1. Who can apply?

The Festival of Postgraduate Research is open to research postgraduates across all academic disciplines at the University of Leicester, and at any stage of the research degree.

2. What do I have to do?

If selected, you must create a poster that explains your research to a mixed audience of non-subject specialists.  Your poster and your oral presentation of the poster, will be judged at the event by a panel who will not be experts in the same field as you.  The judging panel will be made up of a range of people from both the private and public sectors.  Prizes will be awarded in a number of categories.

3. Why is it important that I can communicate my research to people outside of my field?

Regardless of your area of research, you will need to be able to communicate your findings to other people, e.g. via peer reviewed articles, meetings and grant proposals.  Posters are a major and growing method of presenting your work, and the best way to learn how to prepare and present them is practice.

4. What does my poster have to look like?

Posters should be entirely the student’s own work, irrespective of research collaborations, A1 (594 x 841 mm) in size, and can be either landscape or portrait in orientation. An archive of previous posters is available to look at in the Past Festivals section of this site.

5. Invited guests and external organisations

External organisations, interest groups and companies will be invited to attend the event and view your poster.  As part of the publicity campaign for the Festival, invitation letters will be sent out to the companies and organisations on the Careers Service database.  If someone sees your work and likes it, who knows where it might lead?

In addition, you have the opportunity to nominate up to three key individuals whom you would like to be invited to the Festival as part of this promotion.  Invitations can only be sent if you have provided full contact details.

Should you be accepted to take part in the Festival, you will be encouraged to send out further, personalised invitation letters to any individuals, companies and organisations that might be interested in you or your research.  The Festival of Postgraduate Research is free for interested parties, companies and organisations to attend, and you may invite as many people as you wish.  .

6. Training

Everyone who is selected to take part in the Festival of Postgraduate Research is expected to attend a one day training event on Presenting Research to Different Audiences.  The training will run from 9.30am – 5.00pm and lunch will be provided.  There are two alternative dates: Friday March 18 2011 and Monday 28 March 2011.  If you should be unable to attend either of these, you may still apply for the Festival and we will discuss other training arrangements with you.

7.  Closing Date

The deadline for applications is 5.00pm Friday 25 February 2011.  Applications will not be accepted after this time.

8. How will the applications be assessed.

Please note that applications will be assessed on their merit by the Research Training Team, with advice from academic departments. The whole of your application form will be examined with particular attention being paid to

• the brief abstract of your PhD
• your proposed poster title
• the field entitled 'your research and the public'

We regret that applications received after 25 February cannot be considered.

9. Deposit

The Festival of Postgraduate Research is free to enter for all postgraduate researchers.  However, as competition for places is expected to be strong, successful applicants will be required to deposit a cheque for £50 to secure their place at the Festival.  The cheque will only be cashed if the presenter fails to attend the Festival without a reasonable explanation. 

10. Further information

Should you require any further information about the Festival of Postgraduate Research, please contact us via pgevents@le.ac.uk or call 0116 252 1889