Partnering today to power tomorrow – the benefits of festival sponsorship
The highest number of sponsors ever secured for a British Science Festival (BSF) has been achieved by University colleagues who are organising this year’s event in Southampton.
Sponsorship is a key element of the BSF, it supports the recovery of some of the investment made into hosting the Festival, provides opportunities to strengthen relationships with existing partners and can lead to deeper collaborations on research, knowledge exchange and teaching, as well as shared regional goals.
Ben Littlefield, Head of Public Engagement, Research & Innovation Services says:
“This is a remarkable achievement for this year’s BSF and a credit to all the colleagues and teams across the University, including Business and Partnerships, Estates and Facilities, ODAR, Enterprise, and IP Contracts, PERu and many others who have put considerable effort into securing sponsorship for the Festival. Their efforts will achieve impacts that go far beyond financial support and which represent the strong relationships and collaborations held across the University.”
“As well as making the Festival possible, sponsors actively participate through their own activities, such as the ‘The Ordnance Survey vernacular map of Southampton’ or the ‘Inspire Change – Photography Competition with Willmott Dixon’ which provide exciting opportunities to discover and engage with shared priorities on sustainability or social impact.”
Meet our sponsors
Eleven sponsors have been secured for the 2026 British Science Festival including one in-kind partnership and two additional partnership arrangements with Southampton City Council and travel partner Go South Coast. Explore this page for more details on who our Festival partners are.
Why are they supporting the festival?
Most of our sponsors are established industry partners already working with the University across construction, project management, education and technological innovation. They share an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics careers and supporting people in building positive relationships with these fields. Crucially they share the Festival’s primary aim of making science more relevant and reflective of society.
A lasting legacy
None of these relationships are being considered as ‘one-off’ and the next steps and legacy of the support and trust built through the British Science Festival is being explored in areas such as regional approaches to vocational training or deeper collaborations on sustainability. Colleagues interested in finding out more and potentially exploring their own collaborations are encouraged to explore the British Science Festival Programme, and attend activities led by sponsors on the 16th and 17th of September in Building 100, Highfield Campus.
As well as these stronger relationships, the very process of managing and securing these sponsors has enhanced the institution’s ability to secure support in this manner, developing a more coordinated and effective approach that will benefit staff, partners and future programmes.
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