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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 Group 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 Group. 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 (2021-22) can be found here.

The total income for the Science Media Centre for 2021-22 was £682,047. The upper limit for donations for 2022-23 is £35,000.

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

t: +44 (0)20 7611 8300

Email Address

 

 

Funders April 2021 – March 2022

£2,000 and under

Personal donations from one individual

 

£2,001 – £4,999

 

£5,000 – £9,999

 

£10,000 – £19,999

 

£20,000 – £30,000

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

 

Over £30,000

 

Previous Funders

  • AAAS and the magazine Science
  • Abbott Laboratories
  • Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
  • Airwave Solutions
  • Alcohol Research UK
  • Allied Domecq
  • Alzheimer’s Society
  • ARM Holdings Plc
  • Association for Science Education
  • Astellas
  • Baxter
  • Bayer Plc
  • 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
  • DMG Media, including Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, Metro and MailOnline
  • 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
  • EUK Consulting
  • European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP)
  • European Science Foundation (ESF)
  • ExxonMobil
  • Full Fact – from a Google grant
  • GE Healthcare
  • Government Office for Science (GO-S)
  • Horizon Nuclear Power
  • Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA)
  • Human Tissue Authority (HTA)
  • Illumina
  • Independent Climate Change Email Review
  • Innovate UK
  • InSPIre the Mind blog
  • Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST)
  • Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Techology (IMarEST)
  • Institute of Mental Health
  • Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM)
  • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN)
  • Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
  • Institution of Civil Engineers
  • Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers
  • Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
  • International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)
  • JH Ritblat Charitable Trust
  • John Wiley & Sons
  • Johnson and Johnson
  • Keele University
  • Kraft Foods Inc
  • L’Oreal UK
  • Lancaster University
  • Lever Faberge
  • Life Technologies
  • Marks & Spencer (M&S)
  • Marshall Bio
  • Marshall UK
  • 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)
  • Mobile UK
  • Monsanto UK Ltd
  • Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association
  • MQ: Transforming Mental Health
  • MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge
  • National Grid
  • National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
  • Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
  • New Scientist
  • News International Ltd
  • Northern Foods
  • Novartis
  • Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
  • Open University
  • Orsted UK Ltd
  • Oxitec Ltd
  • Parkinson’s Disease Society
  • Pfizer Limited
  • Philips UK
  • Pirbright Institute
  • Powderject
  • Proctor & Gamble (P&G)
  • QinetiQ
  • Queen’s University Belfast
  • Quintessa
  • Rathbones
  • RDS
  • Regenesys
  • Re-Solv
  • Rethink
  • Rotary Club of Milton Keynes Grand Union
  • Rothamsted Research
  • Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)
  • Royal College of Pathologists
  • Royal College of Physicians
  • Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)
  • Royal Pharmaceutical Society
  • Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Royal Society of Medicine
  • SAGE
  • Sanofi Pasteur MSD
  • Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
  • Science Council
  • Science Museum
  • Scottish Mental Health Research Network
  • Shell UK Limited
  • Siemens Plc
  • Simon Best
  • Smith & Nephew Plc
  • Society for General Microbiology (SGM)
  • Society for Radiological Protection (SRP)
  • Springer
  • Syngenta
  • Tate & Lyle Plc
  • Taylor and Francis
  • Tesco Limited
  • The Dow Chemical Company
  • The Drayson Foundation
  • The Marmot Review
  • The Naji Foundation
  • The Nuclear Institute
  • The Posen Foundation
  • The PR Works Ltd
  • The Times
  • Trinity Mirror Plc
  • UCB
  • UCB Pharma Ltd
  • UCL Institute of Health Equity
  • UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKPCI)
  • UK Energy Research Centre
  • Unilever UK
  • University of Bristol
  • University of Glasgow
  • University of Leicester
  • University of Sheffield
  • University of Strathclyde
  • University of Teesside
  • Urenco
  • Vodafone Group
  • Weizmann UK
  • Wi-Fi Alliance
  • World Health Organisation (WHO)
  • Wyeth

 

 

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