The British Science Festival will take place in Southampton from the 16 - 20 September 2026, and will be hosted by the University of Southampton

The programme showcases cutting-edge science, technology and ideas that challenge, inspire and excite audiences. Each year, thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in research and engage in open discussion about issues affecting our culture and society.

Every year, a significant part of the Festival programme features events proposed by staff from the host university. This is a rare opportunity to showcase your research at a national festival with the British Science Festival as we shine a spotlight on the Southampton City Region.

Previous exciting events from host universities at the British Science Festival have included:

A trick of the eye - a series of interactive demonstrations using eye-tracking technology, revealing the various tricks that our eyes, and their movements, play on us to construct the world around us.

Sonic adventures – a workshop playing with some of the complex technology used to better understand sonic movement and discover how we might perceive our surrounding environment through sound.

AirSavers Odyssey  - a board game designed to explore the complexity of air pollution, its effects, and potential solutions.

Baby brain – an interactive exhibit in an immersive environment that mimics the perceptions and environments of children through real life data collection from infants monitored in their day-to-day environments.

The Museum of Consciousness - a host of stimulating subjective experiences, including thought experiments, sound journeys, and dream incubations that help you tap into your consciousness.

The World Turned Upside Down – performance of a play about dementia

Mudder on the seafloor – a cocktail and craft evening focused on minerals found in the seafloor.

We especially encourage proposals that involve research working or partnering with community groups, particularly those from across the Southampton City Region.

We celebrate the widest range of science topics and welcome applications from all disciplines including STEM subjects, social science, arts and humanities. We also welcome applications from non-research staff including professional services or support staff.

APPLY HERE

You can download a word document version of this form to draft your proposal here.

The deadline for submissions is 23.59 Thursday 16th October. We will be in touch shortly after this deadline with an outcome.

What are we looking for?

We want the Festival to encompass a whole range of different topics and formats to ensure that we attract the widest possible audience. We encourage you to propose ideas which are creative, different and collaborative.

In particular, we are looking for events which are: -

• targeted at an adult audience (age 16+)
• participatory and interactive. We anticipate that the vast majority of events in the 2026 programme will use a range of participatory formats, besides talks and lecture-style events, and will take place outside of a traditional lecture-theatre setting.
• involve collaboration between disciplines, the two host universities, and/or with communities and partners from across the Southampton City Region.
• engaging, inclusive and novel
• aware of the societal impact of the research being showcased

We will also be looking for evidence that the proposal;

• considers the practicalities and scope of delivering the event
• considers whether the event would run across one instance, a day, or multiple days
• considers a specific target audience or group

The British Science Festival can support small funding requests for external event contributor fees, materials or equipment though, as a charity, we ask that UoS staff explore other funding opportunities first. We do not provide funding for travel or accommodation. Allocation of funding is at the discretion of the British Science Festival and will only be allocated to exceptional proposals where all the criteria are met. The amount available will depend on the scale and format of the event and any such costs might affect the success of your proposal.

Once your proposal is reviewed, we will be in touch to let you know if it was successful or not. Should your proposal be accepted, we will:

• Schedule a meeting to talk about the content and format of your event. We may suggest changes to reflect our audiences, venues, and Festival aims. This is a collaborative process and an opportunity for us to understand what you want to deliver and how we can support you, as well as to convey our experience and learnings from the BSF.
• Work with a copywriter and yourself to provide a title, blurb and image to represent your event for the BSF programme.
• Promote your event through our Marketing and Communications team, using websites, press resources/relationships and social media. We also appreciate when you promote your event through your channels and networks and will provide a digital pack to support this.
• Send you a logistics form and risk assessment to fill out and schedule a logistics meeting to ensure that your event runs as expected and that you have everything you need to run your event. Please note that completing these forms is required in order for your event to go ahead.
• Send you a speakers form, to get details on you and your group for press opportunities.
• Send you a demographics form, which is anonymous, which helps us to understand if our event contributors reflect the local demographic and target audiences of the Festival.
• Offer you a free, day-long training event in public engagement during the Summer of 2026, where experienced coaches will guide you through inclusive best practice of public engagement and work closely with you on your event and how to make it accessible and attractive to different audiences.
• Complete evaluation of your event and the overall Festival. You will be sent feedback specific to your event as well as have access to the finished evaluation report when it is finished in early 2027.

Please note, we will not be able to:

• Support on-the-day delivery of your event's content. While the BSF will ensure that the pre-agreed infrastructure is in place and that there's staff on hand to help with crowd management and logistical trouble-shooting, we are unable to be involved with the direct delivery of your event's content. You will need to make your own arrangements if you require staffing support for the set up and delivery of your event.
• Source/produce every item you need for your event and take over the planning of all the logistical aspects of your event, beyond the reasonable infrastructure available at each venue. We will talk about responsibilities when we meet, but you will be expected to look after the production of non-standard requirements for your event.

Frequently Asked Questions: Event proposals

This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about proposing an event for the British Science Festival and will help you to shape your idea into a successful proposal. 

The FAQ includes guidance about the content and format of events and information on Festival logistics. If you have any other questions, or if you would like to discuss your proposal, please contact [email protected] who will be able to advise on content, format, general Festival-related queries etc. For any queries that you would prefer to discuss with a member of staff from your University, please contact the public engagement team.

What is the date and location of the Festival? 

The Festival will take place in Southampton from Wed 16 – Sun 20 September 2026 and will be hosted by the University of Southampton. Exact venues and locations will be selected and confirmed in Spring of 2026.

What time will my event take place? 

We anticipate the overall programme each day to start as early as 10.00 and finish as late as 22.30. The start time and duration of each event will depend on its format, as well as which part of the wider BSF26 programme it is scheduled under (e.g. daytime events, evening takeovers etc). There will be an option to repeat your event across multiple days, if this is of interest.

 What kind of audience should my event be aimed at?

The Festival is free and open to all, but content should be appropriate for an adult (16+ audience).

The target audience for the programme is:

• Non-specialist young adults (16-35), particularly from underserved and underrepresented groups in science:  
• Those with broad interest in science but don’t actively seek to engage with it  
• Those who might not self-identify as interested in science, but who are interested in cultural experiences (e.g., music, tech, films, fashion etc) or have a personal connection to a particular field of science (e.g., gardening, sports, mental health, accessibility tech, etc)"

Please note that the British Science Festival does not provide content for children, schools pre-16, or families.

What length should my event be? 

Event duration is flexible depending on the format and we are open to suggestions. We suggest getting in contact with us to discuss your ideas prior to submitting your proposal.

What kind of content are you looking for?

We are looking for events that showcase cutting-edge science, celebrate the latest developments in science and technology and engage their audience in open discussion about relevant issues that affect culture and society. 

We’re looking for events that span a diverse range of subjects encompassing science in the broadest sense and welcome applications from all disciplines including STEM subjects, social science, arts and humanities. We are looking for thought provoking events that offer new perspectives on scientific topics and stimulate discussion. The British Science Festival is all about making science relevant, representative and connected to society and we’d like to see that reflected in your content.

Newsworthy content will be viewed favourably. 

What type of events are you looking for?

In this call for proposals, we are primarily looking for events with more participatory formats that take place outside of a traditional lecture-theatre setting (i.e. talks, panel discussions). Those formats allow us to reach audiences who would not typically go to a science festival. We will be providing plenty of support in creating and forming those events (please see below).

We especially invite applications which involve collaboration between disciplines, the two host universities, and with communities and partners from across the Southampton City Region.

We will be able to consider a small number of proposals for talks, only where there is a particular reason why this would be the most appropriate format (e.g. the researcher will be addressing a particularly sensitive subject matter), so please make sure to clearly outline your reasoning if you submit a proposal for a talk. All talks are a maximum of 60 minutes which includes time for Q&A.

What do you mean by ‘participatory formats’? 

We welcome proposals for events that allow and encourage festival audiences to engage with content in a variety of meaningful ways, whether by having the opportunity to have a two-way conversation with academics, getting hands on with research through tactile exhibits or interactive workshops, or otherwise immersing themselves in the proposed content. In previous years, festival events have included drop-in activities, fitness classes, creative workshops, musical performances, walking tours and games, as well as many other formats.

Here are a few examples of different event formats from previous British Science Festivals:

A trick of the eye - a series of interactive demonstrations using eye-tracking technology, revealing the various tricks that our eyes, and their movements, play on us to construct the world around us.

Sonic adventures – a workshop playing with some of the complex technology used to better understand sonic movement and discover how we might perceive our surrounding environment through sound.

AirSavers Odyssey  - a board game designed to explore the complexity of air pollution, its effects, and potential solutions.

Baby brain – an interactive exhibit in an immersive environment that mimics the perceptions and environments of children through real life data collection from infants monitored in their day-to-day environments.

The Museum of Consciousness - a host of stimulating subjective experiences, including thought experiments, sound journeys, and dream incubations that help you tap into your consciousness.

The World Turned Upside Down – performance of a play about dementia

Mudder on the seafloor – a cocktail and craft evening focused on minerals found in the seafloor.

Will you support the development of my event? 

We are very happy to advise on content and format and help translate your research into an engaging event. To discuss your ideas prior to submitting a proposal please contact [email protected]

If your proposal is successful, you will also:

• have 121 sessions with a member of the Festival team to help you finalise the details of your idea
• be invited to an Events & Public Engagement coaching day in the summer of 2026. We strongly recommend that you attend as we will help you to develop the content and format of your event.

While we will support your event development in the ways previously outlined, please be aware that you are responsible for finding co-facilitators/speakers for your event and ensuring that any events you propose are fully organised by spring, in time for the Festival programme to go live. 

When will I find out if my event has been accepted? 

We will be in touch early in the new year to confirm if you have been selected.  

Will journalists be invited to my event?

There is a strong media presence at the Festival. If your proposal is accepted, we will ask for more detailed information that will be provided to the media.

Will you provide a fee or cover any expenses?

The British Science Festival can support small funding requests for external event contributor fees, materials or equipment though, as a charity, we ask that University staff explore other funding opportunities first. Allocation of funding is at the discretion of the British Science Festival and will only be allocated to exceptional proposals where all the criteria are met. 

The British Science Association has a limited amount of budget available. The amount available will depend on the scale and format of the event and any such costs might affect the success of your proposal. All British Science Festival events are free to attend.

Please note that we only cover expenses, fees or direct costs where is explicit in your proposal and formally agreed with the Festival Team. We are not responsible for any lost deposits if your proposal is unsuccessful. We do not provide funding for travel or accommodation

You may also wish to consider contacting your line manager about funding available from your school or faculty.

Is accommodation provided? 

No, if you are based outside of Southampton, you will need to organise your accommodation yourself, but we can provide you with a list of local hotels with preferential rates.

Is travel provided?

No, if you are based outside of Southampton, you will need to organise your travel yourself.

What onsite assistance will I receive during the Festival?

Refreshments will be available during the Festival. Festival staff will assist with the operation of your event, including AV support, queue management and distribution of Festival evaluation forms.

Please note that our staff members will not be able to help you facilitate your event’s content; you will need to source your own assistants/volunteers for hands-on help with the event’s activities.

The BSF will not:

• Support on-the-day delivery of your event's content. While the BSF will ensure that the pre-agreed infrastructure is in place and that there's staff on hand to help with crowd management and logistical trouble-shooting, we are unable to be involved with the direct delivery of your event's content. You will need to make your own arrangements if you require staffing support for the set up and delivery of your event.
• Source/produce every item you need for your event and take over the planning of all the logistical aspects of your event, beyond the reasonable infrastructure available at each venue. We will talk about responsibilities when we meet, but you will be expected to look after the production of non-standard requirements for your event.

Can I get sponsorship or fundraise for my event?

Please contact us before applying for any sponsorship or fundraising to discuss the possibilities.

How do I submit a proposal?

APPLY HERE

The deadline for submissions is 23.59 Thursday 16th October. 

You can download a word document version of this form to draft your proposal here.

What is the Festival’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)?

The Festival is organised by the British Science Association (BSA). The BSA’s vision is a future where science is more relevant, representative, and connected to society. For this vision to come to fruition, we need to see science relating to those from all areas of society, including those who are currently least engaged. We need to be able to engage with people in groups that are poorly represented in science, and that’s why EDI will be central to our activities. 

We recognise that in many settings, at the BSA and beyond, EDI can be seen as an add-on or ‘fix’ to the regular work. Our aim is for EDI to be the heart of everything we do. For more information about the BSA’s EDI commitment, please see our 10 year strategy, which outlines our EDI objectives for the next 10 years.