Funding is available for projects that enhance the student experience and where students and staff work in partnership throughout.
The priorities for this year’s projects are:
- Wellbeing, mental health, cost of living and student accommodation
- Transforming curriculum
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
There are 18 successfully funded projects for 2024-25, which are now underway.
The range of activities include a project that will create a student guide on how to thrive at Edinburgh University, while another will seek to address the challenges faced by Women of Colour in the Institute of Geography. You can read all about the aims of each of the exciting projects funded this year:
2024-25 Overview of SPA funded projects
Emma Clifton, Teaching Fellow at Edinburgh College of Art, is working with Mal James, Personal Chair and Emily Lee, ECA student, on an innovative project to improve student engagement with mandatory mid-course feedback and the National Student Survey, by simply offering free food.
Emma said:
“We are thrilled to have secured funding for our FEEDback project, which will enable us to provide pizza at our sessions—a central element of the initiative. The name ‘FEEDback’ reflects both the act of students providing feedback and the provision of food during the process.
“By setting aside dedicated time for students to focus on feedback and compensating them with lunch, we aim to create a welcoming and engaging environment. Coupled with a visual and interactive approach to gathering feedback, this initiative seeks to maximise participation and ensure we capture diverse and meaningful insights from our student community.”
Student Mahsa Shahbandian, who is originally from Iran, and University Chaplain Rev Dr Harriet Harris are working on a project called Unity in Diversity. This project, in collaboration with Edinburgh Futures Institute, the Students’ Association and a wide community of students from different ethnic backgrounds, will host an event to celebrate the Persian New Year. This event will focus on fostering cross-cultural connections and interfaith dialogue by uniting various ethnic and religious communities to promote diversity, inclusion and community engagement.
Harriet and Mahsa said:
“Nowruz, or Nuruz, is celebrated in parts of China, India, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and many neighbouring countries, encompassing more than 300 million people across the world. Our purpose is to celebrate unity in diversity. Nuruz celebrates inclusiveness, peace, togetherness, sharing the good news of the spring coming. It falls on the first day of the new year on the Khoshidi (Solar) Calendar.
“Our celebration will include traditional Persian music, sweets and cultural activities, including egg painting.”
The event will take place on the evening of 20 March so keep an eye on Eventbrite for booking, or get in touch with Harriet or Mahsa:
Eventbrite: Discover Edinburgh University Events & Activities
Bulletin will hear more from these teams and some of the other projects as more of their work gets underway this Semester.
The funding for 2024-25 has now closed but we will announce details for next year in late August before the October 2025 deadline.
Student Partnership Agreement Small Project funding
