Community Led Research Pilot: Activity Testing Application Form 

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Thank you for your interest in the Community Led Research Pilot!                                                                                          

The Community Led Research Pilot, based in Reading and Slough, is putting communities at the heart of the research process - inviting them to develop and deliver their own research project – supported by a researcher.


Before you apply for the full Community Led Research project grant (of up to £9,200), there is tester activity funding and support available to community groups to test out your research project idea and develop your application.


By completing this form, you are applying to test your community led research project idea. We have small pots of between £500-£2,000 available to support this ‘tester’ activity.   


Activity Testing Application Information and guidance can be found here


Please submit this application form by 5pm on Monday 12th June 2023.

Please review the grant terms and conditions on page 8 of this application form before submitting your application.

You will be able to review your application before submitting your application.

Please ensure you press 'submit'  at the end of your application. You will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application after you have submitted your application. 

You can save your application to complete at a later date. Please note, you will not be able to access or edit your application after submission. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with:

Azra Raja:  azra.raja@rva.org.uk (Reading Team)


James Parker:  james@sloughcvs.org.uk  or  Rosanne Naicker rosanne@sloughcvs.org (Slough Team) 


If you have any technical issues with this form, please contact: Communities@britishscienceassociation.org

What community groups are eligible to take part?

We especially want to hear from grassroots communities in Reading and Slough.  To be eligible for a grant, the application must come from a representative of a community group (rather than a researcher). 

Groups must be community-based and working with people who are traditionally underrepresented in science and research, including:​ 

  • people from minority ethnic groups;​ 
  • communities living on low incomes;​ 
  • those experiencing inequalities in accessing education and work; and​ 
  • people who are neurodiverse or are considered to have a disability.
Things to consider as a group or organisation before you apply. You will need to have the following: 

  • A Community group leader or key person who can lead on the grant and research project delivery for their group and ensure they have the support of their group including key decision makers. 
  • Identified ideas or themes that can be developed into questions for a research project.  
  • Possibility of wider engagement with community members/participants.
  • Grassroots community organisations rather than activity providers or service providers.
  • Interest in and capacity** to possibly run your own research project.  

(**This should include having a person/people who are able to take a lead within a group, as well as enough experience of community engagement to run a project, even if there is no prior experience of research).  

Contact Information
Privacy Notice


The information collected in this form is to process your application. We will share your application with others involved in the decision-making and due diligence process for the grant.


We will keep a record of applications and successful grant holders throughout the programme.  Personal data from your application will be kept for up to two years, or three years after the end of your grant if you are successful.


For more information about how we use your data, you can find our privacy policy here.



About your Organisation/Group


Organisation/Group address




Your research project idea


Budget Information
Please Note
Grants of up to £500-£2000 are available. When estimating project costs, please try to be as accurate as possible. 



Your financial information
Q10) Details for remittance advice                                                                                                                    We ask for your financial details to pay the grant into your organisation's bank account if you are successful. If you are unsuccessful we will delete financial data after a year. Please read our privacy policy for more details.
Bank Details
The Account Name used must match those of the account holder, in line with the records held by your Bank/Building Society
The Account Name used must match those of the account holder, in line with the records held by your Bank.
Please note the information you would like shown on your Remittance Advice, in order to help your Finance team to identify and correctly allocate our payment, this could be an internal reference, the name of an organiser or your organisation.
Building Society Details
The Account Name used must match those of the account holder, in line with the records held by your Bank/Building Society
The Account Name used must match those of the account holder, in line with the records held by your Building Society.
This field must be completed with the correct Roll/Reference Number number in order for payment to be allocated to your account. Failure to give correct details will result in a delay in our payment reaching you
This field must be completed with the correct Roll/Reference Number number in order for payment to be allocated to your account. Failure to give correct details will result in a delay in our payment reaching you.
Please note the information you would like shown on your Remittance Advice, in order to help your Finance team to identify and correctly allocate our payment, this could be an internal reference, the name of an organiser or your organisation.
Contacts for remittance advice
Finance Contact
Building Society Contact
Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions of the Activity Testing grant

1.   By submitting an application to the British Science Association, the organisation named in the application (referred to as ‘you’ in these Terms and Conditions) agrees, if awarded a grant, to:

1.1   hold the grant on trust for the British Science Association (referred to as ‘we’ or ‘us’) and use it only for your Activity Testing as described in your application or otherwise agreed with us, and only for expenditure incurred after the date of the grant award;

1.2  deliver the Activity Testing between June 2023 and August 2023 unless otherwise advised by us;

1.3  comply with any evaluation procedures outlined by the British Science Association. For example, Activity Testing grant recipients may be invited to share their experiences of how their Activity Testing is progressing. With permission, these may be developed into blogs or case studies that will feed into a wider piece of work around sharing learnings, published on the websites of the British Science Association, Community Led Research project partners including our funder UK Research and Innovation (UKRI);

1.4   provide us with any information we require about the Activity Testing;

1.5  act lawfully in carrying out your Activity Testing, in accordance with best practice and guidance from your regulators (your regulators might include Charity Commission or the Health and Safety Executive etc.), and follow any guidelines issued by us about the Activity Testing or use of the grant;

1.6  correctly acknowledge UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the British Science Association, the University of Reading and partners in any press releases or marketing material. Please contact the British Science Association for additional information;

1.7  use the UKRI and the British Science Association logo on any marketing materials produced, either in print or online. Please contact the British Science Association for more information.

1.8  where your Activity Testing involves working with children, young people or vulnerable adults, adopt and implement an appropriate written safeguarding policy, obtain written consent from legal carers or guardians and carry out background checks for all employees, volunteers, trustees or contractors as required by law. You must inform us immediately of any safeguarding incident or allegation involving a member of your organisation, Activity Testing staff, volunteers or which occurs within the Activity Testing;

1.9  to deliver this Activity Testing safely and in line with all relevant health and safety legislation.

1.10  to comply with Data Protection legislation including the General Data Protection Regulation in your delivery of the Activity Testing. Any personal data you share must have a valid legal basis in place before being shared. This includes personal data shared with us or our partners as part of the evaluation;   

1.11 to not unlawfully discriminate within the meaning and scope of the Equality Act 2010 or any other law, enactment, order, or regulation relating to discrimination (whether in race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age or otherwise). You should take steps to ensure that anyone you work with as part of the Activity Testing also does not discriminate.

1.12 keep accurate and comprehensive financial records about your Activity Testing both during the Activity Testing and for seven years afterwards and provide us on request with copies of those records and evidence of expenditure of the grant, such as original receipts and bank statements;

1.13 allow us reasonable access to your premises and systems to inspect Activity Testing and grant records;

1.14 The British Science Association publicising and sharing information about you and your Activity Testing including your name and images of Activity Testing activities. You grant us a royalty free licence to reproduce and publish any Activity Testing information you give us with your consent. You will let us know when you provide the information if you don’t have permission for us to use it in this way.

2.   You acknowledge that we are entitled to suspend or terminate the grant and/or require you to repay all or any of the grant in any of the following situations. You must let us know if any of these situations have occurred or are likely to occur:

2.1   You use the grant in any way other than as approved by us or fail to comply with any of these Terms and Conditions.

2.2   You provide us with false or misleading information either on application or after award of the grant, act dishonestly or are under investigation by us, a regulatory body or the police, or if we consider for any other reason that public funds are at risk or you do anything to bring the British Science Association or UK Research and Innovation into disrepute.

2.3   You enter into, or in our view are likely to enter into, administration, liquidation, receivership or dissolution.

3.     You acknowledge that:

3.1  The amount of your grant is the full total of what has been awarded. It shall not be increased in the event of overspend or if any element of the Activity Testing budget has not been included in your application, including VAT, other taxes, expenses or fees. There will be no additional funding available for liabilities arising after the Activity Testing has been completed;

3.2  If the provided bank account details including account name, account number and sort code, are incorrect, your grant payment may be significantly delayed, or your grant offer may be withdrawn;

3.3 You should not transfer or pay any part of the grant to another person, except as planned as part of the Activity Testing.

3.4 If you have unspent monies at the end of your Activity Testing, we may require that it is repaid to the British Science Association unless we specifically agree to an alternative use;

3.5   the grant is not consideration for any taxable supply for VAT purposes;

3.6   the British Science Association has no liability for any costs or consequences incurred by you or third parties that arise directly or indirectly from the Activity Testing, nor from nonpayment or withdrawal of the grant, save to the extent required by law;

3.7  the British Science Association will not be held responsible or liable for any consequences, whether direct or indirect to any loss or damage, personal or otherwise, injury or death however arising in Activity Testing or grant-funded events and activities. Grant recipients are responsible for taking out any public liability or other insurance necessary to cover the activities. We reserve the right to ask for evidence of these policies should it be necessary to do so;

3.8 All intellectual property owned by any of the parties prior to the Activity Testing grant shall remain their property.   

3.9 If you enter into this Agreement as individuals rather than an organisation, you are jointly and severally responsible for keeping to its conditions.   

3.10 You should let us know if there are any significant changes to your organisation including but not limited to a change of legal status, merging with another organisation or changing name.   

3.11 You should let us know straight away if anything is likely to affect your ability to deliver the Activity Testing, including financial difficulties in your organisation, or if something goes wrong.  

3.12 This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law.   

3.13 These Terms and Conditions will continue to apply for one year after the grant is paid or until the Activity Testing has been completed, whichever is later. Clauses 1.4, 1.6, 1.7, 1.12, 1.14, 3.6 and 3.7 shall survive expiry of these Terms and Conditions; and

3.14 If the application and grant award are made electronically, the agreement between us shall be deemed to be in writing and your online acceptance of these Terms and Conditions shall be deemed to be a signature of that agreement.


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