SciCast 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 following amongst our friends and supporters:
NESTA
The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, is the principle funder of SciCast. 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.
Planet Science
NESTA’s Planet Science is a free and immensely popular online resource and newsletter for school students of science and their parents and teachers. It’s a mix of interactive features, games and teachers’ resource designed to engage and inspire. A free weekly e-newsletter, received by thousands of educators, helps keep subscribers up-to-date.
Planet Science staff are instrumental in running SciCast and the Awards event.
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.
The Engineering and Technology Board
The ETB is a registered charity that seeks to promote the vital contribution that scientists, engineers and technologists make to prosperity and quality of life. The ETB works in partnership with business and industry, Government, education and the profession to improve the perception of science, engineering and technology in the UK. The driving force behind these partnerships is the desire to ensure a supply of appropriately skilled individuals to meet the present and future SET skill needs of UK plc.
The ETB manage and host the SciCast website.
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. Films from the East Midlands are sponsored by 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. The 2010 SciCast Awards will feature a special Ignite! Award to celebrate films submitted from the East Midlands.
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; the 2010 SciCast Awards include a Future Morph Best Careers Film category.
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. It supports SciCast in the category of the EPSRC Best Film from an All Adult team, which encourages working scientists to share their work in an entertaining and useful way.
Gratnells
Formed 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 the Best Film From a Science Technician category.
Other supporters
The following organisations run SciCast-inspired events, help introduce our films to new audiences, or offer other assistance. We’re grateful for their contributions.
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. Andrew Hanson of the NPL runs, in association with Richmond Borough Council, the Richmond Schools’ Scientific Edge Film Awards. These were inspired by — and feed into — the national competition.
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. We’re delighted to repeat the association this year — if you’re walking through Manchester between 24th October and 1st November 2009, 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 across the country. This gives the SciCast films terrific exposure, and provides the Life Channel with excellent and inspiring content.
Newcastle Science Festival
While the focus of Newcastle Science Fest is a ten-day celebration of creativity and innovation, events span the year — including SciCast North-East, organised by Newcastle Science City and the Centre for Life. This regional Awards event ran on a trial scale in 2009, with bigger and better plans for 2010. Keep an eye on the SciCast blog for announcements!
Science Oxford
Visitor centre Science Oxford has been running SciCast-related family video workshops over the summer, led in part by 2009 SciCast Awards Nominee Jamie Condliffe. Check their website for more SciCast-linked events in the future!
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, 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). You may have seen the SciCast stand at the Association for Science Education’s annual conference (2008, 2009), the TES Exhibition (2008), and The Big Bang Fair (2009).
Our thanks to everyone who’s supported us and contributed, since 2006.