Royal Society Partnership Grants
‘In 2024 Mount Kelly in Tavistock, Devon received a Royal Society Partnership Grant of £3,000 for a pupil-led project exploring how biodiverse the school site is. The project ran from 2025 to 2026 and was supported by a STEM partner from the University of Plymouth. Although originally planned as a Year 10 project, it expanded to involve every Year 3 to Year 8 pupil in the school, giving around 170 pupils direct experience of scientific fieldwork. The grant enabled students to use transects, quadrats, eDNA kits, water-quality testing, kick-sampling, bat detectors and camera traps to investigate plant, freshwater, mammal, invertebrate, bat and wider site biodiversity.
Pupils and teachers gained a range of benefits through the project. The project has introduced a stronger awareness and vocabulary around biodiversity and sustainability across the school, supported by an in-depth pupil survey that received very positive responses. The equipment purchased through the grant has already benefited both Mount Kelly and neighbouring primary school pupils, while the project has created a lasting shift in how the school approaches biodiversity studies and scientific fieldwork, including prompting a re-evaluation of its Climate Action Plan. The University of Plymouth STEM partner described the work with pupils as highly impactful, and the school has committed to embedding the project fully within the curriculum so that future students experience a minimum of 24 sessions of scientific fieldwork in the Prep school alone. The school’s participation in the Summer Science Exhibition Young Researcher Zone at the Royal Society was a particularly valuable outcome, giving students a prestigious platform to present their research, develop presentation and science communication skills, celebrate their achievements and experience the benefits of sharing biodiversity findings with wider public, scientific and education audiences.’
Funding opportunity for schools: Royal Society Partnership Grants
Applications for the 2026 round of The Royal Society’s Partnership Grants scheme close on 30 November 2026. The Partnership Grants scheme funds schools and colleges up to £3,000 to work in partnership with STEM professionals from academia or industry to run an investigative STEM project. The grants are open to all levels of education supporting students aged between 5-18.
With the deadline for the 2026 round approaching, now is an excellent time to start planning a project and identifying a STEM partner. The Royal Society encourages schools and colleges to submit an application and make the most of this funding opportunity.
Find out more through the Partnership Grants website and/or watch this 10-minute overview video.’
