select search filters
briefings
roundups & rapid reactions
factsheets & briefing notes
before the headlines
Fiona fox's blog

funding

The Science Media Centre’s funding model is designed to reflect its position as an independent press office that is not linked to specific institutional interests. As such the Centre seeks donations from a wide variety of organisations with an interest in the accurate reporting of science in the mass media, including scientific institutions, science-based companies, charities, media organisations and government. See below for the list of funders.

The Centre is independent from its funders who do not gain influence over the SMC’s work in return for their financial support. To protect the Centre from any undue influence the SMC caps donations from any one institution at 5% of annual income. The SMC’s Trustees and Advisory Committee have agreed on a small number of exceptions to the 5% upper limit on donations. These exceptions are large trusts and government departments like Wellcome and BEIS.

The aggregate of public money from government and government funded bodies can also exceed 5%. This allows the SMC to accept funds from different science based departments in central government, from research councils and from arm’s length organisations. In addition to core funding the Centre also accepts support from some funders for specific projects.

A copy of our annual report and accounts can be found here.

The total income for the Science Media Centre for 2015-16 was £576,335.  The upper limit for donations for 2016-17 is £30,000.

If you would like to support the SMC please contact us on:

 

t: +44 (0)20 7611 8300

Email Address

 

Breakdown of SMC funding 2016-17

 

 

 

Current Funders

(To date: January 2018)

£2,000 and under

 

£2,001 – £4,999

 

£5,000 – £9,999

 

£10,000 – £19,999

 

£20,000 – £30,000

 

Over £30,000

 

Previous Funders

  • AAAS and the magazine Science
  • Airwave Solutions
  • Alcohol Research UK
  • Allied Domecq
  • ARM Holdings Plc
  • Association for Science Education
  • BASF Plc
  • Baxter
  • BBC Worldwide
  • Beeson Gregory
  • Boeing
  • Boots UK Ltd
  • British Computer Society (BCS)
  • British Embassy in Washington
  • British Energy Plc
  • British Geological Survey (BGS)
  • British In Vitro Diagnostics Association
  • British Land Plc
  • British Neuroscience Association
  • British Psychological Society (BPS)
  • British Transplantation Society Council
  • Cadbury Plc
  • Charlie Waller Memorial Trust
  • Chilled Food Association (CFA)
  • Chiron Vaccines
  • CNAP Artemisia Research Project
  • Coalition for Medical Progress (CMP)
  • Coca-Cola
  • Colgate-Palmolive
  • Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European Union (CIAA)
  • Conoco (UK) Ltd
  • Conoco-Phillips
  • Co-operative Group (CWS) Limited
  • Copus
  • Daily Express
  • Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
  • Diamond Light Source
  • Dixons Group Plc
  • The Dow Chemical Company
  • The Drayson Foundation
  • Du Pont (UK) Ltd
  • Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
  • EDF Energy
  • Eli Lilly & Company
  • Emergent Biosolutions Inc
  • EnergySolutions
  • Engineering UK
  • Environment Agency
  • European Science Foundation (ESF)
  • ExxonMobil
  • EUK Consulting
  • The Government Office for Science (GO-S)
  • Human Tissue Authority (HTA)
  • International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)
  • Independent Climate Change Email Review
  • Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST)
  • Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Techology (IMarEST)
  • Institution of Civil Engineers
  • Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
  • Institute of Mental Health
  • JH Ritblat Charitable Trust
  • Kraft Foods Inc
  • Lever Faberge
  • Life Technologies
  • L’Oreal UK
  • The Marmot Review
  • Mental Health Foundation
  • Mental Health Research Network
  • Mental Health Research Network Cymru
  • Merlin Biosciences
  • Mobile Manufacturers Forum
  • Mobile Operators Association (MOA)
  • Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association
  • Monsanto UK Ltd
  • National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
  • National Grid
  • Nature
  • New Scientist
  • News International Ltd
  • Northern Foods
  • Novartis
  • The Nuclear Institute
  • Parkinson’s Disease Society
  • Pfizer Limited
  • Philips UK
  • The Physiological Society
  • The Posen Foundation
  • Powderject
  • QinetiQ
  • Queen’s University Belfast
  • Queen Mary, University of London
  • Quintessa
  • Rathbones
  • RDS
  • Re-Solv
  • Regenesys
  • Rethink
  • Rothamsted Research
  • Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)
  • Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)
  • Royal College of Pathologists
  • Royal College of Physicians
  • Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Royal Society of Medicine
  • SAGE
  • Sanofi
  • Sanofi Pasteur MSD
  • Science Council
  • Scottish Mental Health Research Network
  • Shell UK Limited
  • Siemens Plc
  • Simon Best
  • Smith & Nephew Plc
  • Springer
  • Syngenta
  • Tate & Lyle Plc
  • Tesco Limited
  • Trinity Mirror Plc
  • UCB
  • UCL Institute of Health Equity
  • UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKPCI)
  • UK Energy Research Centre
  • Unilever UK
  • University of Portsmouth
  • University of Teesside
  • Urenco
  • Vodafone Group
  • Weizmann UK
  • Wi-Fi Alliance
  • World Health Organisation (WHO)
  • Wyeth

in this section