/ Full archive

BU conference presentation Federalisation & Nepal’s health system

international, Publishing, writing

The health system in Nepal’s unique federalisation experiment will be presented by Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen at a three-day conference at the Far Western University, Nepal on Saturday 8th February.  Nepal’s introduction of its federal system in the 2015 Constitution changed the way society, including its health system, was organised.  It meant that political changes and health systems changes occurred in parallel.  Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen explores the impact of federalisation on Nepal’s health system as part of an interdisciplinary mixed-methods study* called ‘The Impact of Federalisation on Nepal’s Health System: A longitudinal Analysis’.

First, implementing a new federal system is a slow, resource intensive process. While building new federal structures is important, challenging the status quo through strategic “unlearning and undoing” of old tendencies is also essential, as this creates spaces for new approaches that are more in line with federalism. This requires attention to emotional and political spheres, and not just structural or technical ones.

Federalisation, generally, brought decision making, resources and service delivery closer to the people, yet the process remains challenging and incomplete. Importantly, at the same time as federalism was being introduced, Nepal’s health system had to respond to COVID-19, making it difficult to disentangle the effects of the pandemic from those of federalisation. The health system is also part of a broader, complex, and interdependent set of socio-political, economic, legal, and cultural systems.

We found that the impact of federalisation varied across the six WHO building blocks and pre-existing conditions, e.g. wealthier regions often benefit disproportionately, exacerbating inequities in health.  Our study further highlighted: (a) the importance of leadership and governance, combined with financing mechanisms; (b) insufficient planning and misalignment between central and local levels resulting in inefficiencies; (c) weak health information systems hinder the ability to measure long-term effects.  Overall, unlocking the full potential of federalism will require political will and commitment at all three levels of government.

To date eight papers have been produced based in this project [1-8].

 

References:

  1. Koirala, B., Rushton, S., Adhikary, P., Balen, J., et al. (2024) COVID-19 as a challenge to Nepal’s newly federalised health system: capacities, responsibilities, and mindsets, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (online first) https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539524125012.
  2. Sapkota, S., Rushton, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2024) Participatory policy analysis in health policy and systems research: reflections from a study in Nepal. Health Research & Policy Systems, 22 (No.7) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01092-5 .
  3. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., et al. (2023) Selection of Study Sites and Participants for Research into Nepal’s Federal Health System, WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health 12(2):116-119.
  4. Sapkota, S., Dhakal, A., Rushton S., et al. (2023) The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Global Health 8:e013317. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013317.
  5. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., et al. (2023) Overcoming the Challenges Facing Nepal’s Health System During Federalisation: An Analysis of Health System Building Blocks, Health Research Policy & Systems 21(117) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01033-2
  6. Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., et al. (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
  7. Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., et al. (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of action by, and cooperation between, different levels of government in a federal system, Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 3 (3): 1-11.
  8. Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2021) An Investigation into the Impact of Decentralization on the Health System of Nepal. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 7(1): 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v7i1.43146

Join us for the Centre for Science, Health and Data Communication Research Spring Speaker Series

Fusion

The Centre for Science, Health, and Data Communication Research invites you to our Spring 25 speaker series. Featuring researchers from BU and around the world, these online talks are open to the public and encompass topics on the exploitation of seaweed, the adoption and use of VR, communicating numbers, AI migration governance, and using AI to build ‘databases from below’.

 All events take place on zoom– Wednesdays 14:00-15:00 UK time  

Research seminar and tech showcase 12.02.25: ICONIC (Intergenerational Co-design Of Novel technologies In Coastal communities) project

Fusion, innovation, PG research, Research themes

The Ageing and Dementia Research Centre are welcoming colleagues from Plymouth University to talk about the ICONIC project (see more details below) and showcase some of the technologies they have created.

 The team are interested in talking to any BU colleagues who work on co-design/digital health or immersive technologies and AI so please do come along (and let Michelle mheward@bournemouth.ac.uk know if would like to give a short presentation about your research).

 12th February 2025

11-1pm (presentations will be first and then tech showcase)

P222, Poole House, Talbot Campus

ICONIC Project

The ICONIC (Intergenerational Co-design Of Novel technologies In Coastal communities) project is exploring how co-design of novel technologies can support digital inclusion in Cornwall and Devon. The project recruited 99 participants to join intergenerational co-design workshops to create technologies that support access to environment, heritage, and community resources. The technologies include a social game, immersive heritage and underwater experiences, and a voice AI system accessed via a telephone call. The research team will be sharing their insights from the co-design process for each technology and discuss the effects of participation on digital inclusion.

  • Dr Rory Baxter is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Technology, University of Plymouth, working on the EPSRC funded Intergenerational Codesign Of Novel technologies In Coastal communities (ICONIC) project to address digital exclusion in Cornwall and Devon. The project involves the intergenerational co-design of technologies for supporting access to heritage, environment, and community resources. His previous work includes the ESRC funded GOALD and ERDF funded EPIC projects, which focused on digital health innovation co-design and evaluation to support healthy ageing. Prior to that he completed an EPSRC funded iCASE PhD, exploring human navigation and search behaviour, during which Rory developed VR-based experimental tasks using Unity, which were adapted for online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Dr Oksana Hagen earned a BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from NCTU (Taiwan), MSc in Computer Vision and Robotics through the Erasmus Mundus ViBOT program, and a PhD in Computing at the University of Plymouth. After a brief period in industry, Oksana joined Aldebaran AI Lab (France) under a Marie Curie Fellowship to focus on research in machine learning. She subsequently contributed to social robotics research for AgeIn project at the University of Plymouth. Currently, she is part of the ICONIC project, developing VoiceAI and underwater telepresence applications through co-design. Her research interests include machine learning, robotics and HCI.
  • Dr Marius Varga’s expertise sits at the intersection of game technology and user experience, with a focus on serious games and immersive experiences. Currently, a Research Fellow part of the ICONIC project, using a co-design approach, Marius leads the development of a multiplayer Social Game focused on seagrass conservation and for Extended Reality (XR), he is developing an immersive heritage experience in partnership with National Trust. Marius is also involved in digital health projects such part of Bridging project – focused on using XR training with autistic employees and employers and Glider project – addressing challenges in frailty through robotics, play and immersive technology.
  • Dr Linan Zhang holds an MA in East Asian Studies (Japanese) and an MSc in International Development from the University of Edinburgh. She later earned a PhD with Transtechnology Research at the University of Plymouth, where she developed a philosophical framework to ease the paradigm conflicts in knowledge sharing, drawing inspiration from an international health collaboration, a global health crisis, and the development discourse. She is currently an Associate Lecturer for i-DAT, a Research Fellow in Orbital Science, and the Media and Admin officer for the ICONIC Project at the University of Plymouth. Additionally, she serves as an Associate Editor for Leonardo Review.

EndNote desktop upgrade

EndNote 20 will be upgraded to EndNote 21 in AppsAnywhere on 11th February. This applies to Windows 10/11 users; Mac users at BU will already have access.

EndNote 21 looks very similar to EndNote 20 but includes some feature enhancements, e.g. ‘tagging’ references in your library and a revised EndNote online interface for those who link to it.

If you are already using EndNote 20, you do not need to do anything; the upgrade just means when you next install EndNote from AppsAnywhere you will be using EndNote 21. Your libraries will not be affected.

If you have any questions, or are using a version of EndNote earlier than X9.3, please contact your Faculty/School library team.

Horizon Europe event – Weds 12th Feb – extra spaces

Having fully sold out, I’m pleased to announce further spaces have been made available for this popular event……

In addition, the panel has been confirmed as

  • Prof Hamid Bouchachia, BU’s Horizon expert
  • Prof Melanie Klinkner, the only current European Research Council grant winner at BU
  • Prof Jeff Bray, the winner of the most recent Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchange grant coordinated by BU

Please see this blog post for further details and book in quick HERE before those extra spaces are taken…….

Contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk if you have any queries

What 35 Cities’ Road Networks Teach Us About Urban Complexity?

Publishing

What do Urban Road Networks reveal about life in the World’s Densest Cities?

A newly published paper, “A Multi-scale Network-based Topological Analysis of Urban Road Networks in Highly Populated Cities”, by recent PhD graduate Dr. Assemgul Kozhabek and Dr. Wei Koong Chai, explores this question by analyzing road networks from 35 densely populated cities worldwide—including those in China, India, Brazil, and Côte d’Ivoire. Using network science, the study offers fascinating insights into the structural patterns of urban road systems and their implications for city planning.

Key Findings 

  1. Macro-scale Insights:
    Cities with robust networks—those resilient to disruptions—tend to be more efficient, meaning they offer shorter travel distances. This highlights the importance of balancing robustness and efficiency in urban planning to prevent congestion.
  2. Meso-scale Patterns:
    The study reveals that these cities tend to be polycentric, with multiple key hubs rather than a single central core. Strong community structures (distinct, well-connected neighborhoods) and low core-periphery structures emphasize this decentralized nature.
  3. Micro-scale Observations:
    Critical intersections emerge in all cities, with betweenness centrality following a power-law distribution. This indicates that a few key intersections handle most traffic, making them vital for smooth flow.

Why It Matters 

For city planners, these insights offer valuable guidance. Designing cities with multiple centers, identifying key intersections, and balancing network robustness with efficiency can improve traffic management and urban resilience. As cities grow, smart infrastructure design will be crucial for sustainable urban living.

This study reminds us that cities are more than just buildings and roads—they’re dynamic, interconnected systems. Understanding their structure can lead to smarter, more livable urban environments.

Reference: Kozhabek, A. and Chai, W.K., 2025. A Multi-scale Network-based Topological Analysis of Urban Road Networks in Highly Populated Cities. Environment and planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/239980832513180

This work was partially funded by the Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole (BCP) Council, UK and supported by an OpenBright Award.

         

BA ECRN: online connection and inspiration for ECRs each month

Training

 

Tuesday 11th February 1200 – 1300 GMT  Online, Zoom

 

The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network – South West & South Wales cluster invites you to an online gathering on the 2nd Tuesday of each month where we get to know each other and exchange knowledge, support and inspiration. Each month, the first half of the meeting has a theme, often including a presentation and discussion. Then there is ample time for networking, fostering new connections and collaborations across the region. Our intention is the topics and format of the events are ECR-driven.

Feel free to bring your lunch or coffee. This is an informal space to connect.

REGISTER HERE

For more information about these events, and to feedback, please email Linda Lanyon.

Tuesday 11th February Programme

1200 – 1205: Welcome and objectives for this new series of events – Dr Linda Lanyon, BA ECRN SWSW Project Officer

1205 – 1230: Outcomes from the ECR workshop at Bath Spa University in October & discussion about next steps – Dr Sanja Djerasimovic, University of Exeter / all.

1230 – 1300: Networking & discussion – all

The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network brings together ECRs across the humanities and social sciences disciplines, regardless of their funding source or background.

To book a ticket to attend this event you must be a member of the British Academy ECR Network. Please see the BA website for more information on eligibility and how to sign up. For membership enquiries, please email ecr_network@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.

 

Deposit function in BRIAN unavailable 11-12th February 2025

BRIAN, Publishing, staff profile pages

Please be aware that there will be a planned upgrade to BURO taking place 11-12th February. During this time, authors will not be able to deposit outputs into BURO via BRIAN.

Please do plan your use of the outputs deposit function in BRIAN accordingly to take this period of disrupted functionality into account.

For all BURO and BRIAN related queries, please email BURO@bournemouth.ac.uk and BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk respectively.

BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants June 2025 round

Funding opportunities

BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants June 2025 round

The call for the next round of BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants will be opening soon, expected 9th April.

We are welcoming your proposals for the upcoming BA/Leverhulme Small grants call.

The below deadlines will be in place to ensure that the pre-award team can provide all interested academics with optimal support.

 

 

 

 

26th February 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

26th Feb – 9th April

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Guidance Session –  follow the link below- 

Join us on the in person session, book a space at :

 

 

Work on your proposal between the allotted time- things to accomplish during that time by the 9th April:

-Brainstorm idea with peers/mentors and discuss the design, methods and approach you are planning to take

-Consider if you require additional funding development support, ie Research Facilitator support, External Application Reviewers, Bid writing – speak to RDS

-Organise your team, will you have a coi or the max of two at hand, do you need any further wider team (panel).

-Start a Flexi-Grant account and start an application in the system

 

-Submit your ITB and attach your draft proposal
9th April 2025 Call Opens -expected-
 

9th April 2025

 

 

10th -25th April

 Latest date to submit your ITB   

Remember to advise your referee that you will be sending them your completed application on Flexi-Grant and that their expected statement to be submitted by the 23rd May

 

Internal Peer review taking place
25th April 2025 If you are Grade 8 or below and you wish to use the support of an External Application Reviewer (EAR), you must submit your quality approved by the Faculty draft application to RDS by this date.
23rd May 2025 Nominated referee supporting statement to be completed via Flexi-Grant
24th May 2025 Your final application must be submitted on Flexi-Grant  by this date at the latest.

Click ‘submit’ and the form will be sent to BU’s accounts for RDS checks.
24th May – 4th June 2025 Institutional checks to take place by RDS and final submissions. – submission final dates estimated currently till call opens.

 

If you have any queries, please contact Eva Papadopoulou or your Funding Development Officer. 

Research Connect Training

BU has signed up to Research Connect, a new platform to search for external research funding. It replaces Research Professional.

Please join us on Monday 10th February at 11am for an online training session run by Research Connect to demonstrate the new platform, its powerful functions, and how to set up email alerts.

Registration for the webinar can be found here.

All staff have access to Research Connect. No specific registration is required as login can be done via single sign on with your BU account.

Upcoming webinars on children’s palliative care

Dr Duncan Randall from Nursing Sciences has been invited to contribute to three Webinars.
He has already delivered one on 14th of January for the re formed education group of Together for Short Lives. One of the main children’s palliative care organisations in the UK. Over 50 people attended to hear about Duncan’s work with Dr Sue Neilson of the University of Birmingham on education standards for the Children’s Palliative Care Education and Traning Action Group and their follow up work on advance care planning for children. Coming up are a webinar for the Association of British Paediatric Nurses on 14th February and one for the International Children’s Palliative Care Network on 20th February. These will be delivered with Dr Neilson and Professor Julia Downing Duncan’s co editors from the new Children’s Palliative Nursing Care book. Each of the webinar will discuss children’s pallaitive care and the lessons learnt from editing a textbook with 30 authors from 13 countries. Link to ABPN Webinar below
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/childrens-palliative-care-frameworks-an-interactive-workshop-for-nurses-tickets-1051966529207?aff=oddtdtcreator.

European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease

A €10 million research project is exploring how digital duplicates called ‘virtual twins’ could help in managing and treating metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

MAFLD is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in Europe, surpassing viral hepatitis and alcohol-related causes. It can also play a role in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease.

Bournemouth University is one of the partners on ARTEMIs, a four-year research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon programme.

The project will explore how ‘virtual twins’ – digital duplicates of the liver, heart and other organs – can be used to track the development of the disease, leading to better and more personalised diagnosis and management of the condition.

This could help enable early detection of the disease, better prediction of the disease’s progression and more effective management of MAFLD and associated conditions.

The ARTEMIs project consortium group gathered in front of a buildingThe ARTEMIs project consortium

22 institutions from across Europe and beyond – ranging from hospitals to SMEs, academic partners and a patients’ association – are working together on the project.

Experts in data science and medical imaging at Bournemouth University are developing AI-based digital tools to support the digitisation and personalisation of the virtual twins.

“Through AI, we will investigate various clinical questions such as the progression of liver disease in MASLD patients and cardiovascular complications,” said Professor Hamid Bouchachia, Professor in Data Science and Intelligent Systems, who is the principal investigator for BU

“We will also develop the machine learning and AI tools to recognise and analyse patterns in patients and related factors, using data from various sources – including clinical data, imaging, and biological molecules.

“The outcome of such investigations will be integrated in a multi-scale computational virtual twin to facilitate the diagnosis and management of patients with MALFD. Such research will undoubtedly benefit patients suffering from this prevalent disease.”

To find out more about the project, please visit: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/ARTEMIS

ECRN – Work/Life balance for ECRs & PGRs

Training

RKEDF & ECRN are hosting an in person work/life balance session for ECRs & PGRs, on Talbot Campus, Weds 12th Feb, 13:00 – 14:00. 

This session is aimed at Academics, Researchers and PGRs with an interest in discussing work/life balance within Academic roles and careers.

The session aims to discuss approaches to setting and maintaining healthy work/life balance whilst also managing the demands of their role. It will follow an open, discursive model and invite responses with input from the Academic leads.

By the end of the session, attendees will have acquired knowledge of models and techniques to healthy professional practice with regards to time management, wellbeing and working practices, and have had the opportunity to discuss their specific circumstances with peers and experienced Academic mentors.

Book your place here

For further information on this event please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk

Dipping into pond life with Dr George McGavin and Prof Genoveva Esteban

George McGavin and a lens

Image Copyright Dorset Wildlife Trust. Dr George McGavin (President of the Dorset Wildlife Trust) during a visit to a local school.

Join Dr George McGavin https://www.georgemcgavin.com/, one of the UK’s leading entomologists and authorities on the natural world, as well as an acclaimed TV and radio presenter, along with Prof Genoveva Esteban (microbial ecologist from SciTech in Life and Environmental Sciences), at the Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Kingcombe Visitor Centre. Together, they will examine the captivating world of pond life, including microbes. Find full details about the event and location here: Dipping into Pond Life | Dorset Wildlife Trust

Date: Saturday 8th March 2025. Two drop-in sessions: 10:30am to 12:30pm; and 1:30pm to 3:30pm

The event is free. No booking required. Everyone is welcome. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

We will meet at Kingcombe Visitor Centre, Kingcombe Rd, Toller Porcorum, Dorchester DT2 0EQ. Parking is available on site.

This event is organised by Prof G. Esteban in collaboration with the Dorset Wildlife Trust as part of the Dorchester Science Festival https://discoverdorchester.co.uk/dorchester-science-festival/, an exciting programme of events to celebrate British Science Week, 7 – 16 March 2025.