The ABSW Media Fellowships provide a unique opportunity for practising scientists, clinicians, and engineers to spend two to six weeks working at the heart of a media outlet such as the Guardian, BBC Science Unit or the Londonist. The Fellowships:
- Engage–give scientists the confidence to engage with the media
- Foster Trust –tackle mistrust and misrepresentation
- Bridge the Gap –between journalists and scientists
- Build Understanding –between science and society
The Fellowships were previously run by the British Science Association from 1987 until 2020. This will be the third year that the ABSW has run the scheme.
In 2023 nine Fellows were placed at outlets including The Guardian, The Times, The BBC Science Unit and New Scientist. They produced a very impressive range of work from radio programmes to news pieces and on a very broad range of subjects - you can read about the work they produced on the ABSW website:
https://www.absw.org.uk/articles/from-mermaids-to-the-milky-way
How does the scheme work?
- Scientists, clinicians, and engineers are identified and shortlisted by their supporting institution, who fund their Fellowship.
- The ABSW identifies media hosts and then carries out the final selection process to match individuals to media hosts.
- The Fellows receive training from the ABSW prior to taking up their placements and are supported by the ABSW throughout their placement and beyond.
- Placements normally take place for 2-6 weeks during the summer to fit with University teaching commitments. There is plenty of flexibility in the scheme to suit home and work commitments
There are wide ranging benefits for your institution in supporting Fellows including, better promotion of your institution through the media, greater links between your press office and academics, making new contacts in the media and providing your academics and institution with a greater understanding of the media process. The cost of the Fellowship is £5k per Fellow supported which covers all the costs of the scheme including training of the Fellows prior to their placement, any expenses incurred in relocating or travelling to the placement and the development training after the fellowship to ensure lessons learned can be disseminated widely.
Much more detailed information on the scheme can be found on our website:
https://www.absw.org.uk/pages/media-fellowships
Do get in touch if you would like to explore this opportunity further.
Sallie Robins
Science publicist