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UK Government policy week on the Blog. What is ARIA?

ARIA stands for Advanced Research and Invention Agency and is set to be the Government’s newest funding agency. “But don’t we already have UKRI” I hear you say? Well yes, but ARIA will supposedly complement the work of UKRI, while building on the government’s ambitious R&D Roadmap published in July 2020.

ARIA will exclusively focus on projects with potential to produce transformative technological change, or a paradigm-shift in an area of science. While it is anticipated that most programmes may fail in achieving their ambitious aims, those which succeed will have profound and positive impact on society. ARIA will be headed by leading scientists and innovators with the remit of engaging in high risk and high reward transformational research, adding a new capability to the UK’s innovation architecture.

A Government Bill is currently passing through parliament to establish ARIA as a statutory corporation. The Bill sets out ARIA’s functions – ‘focused on conducting “ambitious” scientific research with a tolerance to failure, and on developing, exploiting and sharing scientific knowledge, such as translating basic scientific research into more commercial technologies. It enables the Secretary of State to provide ARIA with funding.’

ARIA will be based on the principles of the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) now renamed DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). The idea is that this new research body will be independent and sit outside the structures of UKRI and be given a greater degree of independence from government in its decision-making than other government-backed funders. At present, £800M is promised in total over 4 years with £50M in 2021-22.

ARIA will use a range of innovative approaches to funding researchers, which is likely to include the ability to run prizes; take equity stakes; and issue small grants rapidly without lengthy open competitions.

You can read all about it here.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Nurudeen Adesina

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Nurudeen Adesina (PhD, FHSS) with this poster entitled: Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Tools to Support Dietary Self-management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

A systematic search of Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane library and Web of Science using key search terms identified 1476 papers reporting research studies, of which 16 met specified inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the ErasmusAGE Quality Score or the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool version 2018. Meta-analysis was not conducted due to the presence of substantial heterogeneity of data across the included studies. Our findings show that adoption of digital tools to support lifestyle improvement relating to healthy diet, health behaviour and adherence to therapy in women with GDM is a usable intervention. However, there was a lack of evidence concerning the effectiveness of the tools to support dietary management of GDM. Our systematic review suggests consideration for ethnic specific dietary advice and evidence-based framework in the development of effective digital tool for dietary management of GDM.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Kazeem Balogun

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Kazeem Balogun (PhD, FST) with this poster entitled: Overview of blackblaze HDD analysis for predictive maintenance.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

 

With recent studies showing viability of machine learning (ML) among other tools as a better approach in performing Hard Disk Drive (HDD) analysis and enable fault detection models, the adoption of ML in the field of predictive maintenance (PM) becomes more complex. The complexity is not farfetched to the increase in sensor deployment, large volumes of generated data, variances in attributes or parameters and differences in characteristics of data sets. We provide an overview of HDD analysis using Backblaze as a case study and literature review of different ML approaches to HDD analysis for PM. We observed reasonable amount of studies in this direction, but the application of ML towards HDD analysis for PM needs more focus to improve model accuracy and stimulate further work in this area. We shall conclude this study by proposing our ground-breaking state-of-the art HDD analysis and model enhancement.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Maureen Kehinde

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Maureen Kehinde (PhD, BUBS) with this poster entitled: A qualitative inquiry investigation of policy-practice decoupling factors of Environmental sustainability in universities: a case study of North-East Scottish universities.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

This research presents the findings from an investigation of decouplings between policy and practice of environmental sustainability in North East Scottish universities. Embedding environmental sustainability on university campus and into institutional culture requires universities to walk their talks, ensuring that there is strong alignment between policy claims and actual practice. However, the realities of institutional progress suggests that for some universities there continues to be practice discrepancies in the operation of environmental sustainability on campus. This research adopts Institutional theory as underpinning lens and qualitative inquiry multi-case study methodology to address the question what are the factors which further the occurrence of Policy-practice decoupling of environmental sustainability in universities? The research found that bounded rationality, fragmentation of the internal and external environment, outsourcing and centralisation are factors which further the disconnect between policy and practice of environmental sustainability in North East Scottish universities.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

Call for EoIs: Outputs Champion for UOA 20 (Social Work and Social Policy )

Research assessment

An opportunity has arisen for an Outputs Champion for Unit of Assessment (UOA) 20 (Social Work and Social Policy) to help drive preparations for the next REF. This role would initially be until summer 2022.BU is making early preparations towards units of assessment (UOAs) for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise. Each UOA has a UOA Leader, supported by Impact and Outputs Champions.  The roles are recruited through an open and transparent process, which gives all academic staff the opportunity to put themselves forward for UOA Leader roles.We are currently seeking expressions of interest (EoI) from academic staff interested in supporting outputs development for UOA 20 (Social Work and Social Policy).

Output Champions play a key role in shaping the output element of their UoA’s submission.  Key responsibilities of the Output Champion role include:

  • Support the development of research outputs being prepared within the UOA
  • Provide guidance on how research outputs can be produced and published
  • Advise colleagues on the REF output guidelines specifically those in relation to assessment, open access and research metrics
  • Review output strategies related to the UOA and assess progress made against them
  • Ensure that colleagues are updating institutional systems such as BRIAN and BURO
  • Promote Open Access publication and use of the Open Access Publication Fund as appropriate
  • Promote relevant training and development opportunities
  • Review outputs arising from major programmes of research and knowledge exchange to make recommendations as to how these can contribute to the UoAs output profile
  • Work with Post-Doctoral Research Fellows on REF Output related activity as appropriate.

Application process:

To apply for the role, please submit a short statement (suggested length 300 words) explaining your interest in the role and what you could bring to it. This should be sent by email to Professor Jonathan Parker by 21 December 2021.  The EoIs will be reviewed by the UoA Leader and DDR&PP.

The selection criteria used at EoI are outlined below. Each criterion carries a total possible score of 5. The role will be offered to the highest scoring applicant. The UoA Leader will provide feedback to all applicants.

  • Knowledge of the REF  (scored out of 5): Applicants should have the appropriate level of skill and knowledge to help them support the development of outputs in their UoA. It is expected that Output Champions will predominantly be practising researchers and will have a breadth of understanding of research across their Faculty.  They are also expected to have an understanding of the REF assessment process and of research outputs and open access.
  • Experience of output development (scored out of 5): Output Champions are expected to be able to provide advice and direction to colleagues who want to develop their research outputs.
  • Commitment, motivation and enthusiasm (scored out of 5): Being an Output Champion is a big commitment and the role has the scope to help shape output development at BU. Applicants need to be committed to the role, as well as showing the enthusiasm and motivation needed to support their UoA.

A  role description is available here: Outputs Champion Role

Call for EoIs: Impact Champion for UOA 20 (Social Work and Social Policy)

REF Subjects, Research assessment

An opportunity has arisen for an Impact Champion for Unit of Assessment (UOA) 20 (Social Work and Social Policy) to help drive preparations for the next REF. This role would initially be until summer 2022.BU is making early preparations towards units of assessment (UOAs) for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise. Each UOA has a UOA Leader, supported by Impact and Outputs Champions.  The roles are recruited through an open and transparent process, which gives all academic staff the opportunity to put themselves forward for UOA Leader roles.We are currently seeking expressions of interest (EoI) from academic staff interested in supporting impact development for UOA 20 (Social Work and Social Policy). Impact Champions play a key role in shaping the impact element of their UOA’s submission, working closely with their Faculty’s Impact Advisor.

Key responsibilities of the Impact Champion role include:

  • Early detection of potential impact case studies
  • Review the development of impact case studies being prepared within the UOA
  • Provide guidance on how impact case studies can be accelerated and evidenced
  • Advise colleagues on the REF impact guidelines
  • Review impact strategies related to the UOA and assess progress made against them
  • Review and implement recommendations from external research users to strengthen research impact
  • Ensure that colleagues are updating institutional systems for impact tracking
  • Promote relevant training and development opportunities
  • Review impact arising from major programmes of research and knowledge exchange to make recommendations as to how these can contribute to impact case studies
  • Advise on the use of appropriate metrics specific to the subject area
  • To help embed a culture of research impact
  • To undertake any other duties as requested by the relevant Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice (DDR&PP) and/or Unit of Assessment leader.

Application process:

To apply for one of the Impact Champion roles, please submit a short statement (suggested length 300 words) explaining your interest in the role and what you could bring to it. This should be sent by email to Professor Jonathan Parker by 21st December 2021.  The EoIs will be reviewed by the UOA Leader and DDR&PP.

The selection criteria used at EoI are outlined below. Each criterion carries a total possible score of 5. The role will be offered to the highest scoring applicant. A member of the panel will provide feedback to all applicants.

  • Knowledge of the REF and research impact (scored out of 5): Applicants should have the appropriate level of skill and knowledge to help them support the development of impact in their UOA. It is expected that Impact Champions will predominantly be practising researchers and will have a breadth of understanding of research across their Faculty.  They are also expected to have an understanding of the REF assessment process and of research impact.
  • Experience of external engagement and / or impact development (scored out of 5): Impact Champions are expected to be able to provide advice and direction to colleagues who want to develop their research impact. Experience of engaging with external organisations or developing your own research impact would be of benefit in this role.
  • Commitment, motivation and enthusiasm (scored out of 5): Being an Impact Champion is a big commitment and the role has the scope to help shape impact development at BU. Applicants need to be committed to the role, as well as showing the enthusiasm and motivation needed to support their UOA.

A  role description is available here: UOA Impact Champion Role Descriptor-Nov 2021.

Updated HRA amendment tool now live

Guidance, NHS, Research Ethics

Please see below and note that from now any amendment made should be using version 1.6 of the document.

‘What: An updated amendment tool has been released for use when submitting amendments for health research studies

Who: All researchers and sponsors

When: Released 6 December

We’ve also made some other changes to the amendment tool to make it easier to use including:

  • improved guidance in the submission tab
  • changes to the radio selection buttons to make it clearer to complete and view once converted to a pdf
  • changes to help users avoid common mistakes

You can get all details on the changes we’ve made in the Change Record in General Guidance tab on the tool. Please start to use the new version (1.6) for all new amendments from 6 December 2021. We will continue to accept amendments using version 1.5 for two weeks. We will not accept amendments submitted on V1.5 after 20 December 2021.’

Please see this link for further information.

Postgraduate Researchers and Supervisors | Monthly Update for Researcher Development

PG research, student research, Training

Postgraduate researchers and supervisors, hopefully you have seen your monthly update for researcher development e-newsletter sent earlier last week. If you have missed it, please check your junk email or you can view it within the Researcher Development Programme on Brightspace.

The start of the month is a great time to reflect on your upcoming postgraduate researcher development needs and explore what is being delivered this month as part of the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme and what is available via your Faculty or Department. Remember some sessions only run once per year, so don’t miss out.

Please also subscribe to your Brightspace announcement notifications for updates when they are posted.

If you have any questions about the Researcher Development Programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie (Research Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk 

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Taalia Nadeem

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Taalia Nadeem (PhD, BUBS) with this poster entitled: Understanding the social representation of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs): how public and stakeholder views empower or constrain pathways to adoption.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

UAVs now support various purposes including within healthcare logistics. There are benefits of using UAVs, but their capabilities are challenged by the public. A solid understanding of public acceptance of UAVs is important to develop appropriate regulatory strategies therefore, the following research questions arise: What is the influence of mass media on UAV perception? What attributes and perceived risks of UAVs influence adoption? How do personal attributes affect views of UAVs? A mixed method approach is proposed including a phase of qualitative research to understand concerns and identify segments according to attitudes, behaviours, or values. This will be followed by a large-scale questionnaire.  Studies demonstrate that mainstream media is the main source of information about UAVs, but due to lack of knowledge, the public is unable to make a more informed opinion, and this calls for a deeper understanding of people’s knowledge of UAVs.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Zhiqi Li

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Zhiqi Li (PhD, FMC) with this poster entitled: Deep learning for scene flow estimation: methods and applications.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Scene flow estimation aims at obtaining structure information and 3D motion of dynamic scenes. It has long been an interest of research in computer vision and 3D computer graphics. It is a fundamental task for various applications like autonomous driving. Compared to previous methods utilizing image representations, many recent researches build upon the power of deep analysis on point clouds and focus on point clouds representation to conduct 3D flow estimation. In this survey, we comprehensively review the pioneering literature in scene flow estimation based on point clouds, delve in detail into their learning paradigms and present insightful comparison between the state-of-the-art methods using deep learning for scene flow estimation. Furthermore, we introduce various higher-level scene understanding tasks (object tracking, motion segmentation, etc.) which could benefit from the latest progress on scene flow estimation. The paper concludes with an overview of foreseeable research trends for scene flow estimation.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Shell Smith

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Shell Smith (PhD, FHSS) with this poster entitled: Does motorcyclists’ identification, perception, and knowledge towards risk change regarding their motorcycling qualifications and experience?

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable road user groups in the U.K. with an average of 6 deaths and 94 serious injuries per week. A common collision scenario is a road user driving across the path of a motorcyclist. Consequently, the research questions ask where motorcyclists and car drivers are directing their visual attention and hazard perception and whether there are differences between advanced motorcyclists and advanced car drivers vs standard trained motorcyclists and car drivers. Prior research specifically targeted at motorcycle collision prevention is limited, with only 15 studies using eye-tracking methodology. To target gaps in the literature; this is a mixed methods study using qualitative interviews, questionnaires, and eye-tracking. Initial findings indicate that motorcyclists and car drivers demonstrate different visual attention patterns. Thus, it is possible to change driving and motorcycle test training to teach how to direct visual attention and cognition to hazards.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

Dr. Samreen Ashraf: Keynote Speaker at the PGR conference- Bournemouth University

PG research

Dr. Samreen Ashraf was invited as a Keynote Speaker at the 13th Annual Postgraduate Conference organised by the Doctoral College- Bournemouth University on 01/12/21.

The keynote covered Samreen’s research topic of multiple identities where she talked about juggling multiples identities successfully. Though everyone holds multiple identities, but this session was focused on PGR’s multiple identities. Discussing questions like, who we are/how we would describe ourselves and what determines our behaviour in certain situations enabled the audiences to reflect on their respective journeys.

Drawing upon Samreen’s own PhD journey, the session was ended by bringing in the positive side of having multiple identities and the ways to utilise them in our best interest.

UK Government policy week on the Blog: the R&D roadmap

Funding opportunities

In the future, as we look back at the years dominated by COVID-19 and the policies of the government of the time, one of the emergent themes through the discourse is that of the role of research in UK society, and how research is critical to the future of our society and economy. This is visible through the rapid development of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine (a triumph in scientific excellence, agile internal investment, technology transfer and partnership working) but look more closely and you will see a plethora of policy documents that articulate the importance of R&D as we look towards a post COVID world. In this blog post, I explore how the government’s R&D roadmap illustrates this trajectory…

 

UK Research and Development Roadmap (webpage) - GOV.UK

Since January 2020, the national R&D funding landscape has shifted abruptly in response to global events and a decisive policy trajectory outlined by the UK government. This includes (1) the UK’s departure from the EU and associated uncertainty of funding from the EU post-Brexit, (2), the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and resultant diversion of funding and activity and (3) the expectation that UK Universities will play a pivotal role in national economic recovery further to the lockdowns required to curb the spread of COVID.

In response to these elements, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published on 1 July 2020 the UK Research and Development Roadmap. The roadmap is in the developmental stage and seeks to test how the UK can:

  • increase our investment in research, unlocking discoveries and applying research to solving our most pressing problems in government, industry and across society;
  • become world-class at securing the economic and social benefits from research;
  • support entrepreneurs and start-ups and increase the flow of capital into firms carrying out R&D enabling them to scale up;
  • attract, retain and develop the talented, diverse people and teams that are essential to delivering our vision;
  • take greater account of place-based outcomes in how we make decisions on R&D in the UK, ensuring that our R&D systems make their fullest contribution to our levelling up agenda;
  • provide long-term flexible investment into infrastructure and institutions;
  • be a partner of choice for other world-leading research and innovation nations, as well as strengthening R&D partnerships with emerging and developing countries;
  • engage in new and imaginative ways to ensure that our science, research and innovation system is responsive to the needs and aspirations of our society.

But what does this mean for researchers? I’d suggest future implications will be larger investments in riskier ideas (the famous moonshot), a greater emphasis on impact (more still), more freedom of movement of researchers/scientists (theoretically at least), a more diverse research ecosystem and a huge amount of emphasis on place (as part of the broader context of levelling up – i.e. that R&D expansion will help the UK become more equal).

There is a clear expectation that Universities are a key enabler in this strategy as the UK looks towards the recovery required in the post-COVID-19 future, but, only as part of a wider system that is seeking to reduce bureaucracy. This perhaps creates tension for the policymakers given the current Whitehall perception of where bureaucracy lies (i.e. within Universities – which are thought to be far less agile than industry).

This makes it essential for anyone working in research to consider how to respond to these changes to position itself appropriately to become a net beneficiary of the shift in the funding landscape. Even though details remain scarce as to specificities of the roadmap and how it will enrich the research environment for researchers day to day….

What we don’t know, and still don’t know, is exactly how this roadmap will be administered. We were expecting further announcements this side of Christmas, however, it is looking less and less likely, with the focus of the treasury being diverted elsewhere.

So how do you prepare? I always suggest reading the political runes i.e. the overall trajectory of travel now, rather than await specific funding calls. With the national economic recovery perhaps better than expected, I would expect in 2022 we will see announcements of big investments and changes to the national research ecosystem.

As a research community, this means that we need to have a clarity of vision of the big research ideas that can transform society, ready to articulate these through our external narratives and funding calls when they arrive. Collaboration and dialogue is essential for this, and perhaps somewhat starved, thanks to COVID. So perhaps if I have one piece of advice that is to engage with colleagues and allow yourself the space to explore our big research ideas.  BU has a huge amount to offer through the R&D roadmap; I’d highly recommend we collaborate and articulate how we further it to deliver the societal impact that we are so brilliant at doing as a University.

Announcing the WAN Wellness Mini-Retreat Dec 15

Delicious links, Women's Academic Network

Announcing the (rescheduled) WAN Wellness Retreat fast approaching!

Our WAN (Women’s Academic Network) Wellness Mini-Retreat has been rescheduled to the morning of Wed 15 December. The chance to take care of ourselves under expert tutelage is just what we need after a frenetic semester and before the Christmas madness begins. So join us for a morning of relaxation, recuperation and recovery with friendly folk and our amazing SportsBU Wellness Guru and current WAN convenor, Dr Melsia Tomlin-Kräftner.

Details:

Date and time: Wed 15 December, 10.00-13.00.

Venue:  Ashdown Leisure Centre, Canford Heath, Poole (free parking and easy access to Talbot Campus and buses to Lansdowne)

 Retreat Programme and participation requirements:

  • A mid-morning practice of Yoga, ChiRestore & Relaxation to rejuvenate the body.
  • Bring your yoga mat, a large towel, socks & hoodie/woolly.
  • Water, fruits and cereal bars will be provided.
  • Be prepared to stretch…

Please note: The WAN wellness retreat welcomes all members with inclusive activities accessible for people with various levels of disabilities. Just email your requirements so Melsia can be ready to support you.

 Don’t delay – please RSVP to ahamidi@bournemouth.ac.uk

Not a WAN member yet? No problem.

If you are woman academic or PGR and would like to join WAN and access our events just email scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk

This week’s FMC research process seminar: working with industry/ government. Tuesday 7th December at 2pm on Zoom

You are warmly invited to join us on Zoom this week for an hour of talking research process.

Research Meets Strategy: Tales from the Traverse – by Prof Julian McDougall

This talk will share some reflections on recent projects working with industry / government funders (ITV, BBC and DCMS) with a clear strategic pathway in mind for what media literacy can do to solve a problem for them. This is very different to other studies we have worked on within the same research field (eg with AHRC, EU, British Council). It’s not the research design or the conceptual framework that’s different, but what the findings need to do for the funder. So, the idea is to talk through this experience, offer some suggestions and invite insights from others who’ve hiked the same traverse.

Tuesday 7th December at 2pm on Zoom.

https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/9292103478?pwd=UzJnNTNQWDdTNldXdjNWUnlTR1cxUT09

Meeting ID: 929 210 3478

Passcode: rps!4fmc