Community Groups
Below you will find answers to some of our most Frequently Asked Questions about Science Shop projects.
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What is The Science Shop?
The Science Shop is an initiative run jointly by Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU).
We work with community organisations who want research carried out and with students who need to complete a project as part of their degree, seeking to make a match between the two.
There is no fee associated with your involvement with the Science Shop. However, if students are likely to incur additional costs through carrying out the project, we may ask you to make a small contribution if necessary.
Why is it called The Science Shop?
The Science Shop isn't an actual shop, it originates from the original Dutch ‘wetenschapswinkel’ where science is translated as knowledge. We have retained the name because we are part of an international network of Science Shops based mainly in Universities and supported by the European Commission.
- Who can benefit from participating in a Science Shop Project?
Any community or voluntary sector organisation can use our services, we will help you and your organisation develop a research project based on the questions you have expressed.
We will guide you through the entire research process and help you to design your project.
Students who will be working on our projects will normally have had research training and will also have an academic supervisor from the university guiding and supervising their research.
Which university should I contact to discuss my research idea?
You can contact either Queen’s University Belfast or the Ulster University. Any information you give to one university is passed along to the other and a student may come through from either university to work on your project.
- Once I have expressed my interest in the Science Shop, what's next?
We are delighted you are are interested in collaborating with us!
If a student is interested in your project we will contact you. If you are happy to go ahead a meeting will be arranged between you, the student and one of our staff members.
At the meeting we will discuss the general scope of the project, what needs to be done, what methods will be used and how long it will take. If everyone reaches an agreement we will draw up an agreement between you and the student.
However, if either party feels at this stage that they don’t want to proceed, it is still possible to withdraw until the agreement is signed.
- When will the project be completed?
Once a project has been discussed it is placed on the Science Shop database, advertised and communicated to students across both universities. It is important that students choose a project that is meaningful to them and unfortunately it is not possible to guarantee that a student will take up your project within a given timescale.
For students who chose to complete a Science Shop project the completion date of a project will also vary depending on the student and the level of their degree i.e. undergraduate or masters.