Outreach and public engagement

Our scientists and communicators work together to take our research to the public with informative and educational activities that are fun and interactive. We have interacted face-to-face with more than 100,000 people since 2018. We have also reached more than 5 million people online and through the media.

We support local charities, and are involved in local, national and international initiatives through direct and social media outlets to promote the BDI and the University of Nottingham (UoN). We aim to make science education more accessible and interactive to all, and work with local schools to encourage young people to consider a career in science.

Art helps us dissolve boundaries between art and science. The Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre worked with the Breast Cancer Art project to create an exhibition of individual stories of lives affected by breast cancer. BDI works with Nottingham CityArts on the HeART project; funded by the UoN and the charity Ignite this brings together local community groups to create science-inspired artworks which will be showcased at a range of Nottingham exhibitions. Further funding will allow this pilot study to be expanded across several other disciplines and link into university-wide mental health and wellbeing initiatives.

We actively participate in external outreach events including New Scientist Live and the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2021, where we demonstrated research into 3D printing of personalised tablets that can deliver multiple medications to the body, at the correct dose and time. We regularly engage with the media; BDI researchers were featured on 'Pig to human heart transplant' on BBC Radio 4, and 'Undercover COVID' on the BBC Panorama programme. The 2022 Materials World report included BDI research focussing on surgical dressings to support the healing of melanoma wounds.