The IUCr Outreach and Education Fund

The IUCr Outreach and Education Fund has been established to enable the continuation of many of the initiatives successfully launched during the International Year of Crystallography in 2014 and to pursue the objectives stated in the declaration “Crystallography for the next generation”.

The main aims of the IUCr Outreach and Education programme are as follows:

• to continue to increase awareness of crystallography, its fundamental role in the different branches of science and its contribution to the global economy via events directed at the general public, the younger generation and the media;
• to build capacity in crystallography and related fields of science in the developing regions of the world, particularly in (but not limited to) Latin America, Africa and South East Asia, by promoting high-quality educational initiatives and developing research activities, including in collaboration with industry;
• to forge collaborations with governmental, scientific and educational institutions and organizations aimed at facilitating strategic projects for the development of crystallography in all parts of the world and for its inclusion in curricula for secondary- and tertiary-level education.

To support the IUCr Outreach and Education programme, please donate using the button below.

The IUCr Outreach and Education Fund will be used to support the following:

A. The IUCr–UNESCO OpenLab initiative
Such events will be sponsored within a limit of US $5000 for each OpenLab.

Expressions of interest in organizing an OpenLab should be sent to the IUCr Outreach Officer. An OpenLab can be held when two or more of the following conditions are fulfilled:

• there is a necessity and opportunity to develop crystallographic activities in the country concerned;
• there is a possibility of fostering intra-regional collaborations with neighbouring countries;
• there is interest from governmental, academic and/or other local institutions in sustaining the activities and collaborating with the IUCr and the relevant Regional Associate during and after the OpenLab;
• there is partnership with an industrial company.

B. Any event or activity other than OpenLabs aimed at pursuing the above main aims
Such events will be sponsored within a limit of US $2000.

Requests for IUCr sponsorship through the IUCr Outreach and Education Fund must be submitted to the IUCr Outreach Officer no later than 3 months before the event. Proposals must include the following:

• a description of the event, indicating the targeted audience and showing how the aims of the IUCr Outreach and Education programme will be achieved;
• the programme of the event and the memberships of its organizing and scientific committees;
• a provisional budget plan for the event and a declaration about any other funds already available for the project or submitted applications for other sponsorships;
• the amount of the contribution requested from the IUCr Outreach and Education Fund and how this is expected to be used – for example, to support young participants from outside the country hosting the event.

On acceptance of a proposal, designated IUCr logos must be included in all material related to the event and, if requested, a slot in the programme for a contribution from an IUCr delegate and/or a free IUCr booth to display IUCr publications must be made available. A best-poster/best-talk IUCr prize may also be awarded.

All requests will be evaluated by the Oversight Committee for the IUCr Outreach and Education Fund and decisions communicated in due course. After the event, proposers of funded projects will be required to submit the following:

• a report of the event, accompanied by photos, to be published in the IUCr Newsletter and on the IUCr and IYCr web sites;
• a final breakdown of costs. Organizers should return any unused grant to the IUCr Outreach and Education Fund in the form of a donation (www.iycr2014.org/legacy/legacy-fund), and thus continue to support this initiative;
• testimonials from participants from outside the host country if the IUCr Outreach and Education Fund has been used to support their travel expenses. In these testimonials, which should be added to the report, the participants should describe their experience, what they have achieved and how this will be exploited once they have returned to their own countries.

The IUCr Outreach and Education Fund is not intended to co-sponsor activities that are already covered by other IUCr sponsorship schemes, such as:

• meetings supported through the Meeting Support Committee;
• the Visiting Professorship scheme;
• the Crystallography in Africa initiative.