Category Archives: Funding opportunities

CEMP Research & Innovation Cluster: New Bulletin & Agenda

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities, PG research by jmcdougall

The updated CEMP R&I funding bulletin & cluster meeting agenda is here: CEMP Cluster bulletin and agenda 24.5.13

The meeting is on Friday 24th May from 1-3 in the CEMP office with the following two elements:

‘Thinktank’ discussion of reading 1 – 1.40          

Funding review and monitoring 1.40 – 3

All are welcome to attend either or both. If you see a funding opportunity in the bulletin that appeals for a collaboration with CEMP, but cannot attend the meeting, please email Julian McDougall.

The reading for the ‘Think-tank’ is provided this time by Pete Fraser.  It is ‘Making sense of young people, education and digital technology: the role of sociological theory‘ by Neil Selwyn and it’s here:  Neil Selwyn Making Sense

 

 

“More than half of academics are either not aware of their university’s knowledge transfer services, or do not use them…..” – Are YOU in that half?

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities by lrossiter

Surprising figures of only 43% of academics recently surveyed were aware of their university’s knowledge exchange services!

Approximately, 22,000 academics were questioned in a recent survey which was carried out by the Centre for Business Research and the UK- Innovation Research Centre, and published in a report titled The Dual Funding Structure for Research in the UK.

The report also showed that 80% of external organisations contact academics directly, which means that if you are not in contact with your Knowledge Exchange Officer – you may be missing out on further knowledge engagement with the organisations you are already in touch with!  There are a number of funded knowledge engagement schemes available for organisations to tap into, such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and Innovation Vouchers.  To find out more on these schemes please contact your Knowledge Engagement Officer – Lucy Rossiter.

Please do take advantage of the support on offer from your KE Officer.  Additionally, there is a lot to gain from touching base with them…. If they know a bit more about what you do, in turn it will help them direct any relevant business engagement KE opportunities your way…….

Grants Academy – June grant writing workshop: only a few spaces left !

Posted in Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, Funding opportunities, Grants Academy, Training by Dianne Goodman

We are holding an additional Grants Academy,  2 Day Grant Writing Workshop in June with Martin Pickard on the:

Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th of June 2013

However on this workshop we have only a few spaces left and these are available on a first come basis so we urge you to act fast if you wish to secure a space.

By clicking on the Grants Academy page on the Research Blog you can find further details about the Grants Academy, what assistance is available to you and the expectations from you going forward.

Please note: if you would like to attend we will need you to bring a draft proposal you are currently working on. Please also be aware as a member of the Grants Academy you will be required to work on a proposal after the session, using the resources available to Grants Academy members, and to submit this proposal for external funding within six months of completing the training programme.  Membership of the Academy is for a maximum of 18 months during which time you will be expected to have submitted a minimum of three external bids.

If you would like a place on this workshop please email me (Dianne Goodman) and confirm you are able to bring a proposal. Please also forward an email from your line manager supporting your membership of the Grants Academy. We look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Research Professional

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities by Jo Garrad

Every BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. To really make the most of your Research Professional account, you should tailor it further by establishing additional alerts based on your specific area of expertise.

Research Professional have created several guides to help introduce users to ResearchProfessional. These can be downloaded here.

Quick Start Guide: Explains to users their first steps with the website, from creating an account to searching for content and setting up email alerts, all in the space of a single page.

User Guide: More detailed information covering all the key aspects of using ResearchProfessional.

Administrator Guide: A detailed description of the administrator functionality.

In addition to the above, there are a set of 2-3 minute videos online, designed to take a user through all the key features of ResearchProfessional.  To access the videos, please use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/researchprofessional

Research Professional are running a series of online training broadcasts aimed at introducing users to the basics of creating and configuring their accounts on ResearchProfessional.  They are holding monthly sessions, covering everything you need to get started with ResearchProfessional.  The broadcast sessions will run for no more than 60 minutes, with the opportunity to ask questions via text chat.  Each session will cover:

  • Self registration and logging in
  • Building searches
  • Setting personalised alerts
  • Saving and bookmarking items
  • Subscribing to news alerts
  • Configuring your personal profile

Each session will run between 10.00am and 11.00am (UK) on the fourth Tuesday of each month.  You can register here for your preferred date:

28th May 2013: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/806064201

25th June 2013: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/492839664

23rd July 2013: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/771246561

27th August 2013: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/398714217

24th September 2013: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/882372120

These are free and comprehensive training sessions and so this is a good opportunity to get to grips with how Research Professional can work for you.

Successful knowledge engagement events encourage more businesses to work with BU!

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities by lrossiter

There are a variety of funded initiatives on offer to help businesses develop and grow, but many are not aware of these offers, or just how much BU can help them with their development.

This is why we felt it was important to organise the recent KTP and SMART award events, to help promote and encourage businesses to take advantage of the expertise BU has to offer.

Both events were well attended by businesses and academics wanting to find out more on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, SMART Awards and Innovation Vouchers.  The feedback was extremely positive from all those who attended, and as a result a number of meetings have been arranged with businesses who are keen to discuss how BU can help them develop!

It was fantastic to receive such positive feedback; one business owner was particularly impressed and commented:

“I go to quite a few so called “Business Events” that serve little purpose, so I approached today’s event at BU a little circumspect.  Now I can say that this morning I have attended the best business focused event in my recent experience.  Extremely informative, very professionally managed and a great breakfast.  A big thank you for showing the way that Academia and business can and should complement each other.”

 Roger Allen  – Managing Director, Zeta Commerce Ltd

 

Should you wish to find out more on how businesses can benefit from any of the funded initiatives spoken about at the events, please contact Lucy Rossiter, email or call  01202 961215.

Yawning in France

Posted in Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, Culture & Society, EU, Funding opportunities, Health, Health, Wellbeing & Ageing, Post-award, Psychology, Research news, Uncategorized, Wellbeing and Ageing by Simon Thompson

My recent visit to Paris via the Erasmus Teaching Mobility scheme has been most useful, not only as it continues to strengthen the links I have made with like-minded researchers and clinicians, but also because it exposes you to raw student talent. This is important to help you keep up to date with current views and research with the assistance of an eager and interrogative French audience! Such visits are quite intellectually challenging, partly because my level of French is constantly under scrutiny! The collaborative research links I have made are invaluable and I hope to submit some reasrch bids in the area of Multiple Sclerosis and yawning soon.

European Science Foundation and Global Changes in the Marine Environment

Posted in BU research, Environmental Change & Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences, EU, Featured, Featured academics, Funding opportunities, R & KE Operations, Research news, Uncategorized by ppalma

I was very proud to have been invited by the Institute of Marine Sciences – National Research Council (ISMAR-CNR) in Venice who developed on the European Science Foundation Platform, the Exploratory Workshop:  Marine woodborers: New Frontiers for European Waters. And I have to say that that was one of the most exciting research opportunities I have taken part of in the recent past.

The European Science Foundation (ESF) was established in 1974 to provide a common platform for its Member Organisations to advance European research collaboration and explore new directions for research. Currently it is an independent organisation, owned by 67 Member Organisations, which are research funding organisations, research performing organisations and academies from 29 countries.

The focus of the Exploratory Workshops scheme is on workshops aiming to explore an emerging and/or innovative field of research or research infrastructure, also of interdisciplinary character. Workshops are expected to open up new directions in research or new domains. It is expected that a workshop shall conclude with plans for follow-up research activities and/or collaborative actions or other specific outputs at international level.

The organisers, namely Davide Tagliapietra, Erica Keppel and Marco Sigovini – all from the ISMAR-CNR- did an amazing job in organising this much needed research group and by planning an excellent working programme.

The topic, centred on Marine woodborers is of utmost important as these organisms are a threat to maritime structure and archaeological heritage. Recently, an increase in attack and a northward spread has been reported. Despite the ecological, economical and cultural importance, research on this subject is carried out by few scientists scattered across Europe. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to reach a synthesis of knowledge and a deeper understanding of the causal factors. The main outcome of the workshop is the establishment of a research network aiming to coordinate scientists with an European perspective and a global view. Through the establishment of such a network, new theoretical and technical developments could be achieved.

The agenda of the workshop was to focus on:

1) bringing together experts in complementary fields that have hitherto not collaborated as a group;

2) identifying additional research competences that are not covered within the group of participants;

3) identifying, exchanging and sharing research interests for future joint leading research projects and developing an application strategies;

4) the establishment of an international network on marine woodborers.

Despite the subject ([wood-]‘boring’ organisms), there wasn’t a single dull moment. It was very exciting to spent a considerable amount of time with international peers coming from as far as Colombia and discussing the problems surrounding these particular organisms.

All sessions were extremely interesting and productive and I totally enjoyed chairing one of them in the Knowledge Café, with my hat of maritime archaeologist whose research interest based also based on marine organisms and global changes, but I am also one of few who combines degradation and protection of the cultural heritage and marine science. The Knowledge Café focussed on Systematics and biogeography, Marine woodborer-microorganism interactions, Protection of shipwrecks and maritime structures. Each group discussed weaknesses: Problems, constrains and bottlenecks, Strengths: Opportunities, synergies, and Perspectives: Solutions, actions and recommendations.

19 international peers attended, which was by invitation only, this amazing opportunity, some of which were old friends and some of which have become reference points for my current and future research on wood borers.

All with the amazing architectural beauties of a tiny Venetian island just in front of one of the world most famous squares: San Marco square!

Paola Palma 

Fusion Investment Fund application deadlines

Posted in Funding opportunities, Fusion, Research news by nbaines

Application deadlines for the Fusion Investment Fund have been confirmed as 1 July and 1 December. The next call for applications will soon be launched. It provides fantastic opportunities for you to grow as a researcher, an educator and practitioner and there are many options for you to choose from, depending on your needs. Please keep checking the blog for details.

 

FIF Staff Mobility and Networking award helping me fly

Posted in BU research, Environmental Change & Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences, Funding opportunities, Fusion by lesteves

Early in January I received the good news that my application to the Fusion Investment Fund SMN strand was successful. What a great way to start the New Year!

The main aim of my FIF SMN project is to consolidate newly developed partnerships with European and non-European researchers and stakeholders. Planned activities include visits to colleagues who were involved in the development of the research proposal “Living with Extreme Events at the Coast” (LEEC), submitted to the EU FP7 call on Environment (Challenge 6.4 Protecting citizens from environmental hazards). LEEC successfully passed stage 1 and we are now waiting for the outcome of stage 2, so keep your fingers crossed.

As my FIF SMN proposal builds from LEEC, I decided to call it “Living with Extreme Events at the Coast Grant Development” (LEEC GraDe). Not very creative, but it reflects well the main objective, which is to explore opportunities for collaborative research in topics related to LEEC. LEEC aims to better understand how extreme storms and climate change in coastal areas will affect flood risk and impact on society, infrastructure, economic activities and the natural environment throughout the 21th century.

Besides, the development of collaborative research proposals, I will also be exploring opportunities for enhancing students’ experience, e.g. through work placements. By the time I submitted the FIF SMN proposal, I had just taken the role of ApSci’s Academic Lead for Placements. In this role, one of my objectives is to increase the offer of research-based placements to our students. So I thought my networking visits would be a great opportunity to discuss with colleagues from organisations in Europe and abroad whether they are interested in offering to our students a research-based working experience. Many researchers systematically plan their fieldwork campaigns or dedicate larger proportion of their time to research in the summer, so a work placement can be mutually beneficial.

I so much believe in the benefits of this arrangement that I am offering two placements this summer to undergrad ApSci students. If you are interested in doing the same, please contact me.

LEEC partners are from 13 organisations spread across eight countries (Estonia, Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, UK, Mexico and Vietnam). The FIF SMN award will allow me to visit some of these organisations and engage in other networking opportunities. I will be very busy networking throughout 2013! Hopefully the effort will result in the submission of more collaborative research proposals and a number of arrangements made to enrich students’ experiences through placements or exchanges.

The first of my planned activities was to attend the 12th International Coastal Symposium (ICS) in Plymouth (http://ics2013.org/) earlier this month. This is the largest international conference focused on coastal research with over 500 participants, so a great venue to disseminate research results, to keep updated with research progress worldwide and to network! I was invited to be the convener of the Coastal Evolution and Geomorphology session, so worked very hard evaluating abstracts and full papers before the conference! I also presented a paper on the Coastal Management session, entitled “Is managed realignment a sustainable long-term coastal management approach?” You can find a copy of the paper on BRIAN.

ICS offered the opportunity to meet many ‘old’ friends and make new contacts worldwide, including from countries I had none before, such as Trinidad & Tobago and South Africa. I have already exchanged email with a few of the new (and old) contacts and there are very exciting prospects for future collaboration. I have discussed the preparation of a joint paper with a colleague from the University of Rostock (Germany), explored ways to collaborate with practitioners from a government agency in Trinidad & Tobago and I am already working on a proposal with colleagues from South Africa. The most immediate result from networking during ICS was the invitation to visit five different organisations in Mexico, which is planned to happen in June.

Networking is also about maximising the opportunities and I will be doing exactly that next month in Brazil. I was invited to give a keynote talk in the National Symposium of Coastal Vulnerability. As the hosts are taking me to Brazil, I will extend my stay and visit two universities using SMN funds. The plan is to start building a joint research proposal to submit to the Science without borders programme (funding source from Brazil) with the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and discuss exchange of postgraduate students and other opportunities with the Universidade do Vale do Itai.

Please watch this space for upcoming news!

Luciana Slomp Esteves (Lecturer in Physical Geography, ApSci)

CEMP Research & Innovation Cluster Bulletin & Agenda

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities by jmcdougall

  Here: CEMP Cluster bulletin and agenda 2.5.13  is the updated bulletin and the agenda for the next CEMP Research & Innovation cluster meeting.

The meeting is on Thursday 2nd May in the CEMP office, with the following timings:

‘Think-tank’ discussion of reading – 9.30 – 10.15

The reading for this has been provided by Michelle Cannon and is here:

design_educ_innovation_ecotones_pendleton_jullian[2]

Funding and projects review – 10.15 – 11.30

As always, Media School colleagues are very welcome indeed to join us for either or both of the above.

As always, people attending should review the bulletin before the meeting so we can spend time only discussing items people are interested in pursuing and should bring a laptop or tablet to access the bulletin electronically during the meeting.

For the ‘think-tank’ discussion, Michelle has offered the following information and suggested extract:

Pendleton-Jullian elaborates a metaphor that might be useful for visualising the terrain of media education. Scientifically speaking, the ecotone is an ecological zone where 2 unique ecosystems are juxtaposed; more precisely, it describes the overlap, a zone of transition and tension at the edges of 2 distinct ecologies eg. where the land meets water in an estuarine tidal area. Natural life forms in this changeable environment are highly biodiverse, adaptable and used to disturbance. She contrasts this hyper edge-activity with the relatively slower core activities of life forms on either side of the land/sea divide but recognises the interdependence of all three zones.

I suggest a reading of pages 25 – 45 (this doesn’t equate to 20 pages of pure text) where she details 2 intersecting continua: the vertical axis corresponding to modes of learning with Accreditation (or rather Assessment) at one end and Experimentation at the other; and on the horizontal axis – 20th Century Learning at one end and 21st Century Knowledge Creation on the other (see p. 32). Two lines are then drawn to demarcate an interstitial zone within the 2nd and 3rd quadrant that equates to the fertile ecotone. Relating this to practical media education, I’m interested in the strengths and limitations of this analogy and its capacity to frame the “seeding of a culture of innovation” and to envision the rhizomic (rhizomatic?) relations/mechanisms/”digital corridors”/elastic spin-offs that populate this dynamic space.

 

 

Don’t miss finding out how you can engage with KTPs and SMART awards…..

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities, Training by lrossiter

 

 

CALLNG ALL ACADEMICS WHO WISH TO ENGAGE WITH BUSINESSES!

Staff are invited to attend the:

 ‘Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) and SMART awards events’ 

 Both these schemes are UK-wide programmes funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

 

  •  KTP provides academics with opportunities for the practical application of their research. Importantly, they are an opportunity for academics to engage with the business community.
  •  SMART awards assist businesses to engage in research & development projects in areas such as science, engineering and technology, from which successful new products, processes and services can emerge. Whilst universities may not apply directly, they may act as a sub-contractor to an applicant.                      

  If you are interested in learning more about KTP and SMART awards, please come along to one of the following events:

 Event Dates:

 Friday 26th April         Breakfast Meeting   – Talbot Campus (KG103) -          8.30am – 10.30am

 ktpbreakfast2013.eventbrite.co.uk

 Tuesday 30th April         Executive Business Centre (7th Floor)     – Lansdowne –             6pm – 8pm

 ktpandsmart2013.eventbrite.co.uk 

(To book your place –  just go to the ‘Eventbrite link’ listed under each date.  There are only a limited number of spaces left, so please book asap to avoid missing out)

 

  • Local businesses are going to be invited to attend these sessions too, which will provide a valuable opportunity for academics to network and develop potential working relationships with them.

 

For further information, please contact Lucy Rossiter.

 

SOCIAD Project gains an FP7 Marie Curie CIG Award

Posted in Awarded & submitted bids, Funding opportunities, Research news, Uncategorized by Raian Ali

We have been recently awarded an EC FP7 Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (CIG) for a project entitled Social Adaptation: When Software Gives Users a Voice (SOCIAD). The project will provide engineering framework to develop software which will get users’ feedback at run-time and then use this feedback to adapt services and improve quality.

The total contribution of the EC is 100K Euros and the duration of the project is 4 years. Marie Curie CIG is a competitive grant. 912 proposals were submitted in our call which had the deadline of 18 September 2012 (read more..). Only 22% of the evaluated proposals have been selected for funding under this call.

The project team includes Dr. Raian Ali, Professor Keith Phalp, Associate Professor Jacqui Taylor and 3 existing PhD students and 2 new PhD students, the latter to start and be funded partially by this grant. The application for the first position is now open so please help us and circulate details of the post, so that we can attract excellent candidates:  http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AGH143/phd-studentship/

CIG could be particularly useful funding mechanism for researchers / lecturers who recently joined BU. The next deadline is 18 September 2013 (read more..). CIG applicants must be experienced researchers from any country in the world, with at least 4 years’ full-time research experience or a doctoral degree. CIG is meant to encourage Experienced Researchers to settle in / return to Europe. To apply, you must have been actively engaged in research, but you cannot have carried out your work in the country of your host organisation for more than twelve months over the last three years. Finally, you must have never benefitted from a European or an International Reintegration Grant (ERG or IRG) nor from a Career Integration Grant.

If you are interested in applying to this grant and / or would like to know more please let us know and we will be happy to share our experience with you.

Reminder – Marie Curie morning session 16/04/13 – Need a Fully Funded Research Fellow ??

Posted in EU, Funding opportunities, Grants Academy, Research news, Training by Dianne Goodman

 

The Prize

These schemes provide strong financial support for a Research Fellow in your department for a period of 12 – 24 months on any research topic.

The Catch

The Research Fellow must come from another European Country or International Base worldwide. It is joint application with you and the fellowship candidate – so they must be identified. (If the fellow is already in the UK they must have been working here for less than 1 year in the last 3.)

The Deadline

Deadline for application is August 2013 – but the forms are relatively easy & straight forward – although moderately time consuming. Fellowships will start in early 2014 but this start date could be extended to early 2015.

Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)                  Deadline  Mid August 2013

International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)       Deadline  Mid August 2013

Note: For people already at the University there is a similar outgoing international Fellowship scheme to enable research periods in other , non European, Labs and Research Centres.

These fellowships are prestigious and highly sought after, especially as they pay very well. There is a difference in emphasis between the two schemes but the overriding criteria is candidate, and host, excellence with respect to the justification of the project rationale. This is all derived from the candidates cv and thus please discuss initially with Martin Pickard who can advise on suitability and fit.

These fellowships are an excellent, and often overlooked, way to expand and compliment a research team. Initial advice is imperative as, again, project structure and rationale with respect to the candidate are very important in determining success and need to be argued and justified around the actual science and project.

Requirements.

One University (Host) and one applicant, of any nationality, other than from than the UK. (candidates may already be in the UK but must have spent less than 12 months of the past 36 in the UK)

The higher the quality of the cv, rated against age and experience, the more likelihood of funding success. Each prospective fellow can only apply for one fellowship but any host can have as many fellows as they want applying to work with the same PI.

The Grant

Typical project period – Minimum 12 months — Maximum 24 months

Fellow income: In excess of 80,000 Euro per year.

University Income: Minimum of 18,000 Euro per year.

Help Needed ??

If you have a research Fellow in Mind (or can find one through networking or your colleague links) the application will not take a lot of time – but a clearly defined and specific approach is required. Guidance notes will be available as well as direct one to one support from our proposal writing specialist Dr. Martin Pickard. 

To assist further we have also arranged a series of 2 morning information sessions. The next one and last one is due to be held on the Tuesday 16th of April 2013 - Lansdowne Campus

Information Session 1 –  09:00am – 10:00am

A Brief Introduction to the Marie Curie Fellowship Schemes – for those of general interest.  

In addition to the general European topic specific calls under the cooperation programme there are a number of explicit opportunities arising through other schemes – some of which are far more easily accessible and have the advantage of being open to literally any research idea/topic. Several of these arise through the People programme under the Marie Curie calls and this 40 minute plus Q&A information session seeks to highlight some of these opportunities and identify their pro’s and cons so that a clear strategy can be developed to avoid missing these significant, and relatively easy, opportunities.

Information Session 2 – 10:15am – 12:15pm

How to Approach and Structure your Marie Curie Fellowship Application -  for those possibly intending to submit a bid.

The structure of any bid (partner interactions, methodology synergy etc.) is critical to the success of an application and forward planning is a key element of winning proposals.

If you are thinking of applying this August this session will illustrate the basic approach requirements for success and show how to structure and present your research application in the correct form of “Brusselese”.  A brief, 2 hour, guide to the Marie Curie application process.

Please note: If you are already intending to submit a bid this August then Session 1 will provide very little additional information. Also Grants Academy members who have already attended our Grants Academy 2 Day Bid Writing Workshop will not need to attend Session 1 as this has already been covered in your workshop so we would recommend you book into and attend Session 2 only.

If these are a potential interest to you – don’t miss this exceptional opportunity. Please book in ASAP via Staff Development Booking Link to reserve your space as we anticipate these sessions will be very popular.

Fused Bones: bringing students and osteo-archaeology together

Posted in Funding opportunities, Fusion by nbaines

Archaeologists from the School of Applied Sciences have been awarded a Staff Mobility grant from the Fusion Investment Fund as part of the SMN Strand Santander Scholarships to develop a link with the Department of Archaeology at St Petersburg State University in Russia.

The aim of this proposal is to establish a collaborative, international project between BU and St Petersburg State University based on shared interests in the area of archaeology, with specific reference to osteoarchaeology. Building upon previous contacts established with Russian colleagues, the project that emerges from this proposal will aim to link students (from both SPSU and BU) and research-active staff (again from both institutions) in such a way that will allow student placements to be developed and funding identified and applied for that will support research and student participation.

Research into how people have used and treated domestic and wild animals over time has been one that the School of Applied Sciences has been pioneering for many years and will form the basis for this collaboration. This includes how people regarded animals within a cultural context as well as how human impact has affected animal populations (e.g. the decimation of the beaver population within NW Russia in the late medieval period). This project will bring together issues of biodiversity and environmental change within a study of how past societies have viewed certain animals within their culture.

The proposal is to use this summer as the opportunity to develop a specific project with our Russian colleagues, designing it and its methodology, identifying funding sources, and agreeing to collaborate in such a way as to involve students in the project.

The resulting project will deliver a clear contribution to Fusion by linking research, student placements, and teaching and learning for both undergraduates and post graduates within the School of Applied Sciences.

For further information please contact either Dr Mark Maltby (mmaltby@bmth.ac.uk)or Professor Mark Brisbane (mbrisbane@bmth.ac.uk).

Fusion Investment funded project – Internationalising Dementia Education and Research

Posted in Funding opportunities, Fusion by nbaines

I am delighted to have been awarded funding from the Santander Staff Mobility and Networking strand of the Fusion Investment Fund. The aim of my proposal is to develop networks and collaborative work with colleagues working in dementia related areas in Overseas Santander Partner Universities in Colombia and Chile.

Dementia is becoming a problem of public health in Latin America. Research shows that the prevalence of this condition in Latin American countries is similar to developed countries. However, there is a higher incidence of dementia in fairly young individuals aged from 65-69 years old, which can be a consequence of the link between low educational level and lower cognitive reserve (Nitrini, et.al., 2009). Diagnosis rates in developing countries are lower than in developed countries making access to treatment, care and support more difficult for people with dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease International).

In spite of this, social research in dementia and education in dementia care are still scarce in Latin America. This proposal seeks to contribute in filling this gap through achieving two objectives. The first is to test the ‘Living well with dementia’ course, created and delivered by BUDI in Universidad del Rosario in Colombia with the view of exporting it to other parts of Latin America in the future. The second objective is to develop a collaborative research grant proposal that takes the shape of a comparative study about social/cultural constructions of dementia in the UK and Chile and how such constructions influence public policy and practice relating to dementia and services for people living with dementia and their families.

BU and specifically BUDI’s work in dementia will be disseminated internationally bringing possibilities for sustainable academic collaboration with top universities of Colombia and Chile.

Dr Mariela Gaete Reyes (HSC/BUDI)

CEMP Research & Innovation Cluster Bulletin / Agenda

Posted in Creative & Digital Economies, Culture & Society, Funding opportunities, Media Studies, Technology & Design by jmcdougall

The updated cluster bulletin and agenda for the next meeting is here:  CEMP Cluster bulletin and agenda 18.4.3.13

The reading matter for the ‘think-tank’ discussion is here: Postill-Pink-socialmedia-ethnography

Please note that, due to Easter holidays, the meeting is a week later than usual – taking place now at 9.30am on Thursday 18th April in the CEMP office.

As always, anyone wishing to pursue a funding opportunity in the bulletin, suggest a project relating to pedagogy / innovation or just find out more about the cluster, you are VERY welcome to come to the meeting, just let me (Julian) know in advance. Same applies if you have ideas for collaboration but cannot attend the meeting.

 

 

BU internal peer-review scheme for your research proposal

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities, Guidance by Caroline O'Kane

Why is the internal peer review of research proposals important?

  • The competition for research funds is high and is likely to increase.  Research Council funding presents a particular challenge – with the ESRC having one of the lowest success rates.
  • In recent years funders have expressed their growing concern over the number of poor quality research proposals they receive, with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) taking the action to implement a ban on submissions from unsuccessful candidates who fail repeatedly and requesting evidence on steps institutions take to improve academic skills in producing research proposals.
  • Internal peer review has been credited with producing higher quality research proposals and increased success rates and is a process encouraged by the Research Councils.

Who reviews the applications?

  • The Peer Reviewers are a selection of BU academics who have a considerable track record in successfully gaining research funding, who sit on funding panels and who review research proposals for funders.
  • We select two reviewers to review your proposal.

Who can apply to the RPRS?

  • The service is open to anyone at BU and for any type of research funding.

What kind of feedback can I expect?

  • Peer reviewers will provide feedback on the proposed research in terms of topic selection, novel value, clarity of ideas proposed and advise on how the proposal can be further strengthened. They may also provide the names of potential collaborators where applicable.
  • The Research Development Unit will provide feedback on general structure and style, clarity of ideas, timescales proposed, estimated costs, potential funders, eligibility for funding schemes, and any potential ethical issues.
  • Feedback will be delivered within 3 weeks of submission – often before.

How do I submit an application?

Will the RPRS help with unsuccessful applications?

  • Yes, if you have a unsuccesful proposal, the RPRS will provide feedback on your submission on how you could potentially improve the style of the proposal, advise on other possible funders and provide other useful information.   The system works as for as yet unsubmitted drafts.

Remember

  • It is now mandatory for all Research Council applications to go through the RPRS
  • Please allow sufficient time in your proposal development to allow for the  mandatory internal deadline of five working days for the submission of Research Council bids via the Je-S system.
  • This also applies to applications made via the E-Gap2 and Leverhulme Online e-submissions systems (affecting applications made to the British Academy, the Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust).

Who can I ask for further help?

  • Caroline O’Kane in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development team manages the RPRS and will answer any questions you have.

FIF SMN strand now closed

Posted in BU research, Funding opportunities by nbaines

The Fusion Investment Fund Staff Mobility & Networking (SMN) Strand which was open for applications assessed on a rolling basis has now closed. We have funded a good number of applications received and news of these have and will continue to be publicised here on the blog. The FIF scheme reopens in late April/early May with an application deadline of 1 July. Please check the blog for details soon.

The Fusion in Action conference is taking place on Thursday 18 April in Kimmeridge House from 12pm. Book now to attend the conference (via the Staff Development Webpage) and come along to see a showcase of the best of Fusion at BU. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about how you can get involved.

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