Faculty of Science and Engineering Better World Initiatives
Nominations are now open for the FSE Better World Celebration – a chance to recognise and celebrate the exceptional energy and work of our colleagues and students who are actively helping to build a ‘Better World’ one action at a time.
Nominate someone you think is making a Better World
You are invited to nominate someone (or yourself) who is leading the way in social responsibility, equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility and help inspire others to follow their example. Nominations can be for any person or team who is making a difference through their work or actions, big or small.
Who can be nominated?
- All current staff and students in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Why should I nominate?
- Shine a light on someone who deserves it – this is your chance to say thank you and give well-earned recognition, even if it’s just for the small things like checking in on you each day.
- Inspire change – your nomination could encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
- It only takes a moment – and it could make someone’s whole year.
Nominate online
How to nominate
We’ve made it quick, easy and inclusive because we want to hear your stories and make sure no great work goes unnoticed.
Submit your nomination via our online form or by sending a voice note or video message via WhatsApp.
If you're using WhatsApp, make sure to include:
- Your name
- Name of the nominee(s)
- Details of how the person or group helped to make a "Better World" and the positive difference it made.
Deadline: midnight on Tuesday 30 September.
All nominees will be celebrated at our Better World Celebration event in November 2025 (date TBC).
Further information
If you have any queries please email the Social Responsibility team.
Better World Funding
The Faculty of Science and Engineering wants to support staff and students to create, develop or extend projects which contribute to delivering our ambitious Social Responsibility and Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) objectives.
If you are looking for financial support for a project which closely aligns to our priorities in environmental sustainability, engagement (civic, public and schools outreach) or EDIA you can apply for a grant of up to £1000.
Funded initiatives
Better World Funding will be prioritised for applicants that seek to create, develop or extend projects that inform thinking and practice to enable more people in the Faculty to make a bigger difference to our people, our region or our earth. All applicants are required to meet the stated eligibility criteria and directly align with the Faculty's Social Responsibility and EDIA strategy.
Applicants are encouraged to contact us directly to discuss their project ideas and funding needs prior to making an application.
Requests will be assessed monthly on a rolling basis against the same criteria. Whilst funda remain available, all eligible applications will be funded. If demand exceeds the remaining funds, we may need to assess applications competitively to determine which can be supported.
Further information for grants
Staff and students can apply for a grant of up to £1000. Please note that all student applications need a staff 'sponsor' and this person should be asked in advance of submitting the application.
We will contact the staff sponsor before approving any funding requests, to ensure that they are aware of the project plans and to confirm that they will take responsibility for ensuring that the funds are spent in line with the University financial regulations i.e. using University approved suppliers etc.
Funding costs can include, but are not limited to the following:
- Resources (e.g. online and printed material), including payment for support to help create new material
- Implementation costs (e.g. project consumables)
- Subsistence and travel (travel should be the most sustainable transport for the journey and alternative means of meeting such as Teams should be considered)
- Venue and/or equipment hire
- Visitor/speaker fees and expenses (suggested maximum of £250 per speaker)
- Refreshment costs
- Photography and filming (and editing) costs.
Costs cannot include requests for IT equipment or other items that would normally be requested through School or Institute equipment and resources budgets.
Eligibility
The funds are available to any member of staff (professional services, technical, research and academic) or student(s) (undergraduate and postgraduate) from the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
- Beneficiaries of any funded project should predominantly be in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. If the project is to support staff or students, deliver training or provide a service: the majority of the recipients, attendees or service users should be from the Faculty.
- We encourage applicants to collaborate with others who are working in similar areas, across Schools / Departments or disciplines (including outside of the Faculty). Where such a relationship enables the better realisation of the initiative’s aims and impact, then we may encourage you to make contact with other groups that we are aware of to do this. We will prioritise funding for projects that are collaborative.
- We encourage interdisciplinary projects. Should this partnership be with colleagues from other Faculties, we will request that match funding is sought by individuals in other Faculties to support such engagement.
- The funding will only be available to projects that are not able to be funded through existing School or Department budgets.
Assessment criteria
The SREDIA team encourage the following ways of working:
- Ambitious
- Collaborative
- Embedded
- Evidenced
- Informed
- Pro-active.
We expect applicants to also embrace these values that will be used to assess funding requests as described below.
Ambition
The proposed initiative should be innovative and creative in its aims, planning, delivery and/or outcome. It should clearly outline how it links to and takes forward an objective within the SREDIA priorities.
Collaboration
Where possible, your project should draw skills, experience and knowledge from a breadth of people. This may mean working across teams, departments or groups.
Clearly define in your project proposal how you have considered working collaboratively and the value this will bring.
Embedded practice / principles or shared learning
For projects that will not be ongoing or sustained, we would look to fund projects as long as learning is shared or its practice benefits future work.
For projects that are sustained or have the potential to be scaled up, describe how this would be funded in the future as Better World Grants are not intended to be used for the same projects with the same outcomes year on year.
Evidence informed
Your request should demonstrate that you are addressing a need that is known in the Faculty or sector, or solving a problem that has been recognised within a Department. Also describe how you will gauge the impact of your initiative and how this will be measured.
Pro-active
The proposed initiative should address one of the SREDIA priority areas and you will need to explain why this initiative is a suitable response.
Funding requests will need to be based on realistic costs and where additional funding is required, we will expect this to have been identified and ideally secured.
You will need to explain how your initiative will be delivered within the cost and time constraints.
Expectations of successful applicants
Successful applicants are expected to meet the following requirements:
- Provide a project update halfway through the project to share progress.
- Complete a simple ‘end of project’ report to showcase how you’ve made a "Better World” (e.g. a case study, video or poster to be discussed with the SR EDIA team after your project concludes), summarising the initiative, outcomes, impact the initiative had, learning and expenditure. This report could then form the basis of your entry into the next University or Faculty Social Responsibility Awards.
- Showcase your project's work. For example, at the Better World Celebration event; on social media; a hub post; or as a case study for Social Responsibility reporting.
- Work with the Social Responsibility team to enable them to capture imagery of your working project and represent your project with images in their future Social Responsibility Reports, webpages and other media. You will be provided with a copy of these images for your own purposes.
- Return any non-spent funds, giving notice by 15 June 2026 and returning to us by 30 June 2026.
Please note: There is no operational support or guidance available for funded projects. Once the funds have been sent to your account code, it is your responsibility to deliver the project without support from the Social Responsibility team.
We can, however, provide information, guidance and advice around event organisation, such as: publicity, registration, organising filming or photography and on reviewing application, we may note things you might need to consider or bear in mind should you receive funding.
Requesting a Better World Grant
Request funding online
You can request funding via the application form.
If you are unable to complete this form online, please email the Social Responsibility team to request a paper copy.
Student Applicants
Please note that all student applications need a staff 'sponsor' and access to an account for the money to be transferred to. This person must be named on the application form and should be asked in advance of submitting the application.
We will contact the staff sponsor before approving any funding requests, to ensure that they are aware of the project plans and to confirm that they will take responsibility for ensuring that the funds are spent in line with the University financial regulations i.e. using University approved suppliers etc.
This structure is in place to best support student projects and allow for a contact for elements such as finance, equipment and support on the initiative itself.
If you have any questions, please email the Social Responsibility team.
Further information
If you would like to discuss any ideas or have any queries please email the Social Responsibility team.
