Institute of Physics (IOP) Ireland and Northern Ireland Outreach Grants

Overview

IOP Ireland awards funding from €100-€1,000 to support outreach activities and initiatives in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The IOP Ireland Outreach Grant Scheme has recently been updated to support the Limit Less campaign and is informed by the learning they have accrued over recent years with respect to equality, diversity and inclusion, the digital divide, and personal wellbeing.

All applicants should familiarise themselves with both the IOP’s Physics for our future 2024-2029 strategy and Limit Less campaign webpages before applying.

Purpose

The purpose of this grant scheme is to: -

• Raise public awareness of, and engagement with, contemporary physics.
• Inspire and enthuse public audiences, especially those not previously interested in physics.
• Reach young people in under-represented groups within physics (those who identify as girls/women, LGBT+, Black Caribbean, disabled, and from disadvantaged backgrounds) and their influencers beyond the classroom.
• Develop the science communication skills of physicists.
• Develop the science skills of communicators, artists, community organisers and cultural groups.

Priorities

In line with the purposes of this grant scheme a priority of funding has been set.

This will be implemented if there are more applications than funds available in the relevant round:

1. Highest priority - Outreach work and promotion of Limit Less and EDI related goals
2. Second priority - Inclusion of the above in a conference or event
3. Third priority - General support for conferences and events

You may allocate up to two-thirds of the grant to cover staffing costs not already covered. Academics salaries can only be covered if a full-time salary is not already in place.

Eligibility

• They welcome applications from individuals and organisations in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
• Applicants may apply for amounts up to £1,000 through this grant scheme.
• You do not have to be a member of the Institute of Physics to apply - they encourage applications from any physicists with an interest in public engagement.
• They also encourage those in the arts, community and media sectors who may have an interest in or link to physics, to apply.
• They will happily give guidance and advice on how to incorporate physics into your project in these cases, if needed

What are they looking for

A Review Panel consisting of members of the IOP Ireland National Committee and IOP team will assess applications under 5 key criteria:

1. Physics Content – Is there clear evidence of quality physics content or physicist involvement in the creation and/or delivery of the activity?
2. Alignment with IOP Strategy – Does the activity align with IOP’s Unlocking the Future strategy or Limit Less campaign? Does it encourage young people to engage with physics? Does it reach underrepresented audiences? Is it designed with accessibility in mind?
3. Use of Funds – Is there strong evidence that the spending of IOP funds is planned and allocated appropriately? Does the use of funds progress inclusion in physics?
4. Evaluation – Is there evidence that an evaluation plan is in place, is it practically achievable and how will this data be used?
5. Legacy – Does the application outline potential for the project or products of the activity to be repeated, scaled up, transferred to another owner or otherwise furthered?

See guidelines for FAQs.

Example of funded project

STEM #Unfiltered is a photography competition which brings together and showcases images of beautiful science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) in our everyday lives, created by budding scientists of all ages across Ireland and Northern Ireland.