This morning as Associate Editor I reviewed one academic paper resubmitted to BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. After this I had to invite three reviewers for another paper newly submitted to BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth.
This afternoon I peer-reviewed a paper submitted to Women & Birth. For readers of our BU Research Blog who are not involved in academia, the volume of requests to review for scientific journals has gone through the roof in the past few years. And these are legitimate requests from high quality journals. There is a whole heap of so-called predatory journals pestering academics for reviews (and papers and editorial board memberships).
All that is left to be done before the Christmas Break is editing six short book chapters, submitting one scientific paper, and answer seventy odd emails.
Start the New Year learning about new opportunities. This session will detail what we’ve learned about preparing projects in relation to meeting the UK governments Industrial Challenges. While specifically addressing the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, other avenues will also be explored covering how academia and industry can work together.
• Attendees will learn about the latest Industrial Challenge related schemes
• Attendees will learn the which partners are eligible for specific funding calls
• Attendees will gain insight into what has been learnt prior ISCF applications
This session on “Meeting the Industrial Challenges” will run throughout 2018 at regular intervals to provide the latest updates to the Industrial Strategy Challenges Fund and related schemes. The first of these will be on 8/1/18, 13:00-14:00. To book onto the course please click here.
If you are planning to apply for funding in 2018 through Erasmus+, the European Union’s programme for education, training, youth and sport, you can start to prepare your grant application now. The Erasmus+ Programme Guide, which provides detailed information on how to apply, is available here.
This year’s budget has increased by €200 million since 2017, representing an increase of 8%.
The major changes since 2017 include:
Additional opportunities for Erasmus+ higher education students to carry out traineeships aimed at gaining digital skills;
The ErasmusPro initiative under VET mobility projects to boost long term mobility for VET learners;
A new “Schools Exchange Partnerships” format under Strategic Partnerships to help schools better finding their way into cooperation projects;
The action “Sector Skills Alliances” has been reintroduced to this Programme Guide;
The funding rules for most actions have been fine-tuned;
As in 2016 and 2017, the 2018 Programme Guide places a special focus on encouraging projects supporting social inclusion (notably of refugees and migrants), as well as preventing radicalisation.
The call deadlines for all three Key Actions can be found here. A few Key Action 2 deadlines to be aware of are;
Knowledge Alliances 28th February 2018
Strategic partnerships in the field of education and training 21st March 2018
Capacity building in the field of higher education 8th February 2018
If you are interested in applying to any of the calls then please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer, in the first instance.
The Christmas break is near, which means it is the perfect opportunity to capture your research photo relating to the theme People.
Photo by Chantel Cox, PhD Student, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
The last few years have seen our staff and students submitting a wide range of images summing up their research (last year’s entries can be seen here). Photography is a great way to capture and share a different side of your research with other staff, students and members of the public. Nearly 100 images have been entered over the last few years, and we’re looking forward to seeing what this year’s competition brings.
Want to take part?
Whether you’re in the early stages of your research or it has come to the end, we are inviting all academics and student researchers from across the university to showcase your research through an image relating to this year’s competition theme ‘People‘. This could include:
An image relating to people in your team,
People who might be impacted by or benefit from your research,
People you’ve met in the course of your research,
Or even from your own point of view.
Whatever your idea is, we want you to get involved and get creative!
Taking part in the competition is a great way to showcase and raise awareness of your research, as well as growing your academic profile both in and outside the university. You will also be in with a chance of winning some Amazon vouchers!
How do I enter?
Step 1: Take your photo.
It’s easy! Grab a camera and take a picture connecting with the theme ‘People‘. Interpret it in any way you see fit to capture any area of your research.
Each image will need to be 300pi (pixels per inch) with physical dimensions equivalent to an A3 size piece of paper (297 x 420 mm or 11.7 x 16.5 in). Images smaller than this tend not to have a high print quality.
Step 2: Submit the photo!
You may enter only one photo per person. Once you have the perfect image, all you have to do is submit it by emailing the Research account (research@bournemouth.ac.uk) before the deadline, along with a 100 – 200 word description of your research behind the image.
Submission details
The submission deadline is 12 Januray 2018 at 5pm. Late entries will not be accepted.
Staff, students and the general public will then be able to vote for their favourite image.
The competition winners will be presented with a prize by Professor John Fletcher in the Atrium Art Gallery, in March 2018. All photographs will be presented in the Atrium Art Gallery for two weeks in March so you’ll get a chance to see all the entries.
Photo by Rutherford, Senior Lecturer In Creative Advertising
Need inspiration?
Take a look at our Photo of the Week, where you can read about the research behind the images from previous entries.
Should you have any queries about the competition then please contact Sacha Gardener, Student Engagement & Communications Coordinator, in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Office.
At the core of all quantitative research at BU are skills with mathematics and statistics.
In these introductory two-day workshops, we will learn the fundamental concepts of statistics and quantitative analysis with the help of SPSS. This is a hands-on programme with statistical analysis designed to help you make the most of the SPSS application to aid your own research and facilitate support of student researchers. You will not need any previous experience with SPSS or statistics.
The RKEO ‘Statistical Analysis with SPSS’ two-day programmes are aimed at faculty staff who would like to learn more about quantitative statistical analysis for their own research purposes or are supervising students undertaking a quantitative research project.
The introductory 2-day programme is designed to assist faculty staff who have no prior knowledge of quantitative statistics and do not have experience with a statistical application like SPSS, or who do not routinely work with this type of data.
Depending on attendees prior experience, planned content includes the following:
Introduction to SPSS and statistical analysis.
Managing and manipulating data in SPSS.
Introducing null hypothesis significance testing and p-values.
Normality testing.
T-test analysis.
ANOVAs
Correlation and Regression (time allowing)
The course comprises two sessions:
A two day beginner session – 12th and 13th February 2018
A two day intermediate session – 23rd and 24th April 2018
Please book onto the session which is most appropriate for your needs or both. If you are unsure of which route is best for you, please contact the session facilitator, whose details are given on the internal booking information page.
Each session is limited to 20 attendees but there will be a reserve list maintained so that demand for future sessions can be demonstrated.
These sessions are for BU academics and researchers only.
Students who are studying for a PhD/MRes should not use these workshops, but rather book places on the dedicated PhD quantitative analysis and SPSS workshops via the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme.
Congratulations to Dr Edward Carlton (an ex-PhD student at BU supervised by Professor Ahmed Khattab and Professor Kim Greaves) on his co-authored paper published in JAMA.
Data from Edward’s original work (The TRUST Study, part of his PhD thesis) has now been published in JAMA (Impact Factor 44.4) in a collaborative meta-analysis. This showcases the work from one of our fully funded PhD studentships at BU.
Please see the calls currently open, or forthcoming, being offered through the Newton Fundscheme. Some calls are newly opened whilst others have been promoted previously via the BU Research blog. In each case, please refer to the call website for full details including eligibility requirements and thematic priorities:
If you are interested in applying to any of these calls then please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer, in the first instance.
If you have worked with a good bid writer or, as an external subscriber to this blog, you have written successful research funding applications, please contact us in the Research & Knowledge Exchange Office.
We are particularly interested in those who can provide short courses, one-to-one support, bid writing retreats, application review or a range of these, and related, activities.
Examples of key funders include:
British Academy
European Commission funds including Horizon 2020
Innovate UK
Leverhulme Trust
National Institutes of Health and other US Federal funders
Through BU’s subscription to UKRO, we have been advised of the following news items, which represent a ‘mere taster’ of all the updates provided by UKRO to their members.
To make full use of BU’s subscription to this service, why not register now?
Organised by the European Commission Directorate General for Research and Innovation, in cooperation with Directorates General for Education and Culture and for Communications Networks, Content and Technology. The conference will showcase the dialogue between contemporary European society and the most promising innovations in the field of cultural heritage that European policies and funds have supported. The sessions will highlight policy, social, technological, methodological innovations and new, promising alliances around cultural heritage. The high-level speakers of the conference will discuss policy developments, success stories and future challenges.
MSCA RISE Information Event, Tuesday 9 January 2018, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Conference Centre, London
UKRO, in its capacity as UK National Contact Point for the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), is holding an information event for organisations interested in applying to the 2018 MSCA Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Action (RISE) call, which has a deadline of 21 March 2018. The event aims to provide participants with an overview of the RISE scheme. Participants should gain a clear understanding of the proposal format and the key considerations related to planning, writing and submitting proposals. For more information and to register visit UKROs event page
UKRO is pleased to announce that the UKRO Conference 2018 will take place on Thursday 21 June and Friday 22 June 2018 at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton. Subscribers are invited to note and save the date.
More information on registration will be provided in due course.
UKRO have published an article on all the latest information on the recent and planned developments on the Research Participant Portal. This update includes information about the New Partner Search Tool and the H2020 Dashboard.
On 30 November 2017 the European Commission published a report on the achievements of the Erasmus+ Programme during 2016, its third year of implementation. The report’s publication coincided with the closing day of the 30th anniversary of Erasmus+ celebrations. 2017 has seen hundreds of thousands of people in over 44 countries gather to celebrate what Erasmus means to them.
Please note:You will need to sign in or register, as a BU staff member, to access many of these items, as part of BU’s UKRO subscription. Links have only been given to resources in the public domain.
If considering applying to EU calls, please contact your Research Facilitator, to access further support.
Doctoral College – 10th Annual Postgraduate Conference
Are you a PGR or do you know a PGR looking for an opportunity to share their research with peers and academic colleagues? If so, then the 10th Annual Postgraduate Conference hosted by the Doctoral College is the opportunity for you.
*All prizes will be in the form of Amazon Vouchers
Successful oral presentations will be supported by a one day masterclass in presentation skills and successful poster presentations will be supported by a masterclass in creating an academic poster.
PGRs at all stages, on all research degree programmes, can apply.
Registration to attend the conference will open on Monday 8 January 2018.
The JSPS Summer Programme provides the opportunity for current MPhil or PhD students to receive a one week orientation on Japanese culture and research systems on arrival and then move to a host institution in Japan of their choice and approved by JSPS, to conduct collaborative research activities for 2 months during the summer.
Value of award: Return international airfare, maintenance allowance (534,000, JPY), research support allowance (158,500 JPY) and overseas travel and accident insurance policy are provided.
Eligibility: Applicants must be a British national and a current MPhil or PhD student based at a UK university or research institution at the time of application. Eligible research fields are not limited.
Fellowship to take place during fixed period: Tuesday 12 June to Wednesday 22 August 2018
Applications should be sent to the British Council, Tokyo. A link to the application guidelines and form are available on the JSPS London website.
Half day seminar
open to BU Staff, Clinicians, PGRs and PGT Students
Implementing service development in healthcare – an introduction to Normalization Process Theory (NPT)
On Wenesday 7 February 2018 in B317, Bournemouth House, Lansdowne Campus at 13.00, there will be a half day seminar introducing an approach to exploring implementation of service developments in healthcare.
To book your place and/or to find out more information please contact
Dr Mike Bracher
mbracher@bournemouth.ac.uk
Researchers in the Department of Corporate and Marketing Communication received the Media Research Award at the Market Research Society (MRS) Awards on 4 December 2017.
The research explored how travellers on the London Underground pay attention to advertising and actively welcome it in this environment, seeing it as a journey enhancer.
The MRS Awards celebrate research’s ability to drive innovation, inspire change and deliver results. Stuart Armon (Project Leader and Programme Leader of BA (Hons) Advertising) said, “it means so much to know that the research we do here in the Department of Corporate and Marketing Communications has impact and relevance in the commercial world of advertising and media.”
The research study, developed in collaboration with COG Research and Exterion Media utilised various research methods including eye tracking and skin conductance response data, in-depth interviews and surveys. The research found that advertising on London Underground is more engaging than online video advertising.
Key findings in the research included:
Almost all travellers are favourable to London Underground advertising
80% of those who don’t like social media ads or TV ads like London Underground ads
6 out of 10 notice when new ads appear on London Underground.
The 2018 BU PhD Studentship Competition is still open.
There are up to 40 matched funded projects available across BU, however there are no fully funded studentships on offer this round of the competition. This excludes Studentships agreed separately, or linked to prestigious bids.
The PhD Studentship projects will only be offered in conjunction with guaranteed external matched funding. The external matched funder should provide a minimum of 50% of the PhD Studentship stipend plus the research costs, which is equivalent to minimum of £25.5k over 36 months.
The PhD Studentships will be awarded to supervisory teams on the basis of a competitive process led by Professor John Fletcher (Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Innovation) and Faculty DDRPPs. The process will be managed by the Doctoral College.
The deadline for submission of applications will be 5pm on Monday 08 January 2018
Please ensure applications contain all relevant information (project proposal; letter of support from matched funder; due diligence form) as incomplete applications will not be considered.
Six of the ADRC PhD students gave short presentations of their plans and findings at the end of year ADRC Christmas seminar held on 12th December. They included the following:
Yolanda Barrado-Martin : Process evaluation of a Tai Chi exercise intervention to prevent falls among older people with dementia.
Raysa El Zein : Dietary intervention study using coconut oil to evaluate effects of ketone metabolism in older adults.
Christopher Hilton : The role of attention in spatial (dis)orientation in people with early signs of dementia.
Joanne Holmes : An exploration of the factors that affect the extensive meal experience for cognitively active elderly living in residential care.
Mananya Podee : Improving holiday accommodation and service provision for people with dementia: An exploration of needs and expectations.
Vladislava Segen : How does ageing affect ability to recognise places, stay oriented & navigate successfully?
It was a highly successful afternoon with lots of good discussion and challenging questions posed for our students. Well done to everyone who presented and we look forward to hearing more about your great work in due course!
Ipsos MORI have published their round up of 2017, discussing the political and social trends that have emerged during the year. The report gives some insights into the social challenges and issues the UK is facing.
The in-depth analysis makes for interesting reading and provides useful information about current societal trends, which may be helpful for bid writing.
The Research Councils have reviewed the current grant terms and conditions and are making changes to include additional information on up and coming legislative changes and additional clarity on the guidance provided these changes will start on Monday 15 January 2018.
The aims of the changes are to clearly communicate and clarify the responsibilities which are part of holding a Research Council Grant.
The changes include:
Compliance with Modern Slavery Act 2015
General Data Protection Regulation changes coming into effect May 2018
Transfer of grant assets to UKRI
Adding NHS Clinical sessions to the list of approved tasks
Clarity of training grants
Links to the full terms and conditions can be found in the press release.
Sex work is a controversial form of income. It is a subject much discussed by experts in feminism, religion, law and politics. And its popular portrayal is often left to people far removed from the realities of sexual commerce. Those who (wrongly) conflate sex work with human trafficking and exploitation would like to see it abolished.
In Brazil, sex work remains politically and socially contentious. But thanks to a staunch sex worker movement in the country, the people who actually do the work have made themselves key contributors to the debate. It is a movement which has informed political policy, affected legislation in urban reform and sexual healthcare and fought tirelessly for the full recognition of sex work as a profession.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of that movement. As part of the celebrations, an international exhibition is being held which features photographs taken by sex workers. Entitled “O Que Você Não Vê” (What You Don’t See), it centres on sexual commerce during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. But it also provides an opportunity to reflect on the lessons that can be learned from three decades of an organisation representing the best interests of sex workers.
Standing together
As in many countries around the world, the legal status of prostitution in Brazil is vague. The criminal code issued in 1940 criminalised prostitution-related activities such as recruitment and facilitation, but not the direct sale of sex.
In the late 1970s, police raids on sex-related businesses in places such as São Paulo forced many sex workers to find work on the streets. A more precarious and isolated environment, it increased the need and appetite for some kind of organisation among the people working there.
In July 1987, Gabriela Leite and Lourdes Barreto, two São Paulo-based sex workers held the first national meeting for Brazil’s prostitutes. It resulted in the Brazilian Network of Prostitutes (BNP) as well as the publication of a newsletter “Beijo da Rua” (Kiss from the Street). The BNP’s mission was to build a new discourse of prostitution, not tied to crime or victimisation.
Conversation focused on state repression, health, collective identity and female sexual desire. Working with the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the BNP became instrumental in the creation of internationally applauded strategies to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.
The Beijo da Rua (Kiss from the Street) newsletter is displayed on a bed. Amanda De Lisio, Bournemouth University
Then in 2002, a group led by Leite influenced the Brazilian government to issue “Ordinance 397” – which recognised sex work as an “official” occupation. Those registered as “sex professionals” would be taxed as autonomous workers and entitled to regular employment benefits including maternity pay, a state pension fund and medical care. It was a crucial moment of increased social tolerance.
Some years later, in the lead up to two huge sporting events due to be held in the country – the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games – Brazilian public discourse once again focused on anti-trafficking strategies, which further conflated forced migration and sexual exploitation with adult, consensual sex work – and served to reignite the abolitionist agenda.
A window into a sex worker’s world
After the closure of several sex-related businesses, a report entitled “Human Rights Violations of Sex Workers in Brazil” was compiled by sex worker support groups and submitted to the United Nations. The photographic project, “O Que Você Não Vê” was also launched as a platform to present a counter-narrative to the sensationalist stories of sex work during the Olympics.
Visitors watching Laura Murray’s documentary on Gabriela Leite, founder of the prostitution movement in Brazil. Amanda De Lisio, Bournemouth University
The exhibition (which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council) provides an insight into the mundane, everyday experiences of those working far away from the slick and glamorous portrayal of an international sporting spectacle. The exhibits reveal sarcasm and humour, and play on the mythologies that surround the sex worker’s profession. There is a dominatrix in her “pain” room, a woman posing with her “puta” family.
Exhibition selfies. Amanda De Lisio, Author provided
Each photographic perspective is unique. But collectively, there is a clear appreciation of the chance for their voices to be heard (albeit in visual form). The exhibition represents yet another step forward for this historic workers’ movement. It is a reflection of resilience, a commitment to civic involvement. It is another attempt to reframe stigmatised bodies as human – worthy of non-exploitative labour, self-expression and care.
This morning as Associate Editor I reviewed one academic paper resubmitted to BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. After this I had to invite three reviewers for another paper newly submitted to BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. 
And these are legitimate requests from high quality journals. There is a whole heap of so-called predatory journals pestering academics for reviews (and papers and editorial board memberships).
If you are planning to apply for funding in 2018 through Erasmus+, the European Union’s programme for education, training, youth and sport, you can start to prepare your grant application now. The Erasmus+ Programme Guide, which provides detailed information on how to apply, is available 
Please see the calls currently open, or forthcoming, being offered through the 
The Research Councils have reviewed the current grant terms and conditions and are making 
Each photographic perspective is unique. But collectively, there is a clear appreciation of the chance for their voices to be heard (albeit in visual form). The exhibition represents yet another step forward for this historic workers’ movement. It is a reflection of resilience, a commitment to civic involvement. It is another attempt to reframe stigmatised bodies as human – worthy of non-exploitative labour, self-expression and care.
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