Applicant journey
Applicants should ensure they read the applicant guidance and FAQs before submitting their application.
| Stage | Activity | Description |
| 1 | Application submitted | 24 September 2025 |
| 1 | Eligibility checks | September 2025 |
| 2 | External review | October 2025 |
| 3 | Applicants respond | November 2025 |
| 4 | Funding panel review | January 2026 |
| 5 | Applicants informed | February 2026 |
| 6 | Kick off workshops | April 2026 |
| 7 | Funding announced | May 2026 |
| 8 | Project commences | May 2026 |
Eligibility
Ingenious grants are available for projects that provide engineers with training and practical experience of public engagement activities and include creative activities that enable the engineers to engage public audiences.
Funds for the next round will be awarded to successful projects in April 2025 and project research may begin from this time. However, any project activity development and delivery must take place after 1 May 2026. Projects working with school groups must be completed by 31 July 2027, whilst projects choosing to alternatively or additionally work with families or community groups must complete their projects by 31 August 2027.
To be eligible:
- Applicants must be UK residents.
- Applicants must be over 18 years of age.
- All projects must involve engineers in the development or delivery of projects and provide them with training, enabling them to gain skills, knowledge and experience in public engagement.
- The engineers involved in the project must be based in and studying or employed in the UK. They must be graduate level or equivalent and above (including those at senior level) and can be from academia, industry or the public sector. Engineers may also be apprentices and technicians. Applications that only engage undergraduate or apprentice engineers are ineligible for Ingenious.
- Activities developed under the Ingenious programme should be free to access
Previous Ingenious awardees are welcome to submit applications for new projects, but recent awardees may also wish to consider the newly introduced Follow on Fund Scheme.
We welcome proposals from engineers, universities, colleges and schools, youth charities, science and engineering communicators and engagement professionals as well as those working in the arts and cultural sectors who wish to collaborate with engineers.
For more information please read the supporting documents on this page and visit the FAQs page.