/ Full archive

EU Project FoodMAPP secondment to Gent University

Awarded & submitted bids, innovation, international, Knowledge Exchange

The EU Project FoodMAPP won by BU as coordinator has reached an exciting mid-point, with prototype solutions providing localised food supply transparency entering the stakeholder testing phase.

As a Staff Exchange (MSCA SE) project, the BU team led by Jeff Bray undertake 30 day secondments with our interdisciplinary industry and academic partners across Europe.

Jeff has today returned from a period of secondment to the Department of Agricultural Economics at Gent University (Belgium) to collaborate with Prof Hans De Steur and his research team. The secondment provided a rich opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange and discussion around Food Security Challenges and potential solutions across and beyond Europe. Future proposals, including the next Staff Exchange project, were scoped and progressed to continue successful and productive interdisciplinary research visits in the future.

Two new midwifery papers from CMWH

The latest issue of MIDIRS Midwifery Digest features two papers from CMWH members.

Laura SLaura Stedman reports on the global variance in screening approaches and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). She explores the impact of these differences on policy recommendations and practice. Without a universally accepted screening criterion, the variance in approaches makes accurately calculating the prevalence of GDM difficult. Untreated GDM results in women being more likely to experience pre-eclampsia, caesarean birth or stillbirth, while babies are more likely to be born prematurely, macrosomic or large for gestational age.

Also in this issue, Maryam Malekian, a MRes student in CMWH, has had her scoping review protocol published. Maryam has recently completed the review looking at knowledge and attitudes of nulliparous women regarding breastfeeding. She presented this work at the Maternal, Parental and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN) Conference in April and has submitted the findings for publication.

 

Congratulations to both authors.

References:

Stedman L, Angell C, Hundley VA. Gestational diabetes mellitus: evaluating the implications of applying international research into national policy and practice. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, vol 35, no 2, June 2025, pp 141–147.

Malekian M, Hundley V, Irving M. A scoping review protocol of factors influencing breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among non-pregnant, nulliparous women of reproductive age. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, vol 35, no 2, June 2025, pp 179-182.

Policy engagement for impact sessions – last chance to book!

Knowledge Exchange, Training

We have a few places available for our policy engagement training sessions, which are now open to any researchers interested in learning how to get their research in front of decision makers.

DATES & TIMES

Friday 30th May, 9.30am-1pm, F306, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact BOOK HERE

Wednesday 11th June, 9.30am-1pm, online via Zoom
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact (same content) BOOK HERE

KEY DETAILS

Developing Policy Engagement for Impact
Facilitated by BU’s policy consultant Carys Davis, this provides expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches and informs decision makers. Topics covered:

  • The purpose of influencing, the role of evidence and what it means for you 
  • Writing elevator pitches and key messages 
  • Principles of communicating with policy and decision makers 
  • Effective policy writing 
  • Understanding the policymaking landscape. 

 

BU Professor to chair Sub-Panel for REF2029

Research assessment

Kate Welham, Professor of Archaeological Sciences at BU, has been appointed as chair of one of the 34 sub-panels that will assess research from universities across the country for the next Research Excellence Framework assessment in 2029.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education providers and is managed by Research England.

The outcomes from REF assessments are used to inform the allocation of around £2 billion per year of public funding for universities’ research.

Professor Welham will lead the assessment for Archaeology.

Her role as chair will involve appointing the other members of her sub-panel and developing the criteria they will use to assess submissions. She will then work with her panel on rigorous evaluating submissions against those criteria and providing advice to the main panels on the quality of research.

After her appointment was announced, Professor Welham said: “I’m honoured to be invited to serve as chair of the archaeology Sub-Panel for REF2029. This is a valuable opportunity to support our discipline and ensure that its excellence—wherever and however it is expressed—is recognised fairly and consistently.

“Archaeology in the UK is a wide-ranging and globally engaged field, and I look forward to drawing on my experience from REF2021 and the current PCE pilot to help foster a collaborative and transparent process that delivers a rigorous and trusted assessment.”

Professor Welham’s appointment was made by the four UK higher education funding bodies – Research England, Scottish Funding Council, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research in Wales and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland – and the REF Main Panel Chairs.

REF Director Rebecca Fairbairn said: “I’m delighted to welcome this outstanding group to lead the REF 2029 sub-panels. Their deep expertise and broad perspectives will be central to building an assessment process that is fair, rigorous, and trusted by the research community.

“We have been working in partnership with the sector throughout this process, and I’m grateful to everyone who expressed interest – your engagement is what strengthens the credibility and value of the REF across our research landscape.”

Academic Writing, Publishing & Collaborating event sold out!

international, PG research, Publishing, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing

Bournemouth University’s (BU) Doctoral College aims to create a stimulating and motivating Research Culture and Community at the university.  As part of this goal, the Doctoral College has funded a proposal by Anjana Paudyal, Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS) to organise a half-day workshop on ‘Academic Writing, Publishing & Collaborating’ on 28th May.

This event is part of BU’s Research Culture and Community workshop series.  The interactive workshop, facilitated by experienced BU with as guest contributor Jillian Ireland, Professional Midwifery Advocate at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.  Of all midwives working in the NHS (i.e. not in academic posts), Jillian is the most widely published midwife in the South of England; Jillian is also Visiting Faculty in FHSS.

Wednesday morning’s sessions will cover  academic writing, collaboration in writing, writing for practitioners’ journals, publishing identifiers and metrics, and responding to journal editors and reviewers. There will also be opportunities for Q&A and networking.

The event at Talbot Campus is now fully booked, but if you are a postgraduate student and you would like to be put on the waiting list: please email Anjana Paudyal at: apaudyal@bournemouth.ac.uk.

 

We would like to thank the Doctoral College for supporting this important event!

Dr. Orlanda Harvey & Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

(Anjana’s Ph.D. supervisors)

CMWH showcases research at Wessex Health Partnership event

On 19th May 2025 at the Wessex Women and Girls Event at the Southampton Science Park, BU’s Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health  showcased its research and innovation in women’s health.

Professor Vanora Hundley and Dr. Dominique Mylod presented their ongoing development of an Early Labour app as a case study for the Maternity and Infant Health Equity Research Collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University. Professor Carol Clark’s presentation focussed on pelvic floor health and the cost of urinary and faecal incontinence to women’s health and the planet. Dr. Chloe Casey honoured her mother-in-law’s memory with her PechaKucha presentation on using creative methodologies to engage women in recovery from alcohol.

In addition, Dr. Malika Felton and MRes students Susara Blunden and Maryam Malekian displayed posters summarising their research into the impact of exercise on women’s physiology and health, improving diagnositic and treatment pathways for women with endometriosis and exploring the impact of professional knowledge and skills on breastfeeding support respectively.

The event provided a valuable platform for BU researchers to connect with regional partners, contribute to the growing Wessex Women and Girls research network, and play a key role in shaping future initiatives aimed at closing gaps in women’s health. The CMWH’s invovement reinforces BU’s role as a leading voice in this important area of health innovation.

ERC Advanced Grant 2025 Webinar

Funding opportunities

This information, with some edits, is reposted from recent UKRO news.

The UK Research Office (UKRO), in its capacity as UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC), is organising a webinar for researchers who are interested in applying for the 2025 or any of the future ERC Advanced Grant calls. Attendance is free of charge, however, registration for the webinar is required. The session will last 2 hours.

The webinar will provide information on the submission process, how proposals are evaluated and other elements you’ll need to consider when designing a project for your research excellence idea ahead of the ERC Advanced Grant deadline of 28th August 2025.

Antonino Puglisi, UK National Contact Point, and Professor Rachel Gibson will be joining the webinar. Professor Rachel Gibson will share details of her journey towards getting an ERC Advanced grant.

Inaugural research meeting for British Academy grant

international, Publishing, writing

Today we had the introductory meeting of our recently funded ‘British Academy Project on Evidence-Informed Policymaking in Nepal’, the project is coordinated by the University of Huddersfield by Prof. Padam Simkhada, who is also Visiting Professor in Bournemouth University’s (BU) Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.  The co-investigator at BU is Dr. Pramod Regmi (Principal Academic in International Health), with other co-applicants based at the Keele University, Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Sheffield, the University of Chester, the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Kathmandu University and the research-based charity Green Tara Nepal.

This one year grant is officially starting next month (1st June).  The plans for this project were laid some time ago, and expressed in our 2022 paper ‘Nepal urgently needs a National Evidence Synthesis Centre‘ [1].   Our funded project will focus on the activities of: (1) formative research; (b)  capacity building including evidence synthesis; (c) the establishment of a National Evidence Synthesis Centre; and (d) the evaluation of sustainability planning.  The British Academy see this award also as providing a developmental opportunity, enabling award holders to build connections within the cohort and critically beyond that as well.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Reference:

  1. Simkhada, P., Dhimal, M., van Teijlingen, E., Gyanwali, P. (2022) Nepal Urgently Needs a National Evidence Synthesis Centre, Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 20 (3): i-ii.