About Science Together

what is science together?

Now in its fifth year, Science Together has been connecting Oxfordshire's community groups with researchers from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University since 2021.

Science Together projects are community-led and have practical outcomes that benefit Oxfordshire people, while the collaborative process brings benefits to all project partners through knowledge exchange and skill development. 

Science Together projects can take any form, provided they are led by the needs of the community partner, are proportionate for the time-frame and funding available and enable mutually beneficial experiences to take place for all project team members. Each project team includes at least two community partner representatives, at least two university researchers and at least one university staff member with an interest in public engagement to foster dialogue and assist with project management and administration processes.

Researchers

We welcome researchers from any discipline and at any career stage from postgraduate study onwards, from both the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University.

You only need to be open to working in different ways with a community group in an equitable manner, valuing all forms of expertise as part of an exploratory programme where the outcomes are not pre-defined. You do not need to have previous experience in public or community engagement with research in order to participate - so get in touch now!

To read about the project objectives, see here 

To get in touch about joining the programme next year, please contact us at ScienceTogether@mpls.ox.ac.uk 

Community Partner projects 2025-26

Be Free Young Carers: Standing beside Oxfordshire’s young carers - Helping Oxfordshire’s young carers to be seen and supported

Daybreak Oxford: Daybreak community economic impact study 

Emmaus Oxford: Developing a carbon calculator for second hand goods in order to quantify environmental impact - Translating reuse into measurable outcomes for shoppers and funders  

Green Arts Oxfordshire Network: Building an energy culture consortium - Exploring opportunities for energy efficiency, generation and habitat creation through collective future-proofing measures for Oxfordshire's arts and culture buildings 

Jacari: Learning from Jacari’s young voices - Strengthening the exchange of knowledge between Jacari and the children and young people they work with in order to help Jacari pupils fulfil their potential.

MuMo Creative: Steps of joy in Oxford – celebrating movement and music with people living with dementia - Developing a pilot ‘Dance for dementia’ programme to find out how dance benefits participants. 

Refugee Education UK: Evidencing impact of our Orientation Programme - Evaluating Refugee Education UK’s Orientation Programme for asylum-seeking unaccompanied children.

Yellow Submarine: Eating well living well - Supporting members in good diet decisions 

Funding

Each Science Together team is given a budget to develop and deliver their collaborative project, and funding is included to cover community partner staff time. All programme costs are covered, so participation in the programme is free for researchers and facilitators, who volunteer their time to support the implementation of the project they are part of. Regular training, networking, social events and communications are provided for everyone.

The programme requires an ongoing commitment from all participants of around 10 months. The amount of time offered by university researchers and facilitators can be agreed with the relevant community partner and project team, but as a guide we anticipate approximately a couple of hours per week (on average).

Contact information

For any queries please contact the team at ScienceTogether@mpls.ox.ac.uk