This is a copy of the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2025 proposal form, to allow you to preview the questions in advance of filling in the online form. 

Great Exhibition Road Festival 2025 Proposal form

Welcome to the proposal form for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, which returns on 7 & 8 June 2025, with doors open between 12:00 and 18:00 each day.
 
Here is where Imperial staff and students can submit their ideas to entertain, engage and educate our festival visitors. So whether you are proposing an exhibit, talk, workshop, live demo, performance or show, we welcome any suggestion that celebrates or opens up dialogue around Imperial research in creative and engaging ways.
 
We recommend everyone submitting a proposal read our Festival guidance document. It is your go-to guide for information on:       

  • Who comes to the Festival and our target audiences
  • Ideas on the sort of content we are looking for
  • Roles and responsibilities and Festival deadlines


Deadline for submissions is Sunday 3 November 2024 and we aim to reply to all proposals with individual feedback in January. 

We want to be open to all so please get in touch with us if you have any issues with, or would like assistance filling in, this form (festival@imperial.ac.uk).

If you want to take part in next year’s Festival but are not sure if your ideas will work or how to make them happen, we are hosting an online advice session. Here you can hear all about the Festival from its organisers, learn about the proposals process, and get feedback on your initial ideas and answers to any logistical questions you may have.     

Online advice session – 12:30-14:00 17 October. Register for the advice session here. This session will be recorded.   

Regards
The Imperial Public Engagement Team

 

 

 

Q1 Lead Contact:

 

Q2 Lead contact email: 

 

Q3 Lead contact CID number: 

 

Q4 Lead contact mobile number: Are you happy to share a number to contact you on over the Festival weekend? Your Zone Manager may add it to a WhatsApp group with other content leads in your Zone:

  • Yes
  • No

 

Q5 Additional contact (someone else who might be involved in the activity who we can contact just in case).

 

Q6 Additional contact email: 

 

Q9 Group, department, centre or institute:

 

Q10 Does your proposed Festival activity idea relate to research carried out in collaboration with any other individuals, organisations, community groups or institutions outside of Imperial? 

  • Yes (please let us know which individuals, community groups, organisations or institutions you are collaborating with below)
  • No

 

Q10A If yes, is this research part of a Horizon Europe funded project?

  • Yes
  • No

About your Festival idea

Q11 Working title of your festival activity (max 5 words, needs to be a public-friendly and fun title. Examples from the 2024 festival included 'Paint Drip Brains', 'Clean Green Zooming Machines', and 'Coral Constructors') 

 

Q12 What type of activity are you proposing to engage the public at the Festival (N.B. there is more information on what these types of activity mean and some examples in the Festival guidance document): 

  • Interactive Exhibit / Hands on demonstration
  • Installation / exhibition
  • Talk / Discussion panel
  • Creative workshop
  • Science show
  • Stage performance
  • Roaming performance
  • Other – Specify:

 (NB. multiple choice question - select one)

 

Q14 Please identify which audience group your activity is most suitable for. The Festival attracts a broad audience and taking part will mean you will engage with a range of audiences. But some areas of the Festival are dedicated to specific visitor groups.  (N.B. more information on audiences can be found in the proposals process guidance document) 

  • Parents/carers with young children (0 - 5)
  • Parents/carers with young children (5 - 12)
  • Young people (13 - 17)
  • Young people (18 - 25)
  • Adults (26+)

 

Q16 Please provide a brief overview of your broad research area and why it would be of interest to wider audiences (Please limit your response to max 300 words).

 

Q15 Why do you want to take part in the Festival? (Please limit your response to max 300 words)

 

Q16 What are you planning to do as your activity at the Festival? Please describe in as much detail as you know what your activity will look like (what materials or equipment will be used, and how will you set them up), and how the attending public will experience it. There will be opportunities to develop ideas further and we are open to initial ideas/concepts. (Please limit your response to max 300 words)

 

Q17 What would you like visitors to gain from interacting with you and your activity on the day? What will visitors be able to do or see? (e.g. have fun, become curious about your research area, understand your research area better, gain perspectives on your research area, etc. Please limit your response to max 300 words)

 

Q18A Will your proposed festival activity be contributing to ongoing or forthcoming research? For example, will you be collecting data for research purposes, gathering public feedback on a research project etc.

  • Yes
  • No

(If yes to the above, answer the following):

 

Q18B Do you consider your proposed Festival activity to include elements of participatory research? Meaning that the public can influence, direct, and/or change how research takes place by participating in your activity. We would welcome proposals that contribute in any way to a more participatory culture around Imperial research. So, please select all that apply and, if applicable, use this question to explain how you are incorporating these principles in your plans

  • I will use citizen science or another participative approach to data collection/analysis.
  • I will be consulting members of the public to inform the direction of my research.
  • I will be partnering with non-academics to deliver my festival activity.
  • I will be co-designing/co-producing my festival activity with non-academics.
  • Other (please specify)
  • If you are using participatory approaches, please explain how:
  • No (my Festival activity does not include elements of participatory research)

 

Q19 Do you think your proposed activity might require some ethical approval (I.e. are you collecting public data or involving them in an active study)? If the answer to the below is yes, please bear in mind you will need to start conversations early with Imperial’s Research Governance and Integrity team as soon as your involvement in the 2025 Festival is confirmed.

  • Yes, I am collecting public data for research purposes
  • No, I am not collecting data for research purposes
  • Not sure

 

Q20 Please indicate what equipment / resources you might need to run your activity? e.g. tables, floor space (please give an idea of ideal size), power requirements (please give an idea of items that will need power), a fenced or sterile area, a high ceiling, water supply, wall space, hired in plasma screens (each requires a £300 contribution from your team’s budget)....etc?

 

Q21 Can you explain what steps you are taking to reduce the environmental impact of your Festival activity? The Great Exhibition Road Festival is making efforts to reduce its CO2 emissions to be as green as possible and is encouraging teams to reduce their own carbon footprint, as well as the amount of waste / rubbish they generate

 

Q22 We are expecting the Festival to get busy at certain times over the weekend, and with two long days of 6+ hours engaging the public, it is key that each activity is delivered by sufficient numbers of people to allow everyone to take the breaks they need. How many people do you estimate will be able to help you deliver your activities at the Festival:

 

Q23 Does your proposed Festival activity link to any upcoming academics papers or the launch of new facilities, labs or institutes that might provide a news hook for media coverage?

  • Yes (please provide more details)
  • No

 

Q24 Would you like to sign up to the Societal Engagement newsletter? This monthly newsletter features the latest opportunities to get involved with engagement at Imperial as well as training and funding opportunities.
 
 *We use the details you provide us with to send you the most relevant information and will not share your details with anyone. Please view our Societal Engagement newsletter privacy policy. Please note that by signing up to our newsletter, you are giving us consent to process your data using Mailchimp.

  • Yes (if so please add email address to send the newsletter)
  • No

 

Q25 By submitting this form, I consent to the processing of my information for the purpose of applying to exhibit at The Great Exhibition Road Festival 2025. You can find out more about how we use your data and read our privacy notice online. We use a third party system (Qualtrics) first as they collect and help with the processing of your data. To find out more about how Qualtrics uses your data please view here.

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