Museum of Science and Industry

Beacons for Public Engagement

The Manchester Beacon for Public Engagement is part of ‘The Beacons for Public Engagement’ initiative launched in January 2008, which is at the forefront of efforts to bring about a substantial change in the culture of universities by motivating, assisting and rewarding staff and students to enthusiastically reach out, listen to and engage with the public. It is a 4-year project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Research Councils UK (RCUK), the Wellcome Trust and, in the case of the Manchester Beacon, the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The Manchester Beacon

The Manchester Beacon is an exciting partnership combining the complementary interests and expertise of three higher education institutions, The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, with the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) and Manchester: Knowledge Capital. The aim of the Beacon is to engage partners and stakeholders (specifically staff, students and local residents) to help design and deliver a successful programme that ensures that public engagement (PE) becomes a two-way process and is valued as part of everyday university life.

Manchester Beacon’s Objectives

Five objectives were established and agreed by relevant stakeholders to reflect the multiple perspectives of the partners and stakeholders:

Objective 1: Public Engagement is encouraged and supported

Objective 2: Change perceptions towards public engagement and improve accessibility to universities/community groups

Objective 3: Increasing the institution activity of research and connectivity with communities

Objective 4: Improve the opportunities for sustainable two-way learning

Objective 5: Develop deeper partnership working across the Universities, cultural organisations and the community

If you require any further information about the Manchester Beacon please contact Antonio Benitez, Beacon Development Officer a.benitez@mosi.org.uk 0161 606 0109.