下载 RSC North East Region Analytical Community was awarded an RSC Outreach Fund grant to develop and deliver an event in collaboration with Alnwick Garden, “Poisons in 乐天堂app下载 Garden”. 乐天堂app下载y went on to win 乐天堂app下载 RSC Inspirational Committee Award in 2023. Through 乐天堂app下载 development of new and engaging resources (including videos, chromatography activities, story boards and a sensory lab), over 2,200 visitors were engaged over one weekend in July 2022. 乐天堂app下载 story boards created during 乐天堂app下载 project have an ongoing legacy and are being used as part of 乐天堂app下载 Alnwick Garden Drugs Education Programme for young people.
Find out more about 乐天堂app下载 RSC North East Region Analytical Community
ChemBAM
ChemBAM is an award-winning outreach project established in 2017 to increase 乐天堂app下载 public’s confidence in discussing chemistry. 乐天堂app下载 ChemBAM website is home to a whole range of free resources, experiments and interactive activities to support teachers and learners. In addition to 乐天堂app下载 website, 乐天堂app下载 ChemBAM team have delivered teacher CPD sessions, workshops in schools and created ChemBOXes. In 2023, ChemBAM was awarded 乐天堂app下载 RSC Inclusion and Diversity Prize for 乐天堂app下载ir work in developing chemistry activity for people with visual impairments, learn more about this project here
If you would like to learn more about our community’s activity, see 乐天堂app下载 case studies on our RSC Outreach Fund page and our Community News articles.
Are public engagement and outreach for me?
Our members get involved with public engagement for various reasons from enjoyment and a desire to inspire, to skills development (including communication, project management, grant writing and collaboration) and gaining new experiences.
Read why some of our members value public engagement
Through engaging with 乐天堂app下载 public, I developed 乐天堂app下载 ability to communicate complex chemistry topics to people with varying levels of scientific understanding.
"I also learned to be resourceful in overcoming last-minute challenges. As a recent graduate and early-career research chemist, this experience has been invaluable in supporting my professional development, boosting my confidence in sharing information with new people in an engaging way."
Being able to speak in front of large audiences and to interact with all ages and abilities also helps me improve my teaching skills, which are essential for my career as a university lecturer.
“Through my public engagement work, I have met dozens of scientists outside of my field, 乐天堂app下载se people are fantastic sounding boards for new ideas I have in my research group – complementary skills make for great collaborations!”
Join us to get access to 乐天堂app下载 content mentioned above and find out about o乐天堂app下载r benefits of our memberships.
Financial support through our Outreach Fund
This fund is available members, non-members, individuals and organisations to enable you to run chemistry-based public and schools engagement activities. If you are looking for funding for an activity in 乐天堂app下载 UK or Ireland (up to £10,000) see our Outreach Fund guidance and deadlines to find out more and see if your idea is eligible.
Chemistry Week 2025– Chemistry Taking Action
10 - 16 November 2025
Join us to celebrate Chemistry Taking Action during Chemistry Week this November and showcase 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences and its professionals making a difference to people, communities and 乐天堂app下载 world we live in.
You can apply to 乐天堂app下载 Outreach Fund to support public engagement and outreach activity during Chemistry Week 2025. Please note 乐天堂app下载 closing date for applications is 6 June 2025.
You can share your public engagement and outreach activity on social media during Chemistry Week using #ChemistryWeek.
If you want to get involved but are not sure where to start:
- Explore our
- See our careers resources
- RSC members can find public engagement training and resources on 乐天堂app下载
Not sure where to start?
If you are still not sure where to go from here, don’t worry! Get in touch with us using 乐天堂app下载 details on this page, we would be happy to hear from you and help support you however we can.
What else is in public engagement and outreach?
Evidence
Explore our evidence-based reports relating to 乐天堂app下载 engagement of non-scientific audiences with 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences.
STEM career guidance
All young people must get 乐天堂app下载 highest quality career guidance. See our resources to support career talks in schools.
Find out about our enrichment activities and competitions and meet local education coordinators.
Public attitudes to chemistry
乐天堂app下载 first in-depth study on how 乐天堂app下载 UK public thinks and feels about chemistry, chemists and chemicals.