The Royal Society offers a Partnership Grants Scheme which provides £3,000 for science projects in schools and has awarded over £1.3 million to around 800 schools. Applicants are required to work with a ‘Partner’ who would either be a Scientist or Engineer to give children real ‘hands-on’ skills and experience and enable them to go beyond the curriculum.
The eligibility criteria is fairly simple, and mainly states that:
- Students involved in the project must be between the ages of 5 and 18 with some exceptions in regards to reception children and colleges
- Previous schools awarded money can reapply after 1 year or more with the same project idea as long as the investigation is different
- Projects focussing solely on the National Curriculum or have a short time frame will be classed as Low Priority and unlikely to receive funding
For schools to apply, they must already have a Scientist or Engineer available to work on the project as both parties have to apply together in order to secure the funding. If you are interested in the project yet do not know how to find a Partner to work with, the Royal Society provides information on how to find someone. There are also further guidelines and notes available on how to apply, which can be done through the website.