Supporters
SciCast is funded and run through a partnership of many organisations, from financial and technical supporters to organisations using the SciCast approach as part of their own projects. We’re delighted to count the organisations below amongst our friends and supporters.
As of early 2011, we’re actively seeking fresh supporters, collaborators and funders. If you like what you see on this site — and particularly if you’d like your organisation’s name on the list below — please see our Sponsorship page.
Key Partners
NESTA
The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, has been the principle funder of SciCast since it began. NESTA’s mission is to transform the UK’s capacity for innovation, by working to build a more pervasive culture of innovation; by providing innovators with access to early stage capital; and by driving forward research into innovation, with a view to influencing policy.
The Institute of Physics
The IOP is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently over 35,000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.
SciCast Physics is run by the IoP as a major part of the annual SciCast Awards.
EngineeringUK
EngineeringUK is an independent, not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote the vital contribution that engineers, and engineering and technology, make to our society. They also aim to inspire people at all levels to pursue careers in engineering and technology.
EngineeringUK host the SciCast films website.
Other partners, past and present
Planet Science
Planet Science is a free and immensely popular online resource and newsletter for school students of science and their parents and teachers.
Forfás
Forfás is Ireland’s national policy advisory body for enterprise and science. It has generously provided funding to support SciCast in the Republic of Ireland, opening all schools’ categories of the SciCast Awards to students throughout Ireland.
Ignite!
Ignite! was set up in October 2006 to promote creativity in learning. It works with young people to reveal and develop their capacity for creativity and creative thinking. Ignite! actively supports SciCast film-making in the East Midlands through Ignition*, a three year programme of creative approaches to STEM subjects funded by the East Midlands Development Agency. It involves teachers, students, parents, artists, scientists, inventors, designers, engineers, film-makers, writers and journalists.
Future Morph
The Future Morph website, run by the Science Council, is designed to show young people some of the amazing and unexpected places that studying science, technology, engineering and maths can take them. They are keen to get teams thinking about how science can be used in careers and to make SciCast films highlighting aspects of this.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
The EPSRC is the UK Government’s leading funding agency for research and training in engineering and the physical sciences. They’ve encouraged working scientists to share their work in an entertaining and useful way through sponsorship of the Best Film from an All-Adult Team category.
Gratnells
Founded in 1940, Gratnells is still family-run. The company produces an award-winning range of storage systems, and specialises in school, hospital, and industrial storage. They’re well-known in the education world — chances are your school’s prep room and stores are full of Gratnells’ racking and shelving. Gratnells joined SciCast in 2010 to support a category for “Best Film From a Science Technician”.
Other supporters
The following organisations run SciCast-inspired events, help introduce our films to new audiences, or offer other assistance. We’re tremendously grateful for their contributions and enthusiasm.
National Physical Laboratory & Richmond Council
The NPL is the UK’s national measurement institute, and is a world-leading centre for excellence in developing and applying the most accurate measurement standards, science, and technology. In association with Richmond Borough Council, Andrew Hanson of the NPL runs the NPL School Science Film Challenge, inspired by and feeding into the national SciCast awards.
BBC Big Screens and Manchester Science Festival
In 2008, a selection of SciCast films were shown on the BBC’s giant screen in the centre of Manchester, as part of the city’s science festival. Every now and then SciCast films sneak onto the Big Screens network — so when you’re passing one, keep your eyes open!
The Life Channel
SciCast has a distribution agreement with the Life Channel, through which selected films are shown on their network of screens in schools and GPs waiting rooms across the country. This gives the SciCast films terrific exposure, and provides the Life Channel with excellent and inspiring content.
Shouts out and thanks
We’ve had terrific support from the science communication community, particularly via the British Interactive Group, Glasgow Science Centre, the Centre for Life, Techniquest, MOSI, @Bristol, Science Oxford, and others.
We’ve also spoken about SciCast at the British Science Association’s Science Communication Conference (2009), the ECSITE Conference (Lisbon, 2007), the Scottish Science Communication Conference (2009), Online Educa (2009), Media and Learning (2010), and others.
You may have seen the SciCast stand at the Association for Science Education’s annual conference, the TES Exhibition, The Big Bang Fair, and Maker Faire UK.
Our thanks also to all the individuals who’ve supported and encouraged us since 2006.