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funding

The Science Media Centre’s funding model is designed to reflect its position as an independent press office that is not linked to any specific institution or institutional agenda.  As such the Centre seeks donations from a wide variety of organisations with an interest in the accurate reporting of science in the media. We have over 100 funders including scientific bodies, science-based companies, science publishers, universities, patient research charities, media organisations, research funders and government. See below for the list.

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 contributions from any one institution at 5% of prior year income. The SMC’s Trustees and Advisory Committee have agreed on two exceptions to the 5% upper limit: the Wellcome Trust and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI’s contribution is over the 5% cap as this represents the consolidated amounts from several Research Councils which is now paid via the umbrella organisation set up in 2019.

A central principle of the SMC’s funding model is the clear separation between funding and editorial decisions on our content. All decisions about which media stories the Centre responds to, which new scientific findings we seek third party comments on, and which press briefings we run, are made entirely in line with our charitable objectives around improving the public understanding of science by making it easier for the news media to access the best scientific expertise. Our decisions on strategy and focus are made by the senior management team with regular oversight from our Board of Trustees and our Advisory Committee. It is made clear to every organisation funding the Centre that they get no influence over our editorial decisions in return for a donation.

A copy of our annual report and accounts (2020-21) can be found here.

The total income for the Science Media Centre for 2020-21 was £722,170. The upper limit for donations for 2021-22 is £35,000.

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

t: +44 (0)20 7611 8300

Email Address

 

New funders

 

Funders April 2020 – March 2021

£2,000 and under

Personal donations from 6 individuals, each donation not exceeding £2,000

 

£2,001 – £4,999

Grant from Global SMC Initiative (wholly-owned subsidiary of AusSMC) for COVID-19 Vaccine Media Hub project

 

£5,000 – £9,999

 

£10,000 – £19,999

 

£20,000 – £30,000

 

* Full Fact were given a block grant from Google to distribute around Europe. Full Fact made the decision to give money to SMC, but the money was sourced from Google.

 

Over £30,000

 

 

Previous Funders

  • AAAS and the magazine Science
  • Abbott Laboratories
  • Airwave Solutions
  • Alcohol Research UK
  • Allied Domecq
  • ARM Holdings Plc
  • Association for Science Education
  • Astellas
  • Baxter
  • BBC Worldwide
  • Beeson Gregory
  • Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
  • BNP Paribas Foundation
  • 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 Retail Consortium
  • British Transplantation Society Council
  • Cadbury Plc
  • Cardiff University
  • Celgene
  • 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
  • Corteva Agriscience
  • CropLife International
  • Daily Express
  • Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
  • Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
  • Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
  • 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 & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
  • Engineering UK
  • Envigo
  • Environment Agency
  • European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP)
  • European Science Foundation (ESF)
  • ExxonMobil
  • EUK Consulting
  • Government Office for Science (GO-S)
  • Horizon Nuclear Power
  • Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA)
  • Human Tissue Authority (HTA)
  • Illumina
  • International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)
  • Independent Climate Change Email Review
  • Innovate UK
  • Institution of Civil Engineers
  • Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST)
  • Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Techology (IMarEST)
  • Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
  • Institute of Mental Health
  • JH Ritblat Charitable Trust
  • Johnson and Johnson
  • Keele University
  • Kraft Foods Inc
  • Lancaster University
  • Lever Faberge
  • Life Technologies
  • L’Oreal UK
  • Marks & Spencer (M&S)
  • The Marmot Review
  • Marshall UK
  • Marshall Bio
  • Maudsley Charity
  • McPin Foundation
  • Medical Research Council
  • Mental Health Foundation
  • Mental Health Research Network
  • Mental Health Research Network Cymru
  • Mental Health Research UK (MHRUK)
  • Merlin Biosciences
  • Mobile Manufacturers Forum
  • Mobile Operators Association (MOA)
  • Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association
  • Monsanto UK Ltd
  • MQ: Transforming Mental Health
  • Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
  • The Naji Foundation
  • National Grid
  • National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
  • New Scientist
  • News International Ltd
  • Northern Foods
  • Novartis
  • Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
  • The Nuclear Institute
  • Open University
  • Orsted UK Ltd
  • Oxitec Ltd
  • Parkinson’s Disease Society
  • Pfizer Limited
  • Philips UK
  • The Posen Foundation
  • Powderject
  • QinetiQ
  • Queen’s University Belfast
  • Quintessa
  • Rathbones
  • RDS
  • Re-Solv
  • Regenesys
  • Rethink
  • Rotary Club of Milton Keynes Grand Union
  • Rothamsted Research
  • Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)
  • Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)
  • Royal College of Pathologists
  • Royal Pharmaceutical Society
  • Royal College of Physicians
  • Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Royal Society of Medicine
  • SAGE
  • Sanofi Pasteur MSD
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
  • Science Council
  • Scottish Mental Health Research Network
  • Shell UK Limited
  • Siemens Plc
  • Simon Best
  • Smith & Nephew Plc
  • Society for General Microbiology (SGM)
  • Springer
  • Syngenta
  • Tate & Lyle Plc
  • Tesco Limited
  • The PR Works Ltd
  • Trinity Mirror Plc
  • UCB
  • UCL Institute of Health Equity
  • UK Energy Research Centre
  • Unilever UK
  • University of Strathclyde
  • University of Teesside
  • Urenco
  • Vodafone Group
  • Weizmann UK
  • Wi-Fi Alliance
  • World Health Organisation (WHO)
  • Wyeth

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