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RKEO Calendar survey reminder

It’s been four months since the 2017-18 RKEO calendar landed on your desk.  The calendar contains all of the events that RKEO arrange, major funder call closing dates, information on various research schemes, and other activities that will be of interest to academics.

The Research & Knowledge Exchange Office would like your feedback on the calendar before deciding on whether to create next year’s.

Tell us what you think by completing our short survey . All entrants names will be entered into a draw and one lucky person will receive an RKEO goodie bag.  The deadline date is Friday 26 January.

international

The USA shutdown, following the current budget impasse, has started to affect many federal services across the country, but the effect can also be felt abroad.   I just noted on the PubMed webpages the above warning: “Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.”  This delay in funding in the most up-to-date health research database will not have a major effect today (Sunday 21 Jan.) as it will have on hundreds of thousands of federal staff facing unpaid leave and many more people facing interruptions in the provision of basic service across the USA.  It is however a sign of globalisation, with  internal political disputes in the USA affecting people across the globe, including health researchers at Bournemouth University.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

Visiting Research (Faculty of Management)

Prof Davide Parilli has put in a request to host Francisca Sempere Ripoll as a visiting researcher (full time) from 1 September to 30 November 2018.

Francisca will be working with Prof Parilli on Research on Open innovation.

The planned outcomes are:
– publications
– definitions of new projects
– closer collaboration with the Universidat Politècnica de València of Spain.

If anyone has any objections, please let Jacqui Timms know by 26 January 2018.

Nesta’s 18 reasons to prioritise the early years of a child’s life

In 2017, Nesta launched the Early Years Social Action Fund to scale proven social action programmes that help children aged four to achieve developmental milestones by directly supporting parents.  The £1 million fund was used to support organisations that are making an impact, but require support to scale up. Having supported dozens of social action programmes to scale, Nesta have seen that social action works best when there is a clear role to complement, not replace public services, where opportunities fit in and around people’s lives and where any skills needed can be codified and learnt by many.

As the UK struggles with challenges of stagnating social mobility, increasing inequality, and lagging productivity, Nesta have compiled a list of 18 reasons why the early years of a child’s life are so important for social mobility and people’s life chances which show why in 2018 we need to do more to support new ideas that help give all children the best chance to fulfil their potential.

18 reasons to prioritise early years in 2018

  1. By the time children start school, the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers can be as large as 15 months.

  2. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds hear up to 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers by age three.

  3. Almost half of all children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not reach their expected level of development when they start school (29 per cent of all children).

  4. In the last decade, more than 2.5 million children in England – including over 580,000 poorer children – did not reach a good level of development by age five.

  5. Opportunity is very unevenly distributed. Disadvantaged children in the best areas are twice as likely to reach a good level of development at age five, compared with similar children in the worst areas.

  6. Gaps are evident by age two and a child’s development at as young as 22 months has been proven to be a good predictor for educational outcomes at age 26.

  7. Of the £9.1 billion the UK Government is spending on early years, just £250 million will reach the most disadvantaged families. Or just 2.7 per cent.

  8. In 2012, the UK was ranked 22nd out of 25 OECD countries for the proportion of expenditure in early years focused on closing the gap in opportunity.

  9. In almost all OECD countries, 15-year-old students who had access to early education outperformed students who had not.

  10. The gap between disadvantaged children and their peers in numeracy and literacy is particularly stark, with a 14 per cent gap in reading attainment, 15 per cent in writing, and 13 per cent in numbers.

  11. The lowest gap is in technology, which if harnessed properly, could potentially help lower the gaps in other areas.

  12. Good early education opportunities improve child outcomes regardless of family disadvantage or the quality of the home learning environment.

  13. The gap in educational attainment by the time a child starts school is one of the key drivers of social mobility, equivalent to, for example, up to two years of learning by the time they sit their GSCEs.

  14. The biggest indicator in how well a child does in their GCSEs is the progress that child has made by the age of five.

  15. Better educational attainment leads to higher qualifications and higher wages later in life.

  16. Top university graduates earn significantly more, on average, than graduates from less prestigious universities, and non-university graduates.

  17. Social mobility is a key driver in productivity and economic growth. A modest increase in the UK’s social mobility to the average across Western Europe would increase annual GDP by 2 per cent in the long term (or an additional £39bn to the UK economy).

  18. The quality of the home learning environment is more important for intellectual and social development than parental occupation, education or income. In other words, what parents do at home is more important than who your parents are.

These 18 reasons go to show that early years is at the heart of social mobility. They underscore the importance – both at an individual and societal level – of focusing on ideas and interventions that can impact child outcomes as soon as possible so that no child begins school behind the starting line.

If you would like to find out more about the Early Years Social Action programme, any of the specific projects or how you can commission early years innovations, please get in touch at will.bibby@nesta.org.uk.

The Refugee & Migrant Leisure Network (RMLN) December Meeting

Prof Janet Dickinson, Associate Prof Jayne Caudwell, and Dr Jaeyeon Choe (Centre for Events, Leisure, Society and Culture) have established a network called ‘The Refugee & Migrant Leisure Network (RMLN)’. They had the most recent meeting with partners on the 8th of December at Bournemouth University.

During the meeting, stakeholders from Dorset Race Equality Council, Unity in Vision, International Care Network, Red Cross and STAR joined academics to discuss current projects and issues. BU academics updated the network on current research related to multicultural lunches in Dorset, work with forced migrants in Bristol and future plans. Stakeholders suggested future research agendas, which focused on best practice for looking after unaccompanied asylum seeker children and supporting people into appropriate work aligned to existing skills.

The network has been providing a great opportunity to (re)build partnerships and update each other of current events, issues and programmes around refugee and migrant leisure spaces, migration, integration, wellbeing and mental health whilst working towards creating social integration and sense of belonging and community. The next meeting will be in Spring 2018.

More information about this group and related research project: https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/2018/01/refugee-and-migrant-leisure-network-meeting-8th-december/

Follow us on Facebook: ‘Refugee and Migrant Leisure Network (RMLN)’
https://www.facebook.com/groups/400355213641367/?ref=bookmarks

Visiting Researcher

Prof Adele Ladkin has put in a request to host Maja Turnsek Hancic as a visiting researcher (full time) from 1 February to 3 May 2018.

Maja will be working on “The changing nature of work and employment in the platform economy” with Prof Adele Ladkin.

The planned outcomes are:
– Requirement from the funder for 36 hours teaching (topic to be agreed).
– Development of a research bid for submission to the ESRC in the area of New Work and Technology.
– Facilitate collaboration with FM colleagues to facilitate emerging research.
– Co-author papers where appropriate to assist REF submission

If anyone has any objections, please let Jacqui Timms know by 25 January 2018.

Marine Cluster Supply Chain Analysis

This project focuses on the identification of the Poole and Dorset marine cluster:
First, localization and measurement of the cluster in Poole and Dorset (separately), with reference to a subset of industries and sectors.
Second, in-depth analysis of specific value chains that reach out to global (i.e. global value chains) or the national market with the aim of identifying the opportunity to involve a larger number of SMEs in the supply chain driven by local lead companies.

Part one of the study will assess the current business strengths of Poole and Dorset in selected industries. This will also provide information on the following aspects:
(a) Name of company
(b) Location
(c) Main activity and capabilities based on type of products and services.
(d) Number of employees and markets served.
(e) GVA contributions to Dorset generated by the Marine industry
(f) Jobs supported by the industry, including direct and indirect jobs
(g) The value of the turnover of the Marine industry.

Opportunity for a BU academic to lead an internal networking group

Training

As part of the RKEDF, RKEO are setting up a new networking group for BU’s Early Career Researchers. As part of this initiative, there is an opportunity for two experienced and research-active BU academics to provide the academic leadership for this new group, as lead and deputy. The network will be fully supported by RKEO.

The network has a number of indicative delivery aims:

  • Cross-disciplinary and cross-Faculty networking opportunities
  • Peer support
  • Dissemination of pertinent information (e.g. relevant funding opportunities)
  • A new annual ECR research showcase event allowing ECRs to present their research and develop further collaborative opportunities, to be hosted by the lead and deputy

This initiative will further support academic citizenship, as part of BU’s commitment to the Vitae Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.

If you believe that you have the attributes and experience as well as the desire to help encourage and develop the next generation of research-active academics at BU, please email your brief expression of interest to RKEO by Thursday, 25th January. The final selection will be made, collectively, by the DDRPPs.

Further information about this new BU network will also be forthcoming for those who wish to participate as members.

 

Wednesday 24 January ADRC presents: NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Wessex Seminar

You are cordially invited to this lunchtime seminar which is open to all BU staff.

Please feel free to bring your lunch.

Wednesday 24th January 2018

1 – 2 pm

B407, Bournemouth House, Lansdown Campus

The NIHR is the UK’s major funder of applied health research. The NIHR develops and supports the people who conduct and contribute to health research and equally supports the training of the next generation of health researchers. The NIHR CRN Study Support Service helps researchers set up and deliver high quality research to time and target in the NHS in England.

We are fortunate to have two Research Delivery Managers from the NIHR CRN  Wessex, David Higenbottam and Alex Jones  coming to BU who  will be presenting a seminar about the network, funding opportunities and forthcoming strategic plan for 2018, followed by Q & A session.

Please email Michelle O’Brien (mobrien@bournemouth.ac.uk) if you are planning to attend.  See you there!

Biographies

David Higenbottam
Has worked in research since 2012.
2012 – 2014 South Coast DeNDRoN Network Manager.
2014 – to date Research Delivery Manager for Divisions 2 and 4 (Division 4 includes dementia as one of its specialities).

 

Alex Jones
Worked for Hampshire & Isle of Wight CLRN from July 2013 – April 2014.
Division 5 Assistant Portfolio Manager then Portfolio Manager April 2014 – December 2017 (Division 5 includes ageing as one of its specialities).
Currently Acting Research Delivery Manager for Division 5.

Wessex CRN
The Wessex CRN was formed  in April 2014, its geographic footprint is Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Dorset and South Wiltshire. It comprises 12 partner NHS organisations and 10 clinical commissioning groups. Research specialities are spread across 6 Divisions.

EPSRC 2018 CDTs outlines call

Funding opportunities

EPSRC logoEPSRC have issued a call for applications to support Centres for Doctoral Training focussed on cohort-based doctoral training in areas where both breadth and depth of research training are required to address UK skills needs at the doctoral level. EPSRC expects to commit up to £492 million (subject to budget confirmation) to support in the region of 90-120 Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) subject to quality across the Engineering and Physical Science landscape.

Additional resources including frequently asked questions can be found in the dedicated CDT 2018 web space.

Please note: Bournemouth can only submit one outline submission as the lead institution (we can partner on other lead universities). Please see the call document for more information.  If you intend to submit to this call then please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer immediately.

Resources

ESRC GCRF Inequalities and skills acquisition in young people

Funding opportunities

ESRC are inviting proposals for new research grants that qualify for funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). This call aims to fund a portfolio of innovative research grants focusing on skills acquisition in developing countries.

GCRF is a £1.5 billion funding stream to support research which addresses the problems faced by developing countries. GCRF forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment, and as such funding under this call will be awarded in a manner consistent with official ODA guidelines.

Funding is available for applications which fall under the remit of ESRC. The ESRC has a total budget of £5 million allocated to this call. ESRC expects to fund a balanced portfolio of proposals of varying sizes and ambitions, with a maximum grant value of £1 million at 100% full Economic Cost (fEC). The research councils will contribute 80% fEC on successful proposals. It is expected that the portfolio will include grants which are significantly smaller than the maximum value.

Proposals are invited for research grants of durations up to 27 months. Proposals must be led by a researcher at an eligible UK research organisation and should be submitted through the research councils’ Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system.

Thematic focus

This call seeks to address how inequalities such as gender, class and caste manifest in access to and experiences of skills training and skills programmes for young people both within and outside employment. While these and other inequalities affect experiences across the life-course, this call seeks to further increase understanding on issues particularly affecting adolescents and young people.

Different forms of skills provisioning (public, private, work-based, nonformal) can be considered under this call, as well as skills acquisition at a local, national or international level. Applications may consider how skills-oriented programmes can transform rather than reproduce intersecting inequalities. The call seeks to address how creative solutions can be used to help meet the SDG challenges.

The call aims to address how transitions to meaningful work could be more successfully and smoothly achieved and the aspirations of young people moving into the workplace be met. Research under this call should consider some of the wide range of issues affecting transitions into work for young people and how the resulting understanding of those issues can be applied to influence policy at national/international levels, develop specific interventions or new ways to improve existing transitions to meaningful work.

Further information on the themes can be found within the call specification.

How to apply

All proposals must be submitted through the Je-S system by 16.00 on 22 March 2018.  Detailed guidance about how to apply is provided in the guidance below.

Standard ESRC eligibility rules apply. See the Research Councils UK website for a list of eligible organisations.

Call documents

Timetable

  • Deadline for submitting full proposals – 16.00 on 22 March 2018
  • Panel meeting – July/August 2018
  • Decisions to applicants – late September 2018
  • Start date for successful proposals  – 1 December 2018

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