The grant scheme allows individual members of the Royal Society of Biology to apply for funding to help run an event or activity in their region during Biology Week, 5th – 13th October 2019.
Small grants up to £200 and full grants up to £500 are available and they are looking to fund a wide range of events and activities.
So, if you have an idea for an event or activity for Biology Week from 5th – 13th October 2019 and are looking for some additional funds to help make it a success, please apply now.
The RSB can support both those who are experienced in event delivery, people hoping to organise their first event, and everyone in between. Contact Amanda Hardy to find out more.
You can also speak to Adam Morris (Engagement Officer at BU) for advice on organising an event.
All grant applications must be submitted through BU’s usual process.
The book features cases across multiple industries which are today revolutionising the use of digital technologies, i.e. fin-tech, ed-tech, media-tech, animation games and agri-tech. For example, Chapter 6, written by Dr Paula Callus, discusses “how digital art practices can challenge notions of authenticity in the discourse of African art” (Callus 2019, p. 126). Ten chapters are authored by the pull of international academics across different disciplines.
We hope you might be interested to find out more and order your own copy. Do get in touch with the editors via:
FHSS PhD student Anita Immanuel just had the first paper from her PhD “Quality of life in survivors of adult haematological malignancy” accepted by the international journal European Journal of Cancer Care. This international journal is published by Wiley and has an Impact Factor 2.409.
Survivors of haematological malignancies endure long-term effects of both the treatment and the disease. This paper examines factors that influence their quality of lives through reporting on the results of a survey. The survey used previously validated quality of life questionnaires for use in cancer management. Participants were adults over the age of 18 years who had completed treatment for a haematological malignancy and were between 1-5 years post treatment.
Anita is currently working as Lead Clinical Research Nurse at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Her PhD research (see picture above) was conducted at the Haematology Department of Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which has one of the most extensive research portfolios in the Trust. Her PhD is supervised by Dr. Jane Hunt (Dept of Nursing & Clinical Science), Dr. Helen McCarthy, Consultant Haematologist at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH).
To celebrate the National Science Week we organised a Family Science Festival in Dorchester’s Corn Exchange (17th March 2019). The Festival was an incredible success, with more than 2,200 visitors exploring the science presentations and workshops organised by Bournemouth University in partnership with Dorset County Museum, Dorchester Town Council and the Thomas Hardye School. Our ambition is to make this festival an annual event, and rename it Dorchester Science Festival, which would run over a whole week-end. Many BU undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff were involved in the activities offered to the general public. Genoveva Esteban (co-organiser and master minder of the event), Dan Franklin, Matthew Bennet, Sally Reynolds, Adrian Newton, Marcin and Dominika Budka, and Stephen Watson’s hands-on activities were all enthusiastically received by children and adults. The atmosphere was captured on film by BU’s award-winning media production agency Red Balloon.
The event was sponsored by EU-Interreg project SAMARCH, the Royal Society of Biology, Dorchester Town Council and BU. We are also grateful to the ScienceIRL Project developed by the Indian River Lagoon Science Festival SAMA (Florida, USA) for sharing the “This is what a scientist looks like” T-shirt idea with us.
The European Union and India have been negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) since 2007. Despite growing trade between the EU and India, talks stalled in 2013 after 16 rounds, only resuming in 2018. There has been talk in Brussels that Brexit might help remove some of the hurdles to an agreement. But this is unlikely to be the case.
If anything, the UK is better positioned to secure a trade deal with India than the EU, although this will not be straightforward. The UK’s desire to curb immigration is likely to lead to tough negotiations. But future UK-India FTA talks may well be an opportunity to negotiate a manageable set of strategic priorities.
The EU is India’s largest trading partner, accounting for around 13% of India’s total trade in goods in 2017. India contributes around 2.3% of total EU trade and is the EU’s ninth biggest trade partner. Trade in goods between the EU and India grew by three times over 2002-18, from €28 billion to €91 billion.
Services are also an important component of EU-India trade. Eurostat data shows that Indian services exports to the EU were €16.6 billion in 2018, while imports were €17.1 billion. The sector has also attracted foreign direct investment from the EU, including Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Belgium, as well as the UK.
Sticking points
Talks between the EU and India broke down in 2013, after it became clear that reaching an agreement on the demands for tariff reductions and market access, as well as the inclusion of social, environmental and human rights clauses would be impossible. Discussions resumed in 2018, which led to the declaration of an EU-India strategic partnership. While this agreement helped to resume the talks, it mainly reaffirmed current ties rather than tackling any of the issues that caused the trade agreement discussions to stall initially.
From the EU’s perspective, the main sticking points were drug patents, tariffs for second-hand cars, agriculture, services, rules of origin and an unacceptable list of sensitive items. The EU is adamant about negotiating a stronger intellectual property regime and a sustainable development chapter with social and environmental clauses, which India is unwilling to include in the trade agreement.
Plus, the EU wants detailed provisions for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) after India cancelled 20 bilateral investment protection treaties with individual EU countries in 2016. The ISDS demand is not acceptable to India and current regulations require foreign investors to resolve their problems in Indian courts for a period of five years before pursuing a claim under international law.
India views the proposed trade deal as an opportunity to address issues it has with the way the two sides trade in services. In particular, India wants more visas to be granted to its skilled workers in the services industry. This has been a longstanding demand.
After Brexit, this demand is unlikely to fade. But, at a time when all EU member states are grappling with a “migration crisis” any loosening of visa rules is highly unlikely. India has also been demanding status as a “data-secure nation”, which will reduce compliance costs for Indian software providers. But, given EU concerns over regulatory norms and data-privacy standards it is unlikely that the EU will agree to this demand.
Opportunity for a UK trade deal?
The UK is among India’s main trading partners from the EU bloc. Trade totalled €13.6 billion in 2018, accounting for 17% of India’s overall trade with the EU. Moreover, trade between India and the UK increased at an average rate of 8.8% a year between 2002 and 2018.
Machinery and transport equipment constitute 40% of India’s exports, and accounts for nearly 20% of total UK’s trade with India. The UK’s exports of alcoholic beverages also registered a significant increase, from €14m to €162m from 2002-18.
Eurostat
The lack of progress in EU-India trade talks might just be an opportunity for the UK to launch its own negotiations for a trade deal with India. From an economic perspective, India is an attractive trade partner. It is projected to be the world’s fastest growing economy, with an annual GDP growth rate of around 6.5%. In the UK, GDP is predicted to grow by a mere 1.5% in 2019. India is also home to almost one-fifth of the world’s population. It could be a strategic partner for the UK in Asia, presenting an opportunity to increase Britain’s soft power in the region.
From India’s perspective, a trade deal with the UK could be an opportunity to increase pressure on other Asian countries, especially China, to liberalise their trade. This will also help India’s geopolitical considerations in the region given the history of tense diplomatic relations with Pakistan. And it could help strengthen India’s Commonwealth ties.
But other issues remain. The UK and India would still have to agree on reducing tariffs on their respective imports. Visa numbers and intellectual property would also be issues for the UK, as they were with the EU, and could yet prove contentious. So free trade talks between the UK and India could still be long and drawn out.
Recent political developments, however – including Brexit, eurozone uncertainty, sluggish global growth rates and trade tensions from the Trump administration’s pursuit of a protectionist agenda – all have serious implications for future trade talks. These could well nudge the partners to review their red lines and return to the negotiating table.
The British Academy is inviting proposals from UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences – active at any career stage – looking to lead interdisciplinary projects in collaboration with colleagues from the natural, engineering and/or medical sciences.
Aims
The purpose of each project will be to develop new ideas and methods to bear on existing international challenges. Projects will need to demonstrate an innovative and interdisciplinary partnership (between researchers in the social sciences or the humanities on the one hand and counterparts in the natural, engineering and/or medical sciences on the other), yielding new conceptual understanding and policy-relevant evidence on questions of international significance.
Eligibility Requirements
The lead applicant must be based at an eligible UK university or research institute, and be of postdoctoral or above status (or have equivalent research experience).
Collaboration between researchers in different institutions is encouraged, where appropriate, given the nature and aims of this programme, and applications may include named co-applicants and other participants from overseas.
Value and Duration
Awards of up to £50,000 and 18 months in duration are available. The awards are not offered on a full economic costing basis.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy’s Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®. The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 15 May 2019 at 17.00 (UK time).
If you are interested in applying to this call then please contact your RDS Funding Development Officer, in the first instance at least 3 weeks prior to the stated deadline.
The British Academy is inviting proposals from UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences – active at any career stage – looking to develop and lead interdisciplinary projects on questions related to European identities under our programme on The Humanities and Social Sciences Tackling the UK’s International Challenges.
Aims
We are keen to support projects undertaking research on European past, present and futures, particularly with regards to both the diversity and shared belongings of European cultures, histories, languages, and identities. Applications that engage with historical and current tropes and senses of European belonging and/or belonging in Europe from a variety of European or global perspectives, and with the work done by competing narratives of belonging, and their wider associational fields or legacies, will be particularly welcome.
Eligibility Requirements
The lead applicant must be based at an eligible UK university or research institute, and be of postdoctoral or above status (or have equivalent research experience).
Value and Duration
Awards of up to £50,000 and 18 months in duration are available. The awards are not offered on a full economic costing basis.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy’s Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®. The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 15 May 2019 at 17.00 (UK time).
If you are interested in applying to this call then please contact your RDS Funding Development Officer, in the first instance at least 3 weeks prior to the stated deadline.
Involving patients and/or the public in your clinical research is a great way to ensure that your study is designed and set-up in a way that will be attractive to participants. By carrying out PPI (patient and public involvement) you can also ensure that your research will be of benefit, not only to individuals but also the wider population and healthcare in general.
In 2018 the Health Research Authority (HRA) released guidance to help applicants better identify where they have involved the public in their research applications, and the difference that it made to their studies.
In addition, in January of this year two HRA blog posts were advertised, following the journey of a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey, who conducted PPI for her research project. The first and second posts can be found on the HRA website alongside other news items.
The HRA have just released the third blog post in which they talk to one of the lay Research Ethics Committee (REC) members who sat on the panel that reviewed the fellow’s study. The post explores the Committee member’s views on how public involvement benefited the research application. You can find it here.
Rememberthat support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your research ideas into the NHS, social care or healthcare institutions – email the Research Ethics mailbox, and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.
The article “Why suicide rate among pregnant women in Nepal is rising” written by BU academics was published in The Conversation last year. At the time this attracted Indian newspaper attention. Clearly it is still a relevant issue as it attracted national coverage in a Nepali newspaper this week.
The British Academy is inviting proposals from UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences – active at any career stage – looking to develop and lead interdisciplinary projects on questions related to borders under our programme on The Humanities and Social Sciences Tackling the UK’s International Challenges.
Aims
We are keen to support research projects wishing to explore varying understandings of borders, and to shape thinking about both internal dynamics within borders and cross-border issues that have global significance. Borders are defined for this purpose in as broad a sense as possible, encompassing not only traditional borders that demarcate territory but also any boundary – whether articulated or hidden, formal or informal – drawn around or between peoples and experiences.
Eligibility Requirements
The lead applicant must be based at an eligible UK university or research institute, and be of postdoctoral or above status (or have equivalent research experience).
Collaboration between researchers in different disciplines and institutions is particularly encouraged, where appropriate, given the nature and aims of this programme, and applications may include named co-applicants and other participants from overseas.
Value and Duration
Awards of up to £50,000 and 18 months in duration are available. The awards are not offered on a full economic costing basis.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy’s Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®. The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 15 May 2019 at 17.00 (UK time).
If you are interested in applying to this call then please contact your RDS Funding Development Officer, in the first instance at least 3 weeks prior to the stated deadline.
Our next inaugural lecture will take place on Wednesday 1 May at the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Sandbanks. Professor Richard Stillman will be sharing his research into the effects of environmental change on coastal birds.
Ecological systems throughout the world are increasingly coming under threat from environmental changes, primarily caused by human actions. Understanding and predicting the effects of future change has proved a long-running problem for ecologists.
Coastal habitats, such as Poole Harbour, provide a vital habitat for many bird species but are particularly vulnerable to environmental change such as rising sea levels, habitat loss and disturbance from human activities. However, predicting the effect of such changes on these birds has proved difficult and has led to long-running conflicts between conservationists and other coastal groups.
Research by Professor Richard Stillman aims to reduce these conflicts by providing tools which enable the consequences of change to be accurately predicted. It does this by understanding the ways in which individual animals behave, the types of food they consume, how much they need to eat each day, and the ways in which human activities affect them.
During this inaugural lecture, Professor Stillman will explain how his research in this area has helped to predict the effects of changes in the UK and internationally and what it has meant for wildlife populations.
On Saturday 30th March Research Professional will be performing essential updates to Research their server infrastructure. They’re expecting to experience some site downtime while the updates take place; the scheduled window for the updates is 11.00 – 15.00 GMT.
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis addressed the World Tourism Organization Forum: Facing the Demographic Challenge Through Tourism and Innovation in Segovia, Spain, 26 March 2019.
The meeting was opened by the Prime Minister of Spain, HE Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of the Government of Spain and Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Professor Buhalis contributed to the Round Table focused on Tourism, Sustainability and Territorial Redistribution
Moderator: Cristina Gallach, High Commissioner for Agenda 2030 of the Government of Spain
Alvaro Carrillo de Albornoz, Director General of Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero
Damià Serrano, Director of Experience Marketing and Research at the Catalan Tourism Board
Elena Gil, Global Big Data Director at Telefónica and CEO at Luca
Violeta Matas González, Responsible for the Tourism Area of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces
Professor Buhalis in his intervention he explained the need for the creation of digital hubs that will enable innovations in rural areas and minimise the distance from the global centres through technology. Creating innovative products and services through facilitating a bottom up approach to empower entrepreneurship and support sustainable development will enable the repopulation of rural and peripheral areas. Smartness and agility will empower the development of innovative ecosystems that can address different market segments and create resources for all stakeholders.
The NHS R&D Forum Research Management Working Group have released their thoughts on how they feel that the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice can be refined and improved, to reflect current needs.
‘The Research Management Working Group is a group of members of the NHS R&D Forum with a wealth of experience
and expertise in both managing and delivering research activity within NHS organisations.’
You can read the group’s response here. The consultation is now closed, however the current Code of Practice can be found here.
If you are planning to conduct research with human participants that lack the capacity to consent or who may eventually lack capacity to consent, then the research application must go to an ethics committee that is flagged to review Social Care research.
BU ethics panels are not authorised to undertake this review or issue approval, and so an application via the IRAS system must be made. Further information can be gained via the HRA website and by emailing Research Ethics.
The sixth annual Being Human festival will run 14-23 November 2019. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy, Being Human Is the UK’s only national festival of the humanities, and is one of the largest national platforms for public engagement with humanities research.
This year the festival theme is ‘Discoveries & Secrets’. This could involve anything from art historians uncovering painted-over masterpieces, archaeologists excavating ancient burial sites, historians making discoveries in archives, literary scholars discovering lost texts. More broadly it could include uncovering secret histories, or making new discoveries about seemingly familiar people, places, communities – the possibilities are endless. As ever the overarching aim of the festival is to take research in the humanities and share it in creative, fun and engaging ways with non-specialist audiences.
There are three main pathways to getting involved:
‘Small Awards‘: apply to Being Human for funding of up to £1,500 to enable activities.
‘Hub Awards‘: apply for a larger grant of £2,000- £4,000 to coordinate multiple activities as a Festival Hub. (Only a small number of these awards are made every year)
‘Open Call‘: organise an activity that does not require funding.
Further details, and answers to some Frequently Asked Questions are available on the Being Human website. The hashtag on Twitter is #BeingHuman19
The deadline for applications for funding is 5pm Monday 8 April.
If you would like some advice on developing ideas, feel free to contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer).
Over 70 students took part in BU’s fourth annual undergraduate research conference: Showcasing Undergraduate Research Excellence (SURE).
The conference is an excellent opportunity for undergraduates and recent graduates to share their work and develop their presenation skills. This year’s contributions highlighted the great range of outstanding undergraduate research taking place across BU.
The conference allows students to to present their work to peers, academics, staff and attendees from external organisations. As well as demonstrating their academic successes, it gives students the opportunity to take part in a professional conference and network with individuals who could help to develop their research on a greater scale.
Dr Mary Beth Gouthro, co-chair of the conference said: “In its fourth year, SURE is a powerful uni wide platform where high quality undergraduate research is showcased. It’s also a chance for students and staff alike to collaborate and incubate on future research ideas that also feed into BU 2025. The potential reach of their work also builds their confidence and overall impact in their subject areas”
Dr Fiona Cownie, co-chair of the conference followed with “SURE gives students the opportunity to share their opportunity to share their ideas with a broad academic audience. It connects education with research reflecting BU’s Fusion agenda. The confidence students build in participating in SURE enhances their employability; SURE is a great edition to students’ CV.”
There were a number of prize winners as part of the conference, including £20 amazon vouchers for best faculty presentations and posters, and over 16 funded spots to participate at BCUR 2019 for students across each faculty. The overall winner, has been offered a Masters fee waiver.
Winner of the prize for best overall contribution, final year physiotherapy student Eleanor Daniel commented on her experience of the whole day saying;
“I’m still completely in shock, I didn’t expect to hear my name announced. Presenting at the conference was a good experience for developing my presentation skills and it was nice to receive positive feedback about my own research.
It was also exciting to have the opportunity to engage with research undertaken by other students across various BU faculties – there was such a high standard of presentations and posters showcased throughout the day.”
More details including the student abstracts about the conference can be found on the SURE 2019 website. See also #SURE2019 on twitter.
This year marks the fifth year of our annual research photography competition. We received 25 submissions from BU academics and students.
The research photography competition is an annual competition where staff and students at Bournemouth University are set the challenge to tell the story of their research through one individual photograph. This year centred around the theme of ‘place’ which could include anything from the place an individual’s research was carried out, to the place their research affected, to the place that inspired their work, to any other interpretation participants may have.
This year’s winner was announced in the new Atrium Art Gallery in Poole House, on Thursday 14th March, by Professor Tim McIntyre–Bhatty, Deputy Vice Chancellor.
Post-feeding Blood pattern comprised of the artefacts of the blowfly Calliphora vicina enhanced with Bluestar.
First prize was awarded to Christopher Dwen, a BU graduate and Demonstrator in the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Commenting on his award, Christopher said, “This competition is proving to be a great platform to showcase all of the fantastic research that goes on across the university. I am particularly pleased that this has allowed me to showcase the type of work that we as forensic science researchers undertake on a daily basis.”
Second place was awarded to PhD student Nurist Ulfa, for her photograph entitle “Digital Virtual, the Liminoid Space.”
“I believe a photo can tell unspoken stories, that’s why I appreciate the photography competitions,” says Nurist.
PhD student Chantel Cox was awarded third prize for her image “Through different eyes.”
“I think the photography competition is a great way for people to share their research with a broad audience,” says Chantel, “Photos are emotive on many levels and a way to touch people that may not have access to your research by other means. I have found that having to think of a photo each year which summarises my work helps me to consolidate where I am and each time I look at it I see something new.”
The photos are now displayed in the Atrium Art Gallery in an art exhibition and will stay up until the 28th March 2019. Be sure to go and have a look when passing by. It is a great way to see the creativity of our BU researchers, to learn about the research being undertaken, and to realise the diversity of research within BU.
Editors Dr Nicola De Martini Ugolotti (Department of Sport & Physical Activity) and Dr Jayne Caudwell (Department of Events & Leisure) are seeking chapters for their Routledge commissioned book.
In the collection, leisure will be considered in its broadest sense to include practices and contexts such as recreational physical activities and active leisure, expressive and artistic endeavours, moments and places of consumption and sociality, cultural and religious events, the everyday, routine and mundane.
Building on the contribution of critical leisure studies perspectives on class, gender, race and ethnicity, and migration, we welcome work from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including sociology, cultural geography, gender studies, migration studies, anthropology and the humanities. In particular, we invite contributions from non-western and global south contexts, and from community activists/organizers.
For further details please visit the Leisure Studies Association webpage:
The British Academy is inviting proposals from UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences – active at any career stage – looking to lead interdisciplinary projects in collaboration with colleagues from the natural, engineering and/or medical sciences.
The British Academy is inviting proposals from UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences – active at any career stage – looking to develop and lead interdisciplinary projects on questions related to European identities under our programme on The Humanities and Social Sciences Tackling the UK’s International Challenges.
On Saturday 30th March Research Professional will be performing essential updates to Research their server infrastructure. They’re expecting to experience some site downtime while the updates take place; the scheduled window for the updates is 11.00 – 15.00 GMT.
Successful academic writing, publishing and collaboration workshop at BU
Share your public engagement event with a wider audience
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call
ERC Advanced Grant 2025 Webinar
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Published
Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme pre-Published
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease