Applications for being part of the 2027 Great Exhibition Road Festival will open soon. Please get in touch with the Festival team at festival@imperial.ac.uk with any questions.

This is a copy of the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2027 proposal form, to allow you to preview the questions in advance of  

Download the questions in a Word document

Great Exhibition Road Festival 2027 Proposal form

Welcome to the proposal form for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, which returns on 19 and 20 June 2027.

This form is where ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ staff and students can submit their ideas to entertain, engage and educate our Festival visitors. So, whether you are proposing an exhibit, talk, workshop, live demo, performance or show, we welcome any suggestions that celebrate or open up dialogue around ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ research in creative and engaging ways.

We recommend everyone submitting a proposal should first read our It is your go-to resource for information on:      

  • Who comes to the Festival and our target audiences
  • The sort of content we are looking for
  • Roles and responsibilities and festival deadlines

Deadline for submissions is EOD Monday 2 November 2026 and we aim to confirm teams' participation and provide individual feedback on each proposal in January.

The form is made up of 30 questions, most of which are multiple choice or closed. We suggest working on a Word Document offline and then submitting via the online form once it is ready. Please note, any questions marked with an (*) are mandatory.

We want to be open to everyone, so please get in touch with us if you have any issues with this form, or would like assistance filling it in (festival@imperial.ac.uk).

If you want to take part in next year’s Festival but are not sure if your ideas will work or how to make them happen, we are hosting an online advice session. Here you can hear all about the Festival from its organisers, learn about the proposals process, and get feedback on your initial ideas and answers to any logistical questions you may have.

Online advice session – 13.30-15.00 on 20 October.

This session will be recorded and the recording shared afterwards  

If the above session (and this guidance document) still leaves you with questions, you can also book a one-to-one session with the Festival programming team on the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ website.

Regards,

The ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Public and Community Engagement Team

Lead Contact:

 

Lead contact email: 

 

Lead contact CID number: 

 

Lead contact mobile number:

 

Are you happy to share a number to contact you on over the Festival weekend? Your Zone Manager may add it to a WhatsApp group with other content leads in your Zone:

  • Yes
  • No

 

Additional contact (someone else who might be involved in the activity who we can contact just in case).

 

Additional contact email: 

 

Group, department, centre or institute:

 

Faculties are represented by your proposal:

 

Do you or your research group currently work with any community groups, organisations or charities in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, or Hammersmith and Fulham - or have you done so recently? We are keen to involve local communities in the Great Exhibition Road Festival, both as audiences and as partners in the programme. Understanding the relationships that participating ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ teams already have locally will help us identify opportunities to build on existing partnerships as part of next year's Festival. 

  • Yes (please specify the name of the group/organisation/charity)
  • No

 

Is the activity you are proposing based on research that has international partners? 

  • Yes
  • No

About your Festival idea

Working title of your festival activity (max 5 words, needs to be a public-friendly and fun title. Examples from the previous Festivals included 'Paint Drip Brains', 'Clean Green Zooming Machines', and 'Coral Constructors') 

 

What type of activity are you proposing to engage the public at the Festival (N.B. there is more information on what these types of activity mean and some examples in the Festival guidance document): 

  • Interactive Exhibit / Hands on demonstration
  • Installation / exhibition
  • Talk / Discussion panel
  • Creative workshop
  • Science show
  • Stage performance
  • Roaming performance
  • Other – Specify:

 (NB. multiple choice question - select one)

 

Please identify which audience group your activity is most suitable for. The Festival attracts a broad audience and taking part will mean you will engage with a range of audiences. But some areas of the Festival are dedicated to specific visitor groups.  (N.B. more information on audiences can be found in the proposals process guidance document) 

  • Parents/carers with young children (0 - 5)
  • Parents/carers with young children (6 - 12)
  • Young people (13 - 17)
  • Young people (18 - 25)
  • Adults (26+)

 

Which of these confirmed Festival zone(s) could your activity fit within? Please select all the options that you think could be suitable for your activity. This could be based on its subject or research area, the location (inside a building or within an outdoor marquee), the type of activity, or the audience it is designed for.   Your selections will help the Festival team allocate activities most appropriately. Please note you are submitting preferences rather choosing a location. This is not a guarantee of where your activity will be located.   Also the list is not exhaustive, and we expect to decide on additional themed areas for the 2027 Festival once we have reviewed the proposal - so don't worry if your activity doesn't fit into any of the options below

  • NextGen 
  • Adults Only
  • Eureka Zone
  • Family Fun Zone
  • Be a Scientist Zone
  • Exhibition Road
  • ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ College Road
  • No preference
  • My proposal is not relevant to any of these locations

(NB. multiple choice question - rank choices)

Which of these potential Festival zone(s) could your activity fit within?   Possible zones for 2027 - We are also considering a number of additional themed areas for next year's Festival

  • Happiness and Health Zone
  • Staying Connected Zone
  • Greener Futures Zone
  • Superbugs Zone
  • No preference
  • My proposal is not relevant to any of these locations

 (NB. multiple choice question - rank choices)

Please provide a brief overview of your broad research area and why it would be of interest to wider audiences (Please limit your response to max 150 words).

 

Why do you want to take part in the Festival? (Please limit your response to max 150 words)

 

What are you planning to do as your activity at the Festival? Please describe your proposed activity, including what visitors will see, experience and do. Where possible, tell us:   what you plan to display or demonstrate;   any materials, equipment or technology you expect to use and how these will be set up.  We welcome early-stage ideas and concepts as well as fully realised activities (there will be opportunities to develop your activity further with the Festival team if your proposal is selected). (Please limit your response to max 150 words)

 

Have you delivered this activity at a public event before? 

  • Yes (please list the event(s) here)
  • No

 

Do you have allocated funding for this activity? The majority of teams taking part in the Festival self-fund their activities. However, where sufficient funding is not currently available, the Festival team may be able to explore opportunities to support joint funding applications.

  • Yes
  • No

 

Will your proposed festival activity be contributing to ongoing or forthcoming research? For example, will you be collecting data for research purposes, gathering public feedback on a research project etc.

  • Yes
  • No

 

If yes, Do you consider your proposed Festival activity to include elements of participatory research? Meaning that the public can directly shape decisions in your research by taking part in your activity — not just hear about it or give feedback that may or may not be used.

We would welcome proposals that contribute to a more participatory culture around ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ research. Please select all that apply.

  • I will use citizen science or another participatory approach to data collection/analysis.
  • I will consult members of the public on my research analysis, findings, outputs, or innovations.
  • I will involve the public in prioritising research topics or questions.
  • I will collaborate with public partners on co-designing an activity, intervention, or innovation.
  • I will empower the public to make the final decisions about how research will take place.
  • Other
  • No (my Festival activity does not include elements of participatory research)

 

If you are using participatory approaches, please tell us more (e.g., what's the specific, still-open question or decision in your research that the public could actually weigh in on?). Please put N/A if this does not apply to your proposed activity

 

Do you think your proposed activity might require research ethics approval (I.e. are you collecting research data from the public/involving them in an active study)? If the answer to the below is yes, please bear in mind you will need to start conversations with ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Research Governance and Integrity team as soon as your involvement in the 2027 Festival is confirmed.

  • Yes, I am collecting public data for research purposes
  • No, I am not collecting data for research purposes
  • Not sure

 

Please indicate what equipment / resources you might need to run your activity: Each team delivering an interactive exhibit / hands on demonstration will be allocated a standard sized exhibit space made up of 1x 6ft trestle table and 2 metre by 4 metre floorspace. If you think your activity requires anything above this standard allocation, please detail it here and explain the reasons for a larger allocation. With regards to your power requirements, please give an idea of what items will need power, the required wattage and the number of individual sockets you think you will need. Other requirements you can request here include an enclosed area, a high ceiling, water supply, wall space, or hired in plasma screens (each requires a £300 contribution from your team’s budget).

 

Can you explain what steps you are taking to reduce the environmental impact of your Festival activity? The Great Exhibition Road Festival is making efforts to reduce its CO2 emissions to be as green as possible and is encouraging teams to reduce their own carbon footprint, as well as the amount of waste/rubbish they generate 

 

Can you explain what steps are you taking to make your Festival activity accessible to disabled visitors? The Great Exhibition Road Festival aims to provide an inclusive experience where everyone can participate and get something meaningful from engaging with our Festival teams. Please tell us how you are considering accessibility in the design and delivery of your activity, including any steps you are taking to remove or reduce potential barriers for disabled visitors / wheelchair users.

 

How many people do you estimate will be able to help you deliver your activities at the Festival? We are expecting the Festival to get busy at certain times over the weekend. And with two long and intense days of 6+ hours engaging the public, it is key that each activity is delivered by sufficient numbers of people. For a single exhibiting table of visual or interactive demonstration equipment we recommend planning for a minimum of 6-8 volunteers across the Festival weekend. 

 

Does your proposed Festival activity link to any upcoming academics papers or the launch of new facilities, labs or institutes that might provide a news hook for media coverage?

  • Yes
  • No

 

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