Yearly Archives / 2016

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships – Submission deadlines

After this next KTP submission deadline on 7th September 2016, there is one further deadline in 2016 – 2nd November 2016.

Various aspects of the KTP submission and approval process have changed over the past few months and for a breakdown of what these changes are, please take a look here.

Future KTP submission deadlines for your planning are:

  • 18th January 2017
  • 8th March 2017

If you have any KTP ideas that you’d like support with, please contact Rachel Clarke, KE Adviser on 61347.

KTP@40-block-logo-white

EU AniM Workshop – Still time to register.

Team Photos 2

 

Professor Jian Jun Zhang, Dr Jian Chang and Hui Liang are pleased to announce the EU AniM Workshop.

Please click here to register.

The “AniM” www.euanim.org is an EU FP7 Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship funded project, which aims to improve the status quo by developing the “next generation computer animation techniques” and to answer challenges in handling computer animation data in an intelligent way to facilitate creativity and to encourage interaction among users through knowledge transfer and development.

project

The workshop is an intensive research meeting, aiming to provide new insights, approaches and methods of the next generation computer animation techniques and the intelligent animation data management to facilitate the growth of the computer animation industry.

Over 70 researchers based at UK universities and industry companies, will be invited for this workshop , which will be structured around the themes of “Enhanced Computer Animation technology” and “Intelligent Data Management for Computer Animation”.

You are invited to join us at the Executive Business Centre, Bournemouth University, on 2nd September 2016.  Registration will be open from 09.45 and the workshop will commence at 10.30.

Professor Jian Jun Zhang of the NCCA, Bournemouth University will chair the event, which will include an introduction to the research within the project EU AniM and a panel discussion.  Professor Nigel W John from the University of Chester, is confirmed to deliver a keynote on “Real Time Computer Graphics for Surgery Simulation”.  A buffet lunch and refreshments will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you in September, in the meantime if you have any questions regarding this event, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Innovation defined? Outcomes and connections ….

Innovate 2011v4

Everyone has a different definition for “innovation”.  Is the view of Kevin Baughan Director of Technology and Innovation at Innovate UK.  For him innovation defined simply as  “delivering better outcomes”.

It is broad enough in scope to reflect the importance of innovation in enhancing every aspect of our lives, whilst at the same time emphasising the criticality of delivery and the need for leadership and collaborations in order to achieve those better outcomes.

Better connections was a key theme of the new Secretary of State’s early speeches on introducing his new ministerial team The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, observed that: “[An industrial] strategy makes connections between what might otherwise be disparate forces; aligning them, rather than leaving them isolated or even opposed.”

So how do you use industrial strategy to make effective connections between what might otherwise be disparate forces and how do you then use those connections to deliver better outcomes? As part of a series of blog posts these ideas are introduced:

Game changer 1 = UK innovators + cross disciplinary science

Each sector of the economy is of course very different and the journey from concept to commercialisation is rarely a linear one but a clear industrial strategy fosters connections and alignment.

We have all experienced the powerful difference when you are in a team with a common purpose.

Following Sir Paul’s Nurse’s review, the government has set in motion legislation, which will bring together the Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England into a single organisation – UKRI. Creating new opportunities to build even stronger connections both between research disciplines and between cross-disciplinary research and innovation.

This not only fits well with the benefits demonstrated by the earlier automotive example, but it moves the entire game on, by ensuring that it’s cross disciplinary research teams, which are integrated into cross technology innovation initiatives which are in pursuit of our future industrial strategies.

Read the blog post in full on Innovate UK’s website.

EPSRC – Tackling global development challenges through engineering and digital technology research

EPSRC logoEPSRC have issued the following call:

Issue date: 23 August 2016
Opening date: 23 August 2016
Closing date: 15 November 2016 at 16:00
Status: Open
Tag: Invitation for proposals
Related themes: Digital economy Energy ICT

This call is supported through EPSRC‘s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) allocation. The aim of this activity is to support an internationally leading programme of research, centred around engineering and digital technologies, to tackle the challenges faced by the developing world. Exemplar areas are given under each heading below, but these should not be seen as exclusive. Proposals may also span both headings.

1) Tackling global development challenges through engineering research

  • Sustainable infrastructure development
  • Engineering for disaster resilience
  • Engineering for humanitarian aid

2) Tackling global development challenges through digital technology research

  • Access to digital services
  • Use of data for vital services
  • Secure and trusted digital infrastructures

The proposed research must be predominantly in EPSRC remit, although interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary proposals are welcomed. Proposals must also be compliant with Official Development Assistance (ODA) guidelines.

Please note that applicants may only be named as Investigator (either Principal or Co-Investigator) on one proposal to this call.

Overseas Co-Investigators from research organisations in low-/middle-income countries – countries on the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – may be included on proposals through this call.

The call closes at 16:00 on Tuesday 15 November 2016. Up to £25 million is available from EPSRC for this call. We aim to support in the region of twenty research projects through this activity.

Resources – Full call document

If you are interested in applying to this call then please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer in the first instance.

UK Universities focus on delivery and spur economic growth

Innovate 2011v4
Universities earn over £4bn working with the wider world,  through knowledge exchange between UK universities and the public, private and third sectors.   The annual Higher Education, Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) Survey is the most accurate picture of UK higher education institutions’ commercial relationships.
UK performance is world leading. Comparisons demonstrate that the return on investment from commercialisation of research (sale of equity) is higher in the UK than in the USA or Japan and engagement with industry (proportion of research income) is at similar levels either side of the Atlantic.

 

Bringing FUSION to Nepal

FUSION abroad 2016We have written in many previous BU blogs about progress of our THET-funded project in southern Nepal (e.g. here AND here ). Today’s blog reflects on the use on BU’s unique FUSION approach in our project ‘Mental Health Training for Maternity Care Providers in Nepal‘.

DSC_0151Our BU-led project brings highly experienced health professionals, such as midwives, health visitors or mental health nurses, to Nepal to work as volunteer trainers. The training is aimed at community-based maternity care practitioners and addresses key mental health issues relevant to pregnancy and for new mothers and offers the required communication skills. These health professionals will bring their experience as health care providers as well as trainers in the field of mental health and maternity care/midwifery, mental ill-health prevention and health promotion. They volunteer for two to three weeks at a time to design and deliver training in southern Nepal.

logo THETThe Centre for Midwifery & Maternal Health (CMMPH) collaborates in this project with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), the Department of Health, and Physical & Population Education at Nepal’s oldest university Tribhuvan University’s (TU). The project is supported in the field by a local charity called Green Tara Nepal. Our project is part of the Health Partnership such as Nepal. HPS itself is funded by the UK Department for International Development and managed by THET (Tropical and Health Education Trust).

Fusion Diagram Our maternal mental health project is a good example of BU’s FUSION approach as it combines EDUCATION (through the training of Auxiliary Nurse-Midwives in Nepal) by UK volunteers (representing PRACTICE) through an intervention which is properly evaluated (representing RESEARCH) is a perfect example of BU’s FUSION in action. Moreover, the project will be partly evaluated by FHSS’s Preeti Mahato as part of her PhD thesis research. This PhD project is supervised by Dr. Catherine Angell (CEL & CMMPH), BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada (based at LJMU) and CMMPH’s Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.BU’s focus on the FUSION of research, education and professional practice is a unique variant of the way UK universities (and many abroad) blend academic teaching, research and scholarship. FUSION is a key concept derived from BU’s strategic Vision & Values).

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

AHRC Call for nominations to Peer Review College

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is seeking nominations for new members to be appointed to its Peer Review College (PRC).ahrc

Peer review lies at the heart of the AHRC’s operations, and they are fully committed to the principle of peer review for the assessment of proposals to our schemes and programmes. PRC members provide expert quality reviews of proposals within their areas of expertise, which inform the AHRC’s decision making processes. Members can also be called upon to sit on assessment or moderation panels and Strategic reviewers can be called upon for guidance. As well as making an important contribution to the AHRC’s peer review processes, the experience gained by membership of the College provides benefits to individuals, departments and higher education institutions.
This is an open call for membership to the AHRC Academic College, although nominees can also additionally apply for membership to any our college groups. The call is open to any organisation that has eligible staff (including organisations from the charitable, third and private sector) and who can supply eligible nominators. The nominations process will need to be centrally managed and supported by the institution (not the nominee), with all nominations being submitted by institutions rather than individual nominees.  Nominators please note: You must be a senior staff member or representative within Higher Education Institutions (for example Pro-Vice Chancellor, Dean, Head of School or College, Head of Faculty, Research Director).
cartoon readingPlease refer to the PRC Recruitment 2016 Call Document on the PRC News Webpage for further information and application guidance.The most important part of the guidance is that AHRC insist that all nominations are submitted by a single contact within BU, which will be RKEO.  Whilst the deadline for nominations to AHRC is officially 4pm on 22nd September 2016, to ensure that the single contact can submit all applications on behalf of BU, please send your nominations to Jo Garrad no later than 4pm on 20th September 2016 (this is the BU internal deadline).
If successful, College members will be appointed for a term commencing 1 January 2017 and ending 31 December 2020.Inductions will start in December 2016 and newly appointed members are encouraged to make every effort to attend the Induction to which they will be invited.If you have any queries regarding the nomination process please do not hesitate to contact:
Russell Leake – Evidence and Analysis Manager
Email: r.leake@ahrc.ac.uk
Tel: 01793 416035

NERC standard grants (Jan.17 deadline) – internal competition launched

NERC

NERC introduced demand management measures in 2012. These were revised in 2015 to reduce the number and size of applications from research organisations for NERC’s discovery science standard grant scheme. Full details can be found in the BU policy document for NERC demand management measures at: http://intranetsp.bournemouth.ac.uk/policy/BU Policy for NERC Demand Management Measures.docx.

As at March 2015, BU has been capped at one application per standard grant round. The measures only apply to NERC standard grants (including new investigators). An application counts towards an organisation, where the organisation is applying as the grant holding organisation (of the lead or component grant). This will be the organisation of the Principal Investigator of the lead or component grant.

BU process

As a result, BU has introduced a process for determining which application will be submitted to each NERC Standard Grant round. This will take the form of an internal competition, which will include peer review. The next available standard grant round is January 2017. The process for selecting an application for this round can be found in the process document here – the deadline for internal Expressions of Interest (EoI) which will be used to determine which application will be submitted is 22nd September 2016.  The EoI form can be found here: I:\R&KEO\Public\NERC demand management 2016.

NERC have advised that where a research organisation submits more applications to any round than allowed under the cap, NERC will office-reject any excess applications, based purely on the time of submission through the Je-S system (last submitted = first rejected). However, as RKEO submit applications through Je-S on behalf of applicants, RKEO will not submit any applications that do not have prior agreement from the internal competition.

Appeals process

If an EoI is not selected to be submitted as an application, the Principal Investigator can appeal to Professor Tim McIntyre-Bhatty, Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Any appeals must be submitted within ten working days of the original decision. All appeals will be considered within ten working days of receipt.

RKEO Contacts

Please contact Jennifer Roddis, RKEO Research Facilitator – jroddis@bournemouth.ac.uk or Jo Garrad, RKEO Funding Development Manager – jgarrad@bournemouth.ac.uk if you wish to submit an expression of interest.

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

The following funding opportunities have been announced. Please follow the links for more information.money

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

BBSRC and the MRC, under the Global Challenges Research Fund, invite expressions of interest for their call for Networks in Vector Borne Disease (VBD) Research. This call forms part of BBSRC’s and MRC’s activities under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) (see related links) and therefore requires Networks to address VBD challenges primarily relevant to the health or prosperity of Low and Middle Income Countries on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) DAC List. The funders aim to support multidisciplinary Networks which foster collaboration, facilitate wider cross-disciplinary integrative participation (including environmental and social science research) and build capability which together will contribute to and underpin the development of novel strategies to control VBD of plants, animals and humans. Five key research priorities have been identified: Development of new control strategies for VBD in particular non-chemical vector control methods such as genetic control; Increased understanding of fundamental vector biology and vector ecology; Understanding what is driving the emergence and expansion of VBDs; Increased understanding of vector pathogen interactions; Improved diagnostics, surveillance and forecasting.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: Expressions of interest 4pm, 03/11/16.

British Academy

British Academy, in collaboration with the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the National Council for the State Funding Agencies (CONFAP) and the State Funding Agencies (FAPs) in Brazil, and the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society in UK, under the Newton fund programme, invites applications for its Fellowship and Young Investigator awards. In the State of São Paulo, the call is open for UK visiting researchers to visit research groups in São Paulo. FAPESP will also offer an opportunity for young investigators from the UK to start a research career in a university or research institution in the State of São Paulo through its Young Investigator Awards. The UK Academies will also offer Newton International Fellowships and Newton Advanced Fellowships to the Brazilian research community, covering the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, and medical (including clinical and patient-orientated research) sciences. Mobility grants will also be offered to the Brazilian research community, covering the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, and engineering.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 12pm (Brazil time), 24/10/16.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

EPSRC, on behalf of the RCUK Energy Programme (RCUKEP), invites applications for  the DoE NEUP programme. In particular the RCUKEP will support the UK component of proposals including US/UK collaboration in the following specific areas: Radioisotope Retention in Graphite and Graphitic Materials; Materials Ageing and Degradation; Reactor Safety Technologies; Materials Recovery; Advanced Waste forms; Advanced Fuels ; Used Nuclear fuel disposition: Disposal; Nuclear Energy Advanced modelling and simulation.UK applicants wishing to engage in this programme should liaise directly with their US partners. Appicants must submit an expression of interest (pre-applications), which shoulbe be submitted by the US partners to the DoE.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: Pre-aplications 14/09/16.

Medical Research Council

MRC and the ESRC invite applications for their Skills Development Fellowships, which enable early-career researchers to develop new skills in a priority area as well as researchers at all career stages willing to transform their career. The scheme currently invites proposals that focus on any of the following priority areas within a UK and/or global health context: Quantitative Skills – covering mathematics, statistics, computation and informatics applicable to any biomedical or health related data sources, from molecular to population level. These skills can be applied across the full range of the MRC’s remit, for example, cell biology, physiology, epidemiology, population and public health, and health psychology; Skills at the social science interface – with a focus on areas of health economics and/or mixed methods research.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 14/06/17.

Natural Environment Research Council

NERC invites application for its Follow-on Fund Pathfinder awards, which enable researchers to develop projects that will realise the commercial potential of NERC-funded research via a combination of complementary technical and commercial engagement work programmes. Pathfinder awards are designed to fill  knowledge gaps via activities such as market assessment and competitor analysis, intellectual property searches, engaging with potential commercial collaborators and end-users, and ‘milestone 1’ technical work where the technical feasibility of the whole project depends on it. The fund is open to researchers with current or past NERC funding. Proposals for Follow-on support must build on the outputs of recent or previous NERC-funded research activity.

Maximum award: £20,000 (80% fEC). Closing date: 4pm, 27/09/16.

The Royal Society

Royal Society, in collaboration with the EPSRC and Rolls-Royce, invites applications for its Industry Fellowships.  The Fellowships are for academic scientists who want to work on a collaborative project with industry and for scientists in industry who want to work on a collaborative project with an academic organisation. The scheme aims to enhance knowledge transfer in science and technology between those in industry and those in academia in the UK.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 29/09/16.

Royal Society and the National Natural Science Foundation of China invite applications for the cost-share programme of their International Exchanges scheme. This scheme is for scientists in the UK who want to stimulate new collaborations with leading scientists overseas through either a one-off visit or bilateral travel. The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine.

Maximum award: £12,000. Closing date: 10/10/16.

Royal Society and the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) invite applications for the cost-share programme of their International Exchanges scheme. This scheme is for scientists in the UK who want to stimulate new collaborations with leading scientists overseas through either a one-off visit or bilateral travel. The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine.

Maximum award: £12,000. Closing date: 10/10/16.

If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact RKEO with adequate notice before the deadline. Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer.

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here. If you are thinking of applying, why not add an expression of interest on Research Professional so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

Olympic Legacy lives on at BU

BU have been involved recently in developing volunteer programmes, based around the 2012 Games Makers, to give students experience of being involved in large scale events. This past weekend Bournemouth Tourism has hosted the annual Air Festival for the 9th time and Dr Debbie Sadd from the Faculty of Management, has again led the team of Festival Makers sponsored by BU. The Festival was this year hit by bad weather but the volunteers were busy all 4 days helping the organisers, including a ‘pilots signing’ which took place Saturday when the flying was cancelled. Members of the public are also volunteering within the scheme, they just have to undergo training here at BU and be prepard to walk long distances!

Festival Makers

    Festival Makers & Tigers Freefall team

In July Debbie also led on behalf of BU, a team of volunteers called the Farnborough Flyers at the Farnborough Air Show, the first time they have used a volunteer programme. The feedback in the press and from the organisers was fantastic and Debbie was approached by the organisers of another UK Air Festival for BU to help them design and run their own version of the volunteer programme. Watch this space!
Farnborough Flyers

Farnbrough Flyers celebrating at the end of the Farnborough Air Show

Red Arrow engineers

Debbie with the Red Arrows Engineering Team

Finally, the reputation of the training has now reached overseas as next month a group of visitors are coming to BU from Japan to discuss training for Tokyo 2020.

If you are interested to find out more, or would even like to become a volunteer, please contact Debbie on dsadd@bournemouth.ac.uk or Ian Jones, RegionalCommunity Engagement Manager on ijones@bournemouth.ac.uk

Research Councils new grants service Regional Workshop

RCUKRCUK are undertaking a project to upgrade their electronic grants submission service.  Do you want to go and hear more about the grants service in person? They are running regional workshops around the UK and will be holding a workshop in London on 26th September 2016.  Alice Brown from the RKEO will be attending but it would also be useful for academics to attend.

The aim of this event is to come and talk to the research community about the Research Councils programme to replace their existing grants service and to, where possible, simplify and standardise grants policy and process. This event will be an opportunity to hear about what progress they have made and to ask them questions. In the afternoon they would also like to carry out user testing with a smaller group. They would like to invite a mixed audience to attend including academics, university research administrators and managers, system and data staff etc.

When – Monday, 26 September 2016 from 09:00 to 17:00 (BST)

Where – Imperial College London – Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ

To register, click here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/research-councils-new-grants-service-regional-workshop-tickets-27166553894

HE Policy Update

EU funded projects- Brexit

The Government has announced that the Treasury will underwrite funding for approved Horizon 2020 projects applied for before the UK leaves the European Union. This includes cases where specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. You can view the full announcement here.

Maintenance grants

Labour has announced it would restore grants to help young people in England stay in further and higher education. This would mean a return for education maintenance allowances (EMA) which was scrapped by the coalition government in 2010. It would also mean reversing the decision to turn maintenance grants into repayable loans. Labour promises return of student maintenance grants (BBC News).

A-Level results

A record number of students were placed in UK universities and colleges as A-level results were released, with acceptances up 2.9 per cent year-on-year. Ucas said that 423,880 applicants had secured a place as of midnight on 18 August, an increase of 11,800 on the same point in 2015. Record number of students win university places (THE).

Graduate wages

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published a briefing note on graduate wages. The report reveals that despite the recent fall in the average graduate real wage, their wage relative to school-leavers’ has remained relatively unchanged. The report also reveals that UK firms have become less hierarchical over time: instead of having a few skilled managers to dictate how a larger number of unskilled workers should work, now more managerial decisions are decentralised and made by skilled workers.

 Language departments

It has been warned that more university language departments could face closure if student recruitment continues to decline. Ucas data shows that the number of applicants placed on to European language and literature courses at UK higher education institutions on A-level results day was down 7.8 per cent year-on-year, with an intake of 3,080 being a record low for recent years. University language departments ‘at risk’ as recruitment slumps (THE).

Teaching quality

Jo Johnson, the universities and science minister, has written about teaching quality in The Daily Telegraph. He writes “there is unacceptable patchiness that requires our attention and, if we are to make sure that our university system retains its world-leading status, we simply cannot stand still”. Universities must wipe out mediocre teaching and drive up student engagement (The Telegraph).

 

Living with a long-term condition: new paper

A new open access paper by Jennifer Roddis (RKEO, HSS), Immy Holloway (HSS) and Carol Bond (HSS), in collaboration with Kate Galvin from the University of Brighton, has been published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. The paper – Living with a long-term condition: Understanding well-being for individuals with thrombophilia or asthma – discusses the findings of Jenny’s PhD study.

Much of the research undertaken indicates that those affected by long-term conditions experience this as being problematic. However, qualitative research may offer alternative insights, suggesting that these individuals are able to achieve well-being. This research identified a theory about how those with a long-term condition can adapt to it and learn to get on with their life. The paper makes recommendations as to how both individuals affected by such conditions, and healthcare professionals working with them, may use the findings.

 

Reference:

Roddis, J.K., Holloway, I., Bond, C. and Galvin, K.T., 2016. Living with a long-term condition: Understanding well-being for individuals with thrombophilia or asthma. Int J Qualitative Stud Health Well-being, 11: 31530 – http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/qhw.v11.31530