Yearly Archives / 2012

Book Citation Index for WoK – 3 month Trial – take part now!

BU research, Publishing

BU have just enabled a trial of Web of Knowledge Book Citation Index.  It will last for 3 months, until 6th August.

The Book Citation Index allows you to search for books and book chapters using all of the fields and features available in Web of Science. They have added two new indexes to Web of Science:

  • Book Citation Index– Science (BKCI-S) — 2005-present
  • Book Citation Index– Social Sciences & Humanities (BKCI-SSH) — 2005-present

Key features available when searching for books and book chapters include:

  • View citation counts captured for books and book chapters for Citing Articles, Cited References, Related Records, and Shared Records for all available years.
  • View citation counts provided to book sources from journal articles and conference-proceedings that cite books and book chapters and vice-versa.

Whilst we don’t currently have a subscription, we are interested in seeing what the coverage is like for BU academics, particularly in the humanities and social sciences that have traditionally experienced less comprehensive coverage by citation databases, although science books are also covered.   Please note, not all published books appear here, with concentration on purely research books rather than text books or more populist titles.

There are 143 items listed as having BU Authors:

http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/library/resources/w.html

Please have a look at what WoK can offer and provide feedback to Emma Crowley: e-mail: ecrowley@bournemouth.ac.uk web site: Library and Learning Support

The pursuit of mud

BU research, News from the PVC

I am fortunate to have been let out of the office and into the sunshine this week to pursue a small piece of data collection I have wanted to do for ages as part of my NERC grant.  It involves standing knee deep in mud!

I have been working for a while on the control of substrate on footprint typology and believe firmly in working in natural depositional environments to do so when I can.  In recent years the team has done a lot of work on various beaches looking at the control of moisture content and walking speed on print form and linking this to plantar pressure data taken in the lab.  We have also done some really cool work in Namibia on footprint morphology and substrate properties, which one of my colleagues recently reported at the Annual American Physical Anthropology conference in Portland.  But testing the limits of print preservation needs some real mud!

Plotting BU’s research strategy and REF submission is no match in terms of fun when one could be wading bare foot and knee deep in mud, although the two feel quite similar at times!  This week I am collecting data from a range of estuarine muds – different grains sizes, moisture contents to explore the limits of footprint formation and typological variance.  Visiting different sites we make a trail of prints and then photograph each print, perhaps 30 or 40 times, from different angles and perspectives to provide the data to build three dimensional models using photogrammetry.  We will then combine these models to create an average print and compare this to the sedimentological data we are also collecting at each site.  In the past I have used an optical laser scanner to analyse foot prints, but no one in their right mind would let me loose with one of those in this mud!  So it’s a week of mud for me and I will see you all back in the office next week.

 

Got colleagues in China? This new education cooperation agreement could really work in your favour…

EU

A new education component of the EU-China “people-to-people dialogue” agreement was recently announced .  The agreement aims to make China more attractive for European students by setting up scholarship programmes, increase the mutual recognition of diplomas, and set up joint schools such as the China-Europe Institute of Clean and Renewable Energy. The European Commission will also encourage Chinese researchers to take part in the Marie Curie Programme for researcher exchange.

Opportunities for existing ESRC Students

Funding opportunities

Overseas institutional visits

All full-time ESRC studentship holders are eligible to apply for financial support for overseas institutional visits (OIVs) within their studentship period, to visit overseas universities or esteemed research organisations. This additional funding is intended to provide applicants with the opportunity to:

  • establish research networks
  • disseminate early research findings
  • participate in seminars and other academic activities that are directly relevant to their research
  • undertake specialist research training that is not available within the UK.

How to apply

You should submit completed applications to your research organisation (RO) nominated contact who will check the form before forwarding it to ESRC. You should note that applications are sent to ESRC in batches by 16.00 on the last working day of the month. If you miss a batch deadline this will delay the processing of your application.

Applicants must allow at least three months between the batch deadline for the month in which they apply and commencing the visit (eg if your application was received by ESRC on 30 January, the earliest you would be able to commence your visit would be 1 May).

We will aim to process and send applications to assessors within five working days. We will normally communicate funding decisions to nominated RO contacts within two months of the batch deadline, although this may take longer at certain times of the year.

You should read the scheme guidance notes before completing the application form:

All successful overseas applicants are required to submit an end of award report within two weeks of the end of the overseas institutional visit. Students undertaking more than one visit should submit a report on completion of each separate visit.

Further information

If you have any queries about the scheme please contact:

Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grants – Outlines welcomed

Funding opportunities

The aim of these awards is to provide financial support for innovative and original research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Principal Investigator). The grants provide support for the salaries of research staff engaged on the project, plus associated costs directly related to the research proposed.

Proposals are favoured which:

  • reflect the personal vision of the applicant;
  • demonstrate compelling competence in the research design;
  • surmount traditional disciplinary academic boundaries;
  • involve a degree of challenge and evidence of the applicant’s ability to assess risk. 

Value and Duration

The great majority of awards involve a spend of up to £250,000 over a duration of two to three years. If compelling evidence is provided, awards may be made for sums between £250,000 and £500,000 for research over a period of up to five years. The assessment procedures for these large grants are especially stringent, and can involve site visits and discussions with applicants.

Topics

Applications for research on any topic within the entire array of academic disciplines are eligible for support. However, an exception is made for areas of research supported by specialist funding agencies and, in particular, for medicine. In such cases, applicants should consider an application to these alternative funding bodies as being more appropriate. Specific attention is paid to the reasons given by applicants in justifying their choice of the Trust as the most appropriate agency for the support of their project.

Please read the following before submitting an application.

Contact

If your query has not been answered in the links please contact Matt Dillnutt regarding Outline Applications (020 7042 9873); or Nicola Thorp regarding Detailed Applications (020 7042 9872).

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

There are no closing dates for Outline Applications.  Deadlines for Invited full applications are 21 March, 1 September, 1 December annually

Register now for BRIAN Demonstrations – the new Publication Management System

BU research, Guidance

The new publication management system BRIAN (Bournemouth Research, Information and Networking) will go live on 22 June 2012.  BRIAN will provide a facility for academics to quickly and easily update their research activity via a single point of data entry which will enable research information to be used in multiple places, including BURO and the BU Staff Profile web pages, without the need to duplicate or enter additional data.  Academic staff will no longer add records direct to BURO, but via BRIAN.

BRIAN will allow you to have ownership of your staff profile web pages so these are easily kept up to date, allowing you to promote yourself for potential research collaborations, research grants and enterprise opportunities, research assessment exercises, etc.  It will also provide a search function for staff to find out about potential collaborative opportunities with colleagues from across BU.  BRIAN will enable BU to meet research assessment requirements by improving the administrative efficiency and data accuracy.

Demonstrations of the new system have been arranged and each will run for one hour and will also allow time for you to interact with the new system.  These are being held on the following dates:

24th May – 1pm – to be held in CG21, Christchurch House

29th May – 10am – to be held in CG21, Christchurch House

29th May – 2pm – to be held in CG21, Christchurch House

6th June – 10am – to be held in P231-5, Poole House

6th June – 2pm – to be held in P231-5, Poole House

It is highly recommended that all academics attend a demonstration of BRIAN as the system will be extremely important to your research profile.

To register for a session, please select your preferred date and a second choice (as demand will be high) and email this to Joan Bonnici at: ovctemp@bournemouth.ac.uk by 22nd May 2012.

ESRC Training Bursaries

Funding opportunities

Each year ESRC provides 50 bursaries for up to £1,000 each to enable staff in the UK social science community engaged in research, teaching research methods or supervising research to update their research skills. Those training courses must not be provided at the own institution. Contract researchers working in HEIs are also eligible for the bursaries.

I have obtained a number of bursaries from this source. It is not a complicated process to apply. Quite simple and straightforward. Search for suitable courses for your own need on NCRM Training and Events website. Then go to ESRC Training Bursaries website to fill in a short form.

Good luck.

Health Related Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

There are a large number of calls that have been announced in the Medical and Healthcare remit.  A brief description of each of them is given below, together with a link to the call.

Medical Research Council:Joint Global Health trials scheme – this funds global health trials to generate new knowledge about interventions that will contribute to the improvement of health in low- and middle-income countries. The budget for the scheme is up to £12 million per year for three years.

Medical Research Council: Early Career Fellowship in economics of health – the scheme enables individuals to undertake challenging projects in excellent research and training environments. The fellowship is for a period of up to three years.

Medical Research Council: Methodology research fellowship – the scheme is aimed at researchers with a grounding in health research who wish to undertake a period of specialist training in the development and investigation of innovative research methods. The fellowship lasts up to four years and covers salary, training, consumables, and travel costs, capital equipment, and all other relevant costs under FEC.

Medical Research Council: New Investigator research grants – molecular and cellular medicine – these provide support for clinical and non-clinical researchers while they are establishing themselves as independent principal investigators. Grants are worth up to £600,000 and normally last three years. MRC will usually meet up to 80 per cent of the full economic cost.

Medical Research Council: Confidence in concept scheme – this provides awards to institutions to be used to support the earliest stages of multiple translational research projects. Grants will be between £300,000 and £1 million.

Cancer Research UK: Senior cancer research fellowships – this enables senior researchers to establish or to further develop an independent research group. Fellowships will last for six years and fund salaries for the fellow, up to two postdoctoral researchers, a technician and a PhD student. They also cover research expenses, consumables and equipment costs.

Cancer Research UK: Career Development Fellowships – these support non-clinical scientists who have shown promise in their initial studies in a cancer relevant research field, but may not yet have sufficient experience to obtain a more senior fellowship. Grants have a duration of six years and fund: salaries for the fellow, a postdoctoral researcher and a technician; consumables costs; equipment.

British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy: Research grants support research efforts in the following areas: mechanisms of antibacterial action; mechanisms of antibacterial resistance; antiviral resistance; antivirals; antifungals; antibiotic methods; antibiotic prescribing; antibiotic therapy; antiparisitics; evidence based medicine/ systematic reviews. Grants are worth up to £50,000 for projects of one year’s duration.

British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy: Project grants may be used for the following purposes: pump priming projects; supporting the completion of an existing project; introducing a novel technique for existing work; funding for trainees for projects/training (maximum value £5,000). Up to £10,000 is available for projects of one year ‘s duration.

Anatomical Society: Research Studentships provide basic maintenance and fees for postgraduate students working towards the award of a higher degree in the anatomical and related sciences. Studentships are tenable for a maximum of three years and must be held in a British or Irish university.

British Pharmacology Society: AstraZeneca prize for women in Pharmacology: This recognises women whose career achievements have contributed significantly to the understanding of a particular field in pharmacology through excellence in research. The prize is worth £1,000.

 The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

EPSRC Sandpit: More with Less: Engineering Solutions for Resource Efficiency

Funding opportunities

The EPSRC has announced a call for Expressions of Interest for attendance at their Sandpit for ‘More with Less: Engineering Solutions for Resource Efficiency’.

The UK is a small nation with limited resources that has a high material dependency. With the ever growing concern of material and resource scarcity we look to the ingenuity of the research base to find long-term sustainable solutions.

The Engineering theme will lead a sandpit in response to the challenges raised by the research community in the Resource Efficiency Scoping Workshop in April 2012 and in line with EPSRC strategy. The primary aim is to invest in ambitious, engineering-led, cross-disciplinary research with the potential for long-term transformation across many and diverse sectors, especially among those that have yet to embrace these concepts.

EPSRC are looking for enthusiastic participants from a wide range of disciplines who will bring their expertise to explore the challenges of:

  • Dematerialisation (eg lightweighting, novel materials functionality, novel materials from waste products, materials security and efficiency);
  • Designing for resource sustainability (eg energy, water and materials efficiency, considerations for engineering processes, whole systems and resource flow modelling);
  • Reuseability at any scale (closed and open loop recycling, remanufacturing, extended product life).

Closing Date: 13.00 on 11 June 2012

Documents to Download:

Resource efficiency sandpit call document

Resource efficiency workshop challenge outcomes

Ideas Factory Sandpit expression of interest form: Return form to sandpit@epsrc.ac.uk

Equal Opportunities Form

A Sandpit for Ideas: The concept of the IDEAS Factory is to organise interactive workshops (sandpits) on particular topics, involving 20-25 participants. The focus for this sandpit is MORE WITH LESS: Engineering solutions for resource efficiency. Anyone eligible to apply for funding from Research Councils UK can apply.

The Sandpit Event: The sandpit will run over five days starting mid-morning on day one and finishing mid-afternoon on day five.

As the sandpit progresses, participants will build up thoughts on how the identified ‘challenges’ may be addressed and develop their innovative ideas and activities into research projects. Projects will contain genuinely novel and speculative investigations that address new approaches to resource efficiency. The sandpit will include inputs from a variety of sources.

Location and Date

The date for this sandpit is 23rd – 27th July 2012. Location to be confirmed.

LIFE+ 2012 Call now open!

EU

The sixth LIFE+ call opened recently and closes on the 26th September 2012. LIFE+ funds projects that implement, update and develop Community environmental policy and legislation. There are three strands:

There is a significant change to the application process this year as this must be done using a new eProposal online tool. There are user guides available on the LIFE+ website. In addition applicants submitting a Nature & Biodiversity project or an Information & Communication project related to Forest Fire Prevention will also need to submit an A8 form, signed by the relevant competent authority.

Beta Technology can review your project idea before you start taking time to fill in the application form, simply complete the project concept form and send it to Catherine Holt or Jane Watkins . You can also take a look at the Tips and Advice section of the Beta website for some great hints when completing an application.

There is also an Info Day for this call being held in London on May 29th  -povisional plans for the day include presentations from Stefan Welin, Technical Desk Officer at the EU LIFE Unit, Catherine Holt from BETA Technology and previous project funding recipients. Attendance is free but must be registered in advance, places are limited and will initially be allocated at one per organisation on a first come, first served basis; you can register here.

 

ISRF Mid-Career Research Fellowship Call announced

Funding opportunities

The Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) wishes to support independent-minded researchers to do interdisciplinary work which is unlikely to be funded by existing funding bodies. It is interested in original research ideas which take new approaches, and suggest new solutions, to real world social problems.

The Foundation intends to make a small number of awards to support original interdisciplinary research, across the range of the social sciences, to be held from a start date during the academic year 2013-4. Scholars from within Europe are eligible to apply.

The award is intended to enable a scholar at the mid career stage to pursue his/her research full-time, normally for 12 months. The amount will be offered to buy out the costs of replacing all teaching and associated administration in the applicant’s home institution, and will be considered to a maximum of £60,000 per successful applicant. Within that sum, reasonable support for research expenses may be considered on a matched-funding basis with the host institution.

The applicant should normally hold a salaried position at an institution of higher education and research, and be 10 years or more from the year of their PhD award. However, a shorter time from PhD award may exceptionally be considered, if the candidate has other qualifications to be considered as mid-career.

Applicants should consult the Criteria as set out in the Further Particulars and show that they meet them. Applicants should follow the Application procedure and should present their Proposal in the format specified there.

Closing date for applications is 4pm on June 21st 2012.

Application Queries: Telephone +44 (0) 20 7262 0196 or email applications2012@isrf.org

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

DEC Post Graduate Researcher Poster Competition

BU research, PG research, Research news

The School of Design, Engineering and Computing is holding its 5th Annual Post Graduate Research Student Poster Competition Conference on Wednesday 23rd May 2012 in the Thomas Hardy Suite.  This event showcases the School’s current PhD research.  Judging will take place in the morning and then the display will be open to all at 14:00 hours. Bournemouth University Board Member, Dr Peter Barnwell MBE will officially open the conference at 14:30 p.m. and will be awarding the prizes for the best posters at approximately 15:00 pm. Students will be there to discuss their research until 16:00 hours.  All staff are welcome.

The AHRC is coming to BU

Funding opportunities, Research news

On 27th June Professor Mark Llewellyn, Director of Research from the AHRC is coming to BU. 

Professor Llewellyn began his secondment to the AHRC as Director of Research in January and his responsibilities cover all areas of research activity, postgraduate funding, peer review, and international and Knowledge Exchange issues.

Professor Llewellyn will be addressing an open meeting at BU, aimed at arts and humanities researchers and anyone else who is interested in the development of the AHRC’s strategy.

The meeting with start with a presentation, and then be followed by discussion. 

There is limited space available, please book your place to avoid disappointment.

Click here to book your place.

Day: Wednesday, 27th June

Time: 1.30pm – 2.15pm

Place: Talbot Campus – PG16

In the meantime, if you have any questions please email Caroline O’Kane

International placements deemed priceless

BU research, Research news

Bournemouth University’s Professor Jonathan Parker and Dr Sara Crabtree have been examining the true benefits an international placement has on a student’s learning experience, employability and future career.

The study, conducted alongside Parker and Crabtree’s BU colleague Clare Cutler, examined a range of aspects of inter-cultural learning arising from placements. Current students and graduates were questioned about their confidence, cultural attitudes, employer feedback and other factors arising from the international placement experience.

Professor Parker explained: “This research has shown how working in totally different and sometimes physically inhospitable cultural environments, develops students’ confidence to practice in varied, challenging and unknown situations. This is so important when they come back to work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country like the UK.”

While the study has primarily focused on international placements in Parker’s own research area of social work, it is already being applied to other disciplines. “We are now surveying students taking international placements in our School of Tourism and these research findings are equally positive,” he explained. “But the concept can be much more widely applied to encompass any career working with the general public.”

But there’s one big problem holding many UK students back: “As a general rule, UK students are very poor at languages, which are so important in so many aspects of life.”

This apparent ‘failing’ of the school system, whereby languages are not compulsory at GCSE level, needs to be addressed if students are going to reap the rewards of international placement schemes such as Erasmus. “Students need a basic degree of language skill,” Parker concluded. “It should be compulsory”.

This international placements research project is supported through BU’s Fusion fund, promoting projects which create a unique academic experience through the powerful fusion of research, education and professional practice.

More information about Professor Jonathan Parker’s and Dr Sara Crabtree’s research can be viewed on BURO.

Digital Economy Strategic Partnerships Proposals

EU

At the Strategic Partnership workshop for the Connected Digital Economy Catapult last month the Technology Strategy Board presented the nature of strategic partnerships and other models of engagement, the process to develop strategic partnerships, guidelines and next steps. The presentations can be found on the _connect webpage 

The next step in the process involves interested companies/organisations preparing 2-3 page strategic partnership proposals, which need to be submitted to the Technology Strategy Board by 25th May 2012. You can read more on this, on the _connect website.

Remember, if you aren’t already signed up to _connect, you can read the benefits of creating an account here.

Good luck and Congratulations!

Awarded & submitted bids

Congratulations to Tania Humphries-Smith (DEC) for securing funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering for an industry visiting professor, Zulfiqar Khan (DEC) for winning a contract with My Floodmate Ltd to research a revised flood barrier and for a contract with IT & Engineering Services Ltd, Richard Stillman (ApSci) for securing funding from Cefas for phase 2 of the Bridgewater Bay Project and for a contract with HR Wallingford, Roger Herbert (ApSci) for a contract with Natural England to research marine food webs, Tim Darvill and Bronwen Russell (ApSci) for securing further funding from English Heritage for the AIP project, Carol Bond and Marilyn Cash (HSC) for a contract with NHS Bournemouth and Poole, and to Adam Blake and Nicky Pretty (ST) for winning funds from UK Music 2009 Ltd to research the potential impact of the live music bill legislation.

Congratulations are also due to Martin Smith (ApSci) for running the BABAO Conference in Bournemouth later this year, Bronwen Russell (Bournemouth Archaeology, ApSci) for securing a contract with Wardall Armstrong, Stephanie Farmer (RedBalloon, MS) for securing a contract with Poole Tidal Energy Project and another contract with Mobile Media, Mike Molesworth (CEB, MS) for winning two contracts – one with JC Decaux Airport Advertising and one with ITV Cross Media Communication and Partnership, and to Vanessa Edwards (MS) for running the Journalism 4G Conference later this year and for running the Media Mash Up short courses.

Good luck to Emma Jenkins (ApSci) for submitting an early career researcher grant to the AHRC, Genoveva Esteban (ApSci) with a bid to SempCorp, Eileen Wilkes (ApSci) for a bid to the British Academy to continue her research at Mount Folly in Devon, Adrian Newton (ApSci) for a bid to the STFC, Rudy Gozlan, Anita Diaz and the CEES Group (ApSci) for submitting three bids to the European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus scheme, Anita Diaz (Raian Ali (DEC) for an FP7 bid to the European Commission, a large bid to the EPSRC and a bid to Google, Venky Dubey (DEC) for a bid to UKIERI, Christos Gatzidis (DEC) for a bid to hold the 5th IEEE VS-Games 2013 Conference in Bournemouth, Hamid Bouchachia (DEC) for a large bid to the European Commission, Jian Jun Zhang (MS) for submitting a bid to the Leverhulme Trust’s Research Leadership Scheme, Stuart Allan (MS) for a bid to Humanities in the European Research Area, Venora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen (HSC) for a bid to the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation to research women’s self-help groups and empowerment, Jonathan Parker (HSC) for a bid to the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences, Kip Jones (HSC) for a bid to the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences, Peter Thomas (HSC) for a large collaborative bid to the NIHR, and to Khurshid Djalilov (BS) for two bids – one to the ESRC and the other to the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Good luck also to Jan Wiener (DEC) for submitting a bid to Army of Angels, Jacqui Taylor (DEC) for two bids to the HEA, Joanna Hawkes (ST) with a bid to the National Osteoporosis Society, and to Steve Calver and the MRG team (ST) for a bid to work with Dorset Police.

Thanks

Matthew

 

New user friendly ESRC Research Funding Guide

Guidance, Research news

A new version of the ESRC Research Funding Guide is now available to download on their web site.

It has been thoroughly reviewed and substantial changes made to the layout and content.  The contents page now includes hyperlinks so that you do not need to scroll through the document to find what you need; relevant links to current Funding Opportunities and assessment information are included; as are guidance in chronological order from beginning to end of the grants process; annexes have been removed and where appropriate the information is now included within the document; and a revision to the OJEU threshold has also been included.

The new streamlined version is much more user friendly and easier to keep up to date. This document will now only be updated on a bi-annual basis – in April and October – where changes are required (unless exceptional circumstances require immediate revision). Where possible amendments will be implemented at the point at which the guide is updated. Any changes which occur during the interim period will be captured as amendments on the web page so that they are easy to find and will be communicated as appropriate (this may be via RCUK or the normal ESRC channels).