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Introducing STEAMLab

Guidance

You may have heard of Sandpits in the academic environment and know what they are or even attended one.  However, we in RKEO are constantly asked ‘what’s a sandpit’, ‘does it stand for something’, ‘it doesn’t sound like it includes me’, or just a straightforward ‘I don’t get it’.

At the same time, you will have seen last week that the well known term STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) has now become STEAM, with ‘Arts’ being rightfully recognised as a vital component of research.

In true Orwellian style, we have renamed ‘Sandpits’ to the new name of ‘STEAMLab‘.  This demonstrates the purpose of the STEAMLabs as being open to all disciplines and encouraging truly interdisciplinary research ideas.  The ‘Lab’ part demonstrates the working environment that leads to the creation of novel research ideas and partnerships.  In a nutshell, the STEAMLabs offer the opportunity to meet new people from all disciplines and sectors, and to spend dedicated time developing novel ideas for research projects (as well as lots of post-its).

Four key topics have been selected for the STEAMLabs in 2017/18.  These are based around key government priorities and where the biggest pots of funding will be available.  The STEAMLab topics are:

  • Food security – 25 October 2017
  • Global Challenges – 7 February 2018
  • Industrial Challenges – 11 April 2018
  • Virtual Problems – 6 June 2018

These are broad themes to ensure that they are open to everyone from all disciplines.  If you think that they don’t include you then please have a chat with your RKEO Facilitator who can explain how your research could make a vital contribution to new ideas and approaches.  In order to encourage wider partnerships, each STEAMLab will include academics from other universities, as well as representatives from industry and other sectors.   More details will follow on each of the STEAMLabs in due course and so please watch the blog for news on how to get involved.

Santander Staff Mobility project – Research capacity building and networking to tackle the issues of food waste management and poverty alleviation in Latin America

Fusion, international, Knowledge Exchange

I have recently returned from a BU Santander Staff Mobility sponsored trip to Lima (Peru) where I visited Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Peru (PUCP). PUCP is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious private institutions of higher education in Peru which offers circa 50 undergraduate and over 70 postgraduate degrees with the total student population of around 22,000 (Figure 1). The purpose of the visit was to enhance existing and establish new contacts with Peruvian academics whose interests revolve around the remits of sustainable urban development, food waste management, and poverty alleviation.

As part of my visit, I delivered a series of guest lectures to the student and academic staff communities at PUCP. The content of these lectures was shaped around the topic of food waste management as applied in the context of household consumption, grocery retail, and hospitality. The lectures highlighted the outcome of the case studies that have recently been carried out by academics in the Faculty of Management at BU in the UK sectors of interest. The lectures were well attended and attracted numerous questions given the growing magnitude of food waste generation in Lima which is in part due to inefficient managerial practices adopted by the local hospitality and grocery retail operators alongside irresponsible consumer behaviour.

A research seminar was also organised for members of the CONURB (Urban Development, Governance and Social Housing) research group at PUCP where the issues of urban poverty and food security as applied to the realm of Lima, a large and rapidly growing metro area in Latin America with substantial levels of societal inequality, were discussed. The research seminar was supplemented with a study visit to one of the largest slum areas of Lima. These are usually located on the city slopes (Figure 2), poorly regulated and characterised by the prevalence of severe issues of socio-economic (for example, malnutrition, poor hygiene and limited access to education) and environmental (for instance, restricted water supply) nature. A number of research contacts were made and a number of promising research directions were identified during the visit and it is envisaged that these will be sustained and explored in more detail in the future.

The visit has enhanced research capacity and research reputation of BU in Peru and outlined a number of potential collaborative opportunities to pursue with academics at PUCP / CONURB. Furthermore, the visit has already generated some tangible outcome as a joint application for seed research funding has been submitted to Ecoinvent, a Switzerland-based consultancy which collates environmental impact related data on various industrial and societal processes, both in developed and developing economies, and subsequently approved (total value of the grant is £35,823). Another application for research funding with academics from CONURB has been submitted to Ecoinvent and is currently awaiting a decision.

For more information about this project, please contact Dr Viachaslau Filimonau, Senior Lecturer in Hospitality Management in Faculty of Management, at vfilimonau@bournemouth.ac.uk

Figure 1                                                                  Figure 2

Industrial Strategy Commission Report Released

Funding opportunities

The Industrial Strategy Commission was launched on March 6th 2017. The first comprehensive report on how the UK government will make long-term investments into innovative business related activity and research has been released and may be found here.

Much of the report focuses on the requirements of an economic management strategy and the vision of what it is expected long-term investment will lead towards. A short summary of this may be found here.

How to use this information:

  1. Check to see if the research you are planning to undertake may fit under the foundational vision set forth in the report
  2. Consider if the research you plan to undertake can be made to contribute to this vision with some alteration
  3. Be prepared- funding calls from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund may come at short notice from a number of funding sources.

For Bournemouth University academics who may have queries about how your research may fit within future schemes, please contact Ehren Milner (emilner@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Lisa Gale-Andrews (lgaleandrews@bournemouth.ac.uk).

 

BU’s user led research study covered in the Bournemouth Echo

The Bournemouth Echo published a two page spread this week on the Older Carers Research Study. The user led study was conducted by a group of older male carers over the age of 85 in collaboration with the BU PIER partnership (Public Involvement in Education and Research), Bournemouth and Poole’s Carers Centre and the study’s funders: Dorset Healthwatch. The Echo’s article focuses on Jim and his experience of caring for his wife. To read the article, search for Bournemouth Echo carer, and to view the 11 minute film created by the carers and a group of BU Media Production students go to the BU PIER partnership website www.bournemouth.ac.uk\pier and look under ‘our resources’. Feedback and comments welcome.

EPSRC New Investigator Awards to replace First Grants

Funding opportunities, Guidance

EPSRC logoFrom Tuesday, 25 July 2017 a New Investigator Award scheme will replace the EPSRC’s First Grant initiative. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is introducing the new scheme following a recent review of First Grants, with input from advisory teams and universities.

The New Investigator Award scheme will remove some of the current restrictions and will help improve the quality and ambition of research proposals submitted, recognising that different projects and new investigators have different needs. EPSRC will continue to draw on input from advisory teams and universities to monitor and evaluate progress of the scheme.

The New Investigator Award scheme will:

  • Remove the financial value and the duration caps
  • Encourage a greater degree of university support to aid career development
  • Remove time based eligibility criteria, ensuring support for researchers who are new to leading research applications
  • Encourage panels to recommend invited resubmission and give feedback to support this more often than they would for standard grant applications

Information for current First Grant applicants:

  • EPSRC anticipates that all applicants eligible for the First Grant scheme will also be eligible for a New Investigator Award
  • The First Grants system will close at 16:00 (BST) on Monday 24 July 2017
  • Applications after this date should be made through the New Investigator Award scheme
  • First Grant applications that have not been submitted via the Je-S system after 16:00 (BST) on Monday 24 July 2017 will no longer be available

Current First Grant applicants should liaise with RKEO to ensure a copy of the application information is captured. This can then be used in New Investigator Award applications.

Preparing myBU for AY 17/18 – countdown to the start of term

Guidance

Preparing myBU for AY 17/18 – countdown to the start of term

This post contains important information and dates for staff who will be continuing to use myBU in the next academic year.

Please note that, as last year, unit content will not be automatically rolled over from 16/17.  If required, elements of your unit(s) can be copied over in a few simple steps.  Information on how to copy content is available from the TEL Toolkit.

Key dates

24 – 26 July.  myBU Upgrade
myBU will be unavailable to both staff and students for its annual upgrade. This scheduled downtime will enable IT and the LT Team to install and test the latest updates to myBU/Blackboard.

From 21 August.  The 17/18 units will be available in myBU.  Academic staff can prepare their units from this date, including copying content where appropriate.

8 September is the deadline to have initial content ready for continuation students, who will see content in their new units 14 days in advance of start of term (i.e. visible from 11 September  2017).

15 September is the deadline for initial content to be in place for new students in Induction Week (i.e. visible from 18 September 2017).

Help and Support
If staff have any questions or need help on any of the above, please contact the IT Service Desk in the first instance and a Learning Technologist will get in touch:

 

FHSS Post-grads score with their story of a study group for Sociological Imagination blog

PG research

(l. to r.) Louise Oliver, Jo Thurston, Karen Cooper & Mandy Podee

Four  Health & Social Sciences post-grads (Karen Cooper, Louise Oliver, Mananya Podee & Joanna Thurston), Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, have just published an article in the Sociological Imagination blog.  All at similar stages in the PhD process, they have banded together to form a Methodological Study Group, at the recommendation of their supervisor. In their article for the Sociological Imagination, the four report on:

  1. How the idea for the Methodology Study came about? Had they been involved in any projects like this previously?
  2. Are there elements of method that they share in common? How does this help the group to move forward?
  3. One particularly interesting aspect of the project is their relationship between each other, each other’s work and their own thesis. Have links developed?
  4. What advice would they give to social scientists interested in using a similar study group? How can this format help postgrad students particularly to develop methodology?
  5. How has working in a study group made in easier to return to working alone and in isolation? Or have they found an answer to this in the group process itself?

Supervisor, Dr Kip Jones said, “All four are involved in one way or another under the broad umbrella of Narrative Research. This has been key to providing a platform and common interest to hold the group together and make it a productive one in a very short time.  My job was to suggest the Study Group and format, then stay out of the way. This format has proved successful”.

Read the article here.

Reminder of HEIF-6 funding call

HEIF

The deadline is fast approaching for the HEIF-6 funding call – 23rd July.

HEFCE provide Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) to universities to facilitate a broad range of knowledge-based interactions between them and the wider world, which result in economic and social benefit to the UK. The current round of funding is referred to as HEIF-6 and runs from August 2017 to July 2022.

An internal call is now open for applications from BU colleagues who wish to develop innovative projects. Funding will be awarded to those applications that clearly demonstrate how new/existing collaborations will be developed and how societal/economic impact will be achieved. Interdisciplinary and/or cross-Faculty/PS proposals are encouraged, as are proposals with international collaborators.

We anticipate making awards of £10k-100k per project per year. Projects should be between one and three years in duration and must align to one of BU’s HEIF-6 themes:

  • Advanced manufacturing
  • Health (focusing on digital health and e-health)
  • Digital and creative

Colleagues wishing to apply should read BU’s HEIF-6 strategy and the HEIF-6 FAQs before completing the HEIF-6 application form. These documents can be found on the i-drive (I:\R&KEO\Public\HEIF 6). Applications must be supported by the Project Lead’s Faculty and signed by the relevant Deputy Dean (Research and Professional Practice). Any queries should be sent to Julie Northam (jnortham@bournemouth.ac.uk) in the first instance.

Completed applications should be sent to Rebecca Edwards (redwards@bournemouth.ac.uk) by midnight on Sunday 23rd July. We aim to confirm the outcomes within a fortnight of the closing date.

Newton Fund – Funding Update

Funding opportunities, international

There are a number of calls now open through the Newton Fund. In each case, please refer to the call website for full details including eligibility requirements and thematic priorities:

Newton Institutional Links aims to build UK-partner country research and innovation collaborations centred on shared research and innovation challenges which have direct relevance to social welfare and economic development. Grants awarded are between £50,000 – £300,000. For this round, applications are accepted for collaborations between the UK, Egypt, Thailand and Turkey. The call for Turkey will open on 17/07/17. The deadline for submissions is 19th September 2017, 16:00 UK time.

There is a separate call, Institutional Links Grants for the UK and Russia. In this case, the funding is up to £300,000 with a maximum of £150,000 requested on the UK side and £150,000 requested on the Russian side. The deadline for submissions is 19th September 2017, 16:00 UK time.

Researcher Links Travel Grants provide financial support for early-career researchers to undertake an international research placement to strengthen links for future collaboration, build research capacity in developing economies, and enhance the researcher’s career opportunities. The researcher  will spend 1-6 months abroad depending on the country, which is one of the Philippines, Indonesia and South Africa. Travel may only be between the UK and partner country, but can be in either direction. The deadline for submissions is 19th September 2017, 16:00 UK time.

Newton Researcher Links Workshops bring together early-career researchers from the UK and a partner country to make international connections that can improve the quality of their research. Workshops can be proposed between the UK, China and the Philippines. There is also a separate call for workshops between the UK and Russia. The deadline for submissions is 19th September 2017, 16:00 UK time.

Funding is available to support attendance at the UAE Science Symposium on Clean and Renewable Energy (30 October – 1 November 2017). The deadline for receiving applications is 19 August 2017.

PhD Placements and Supervisor Mobility Grants China-UK: The UK-China joint Research and Innovation Partnership Fund (known in the UK as the Newton Fund) PhD placement programme is delivered by the British Council China and the China Scholarship Council on behalf of the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and China’s Ministry of Education. This programme is a sponsorship opportunity for UK and Chinese PhD students and their supervisors to spend a period of study of three to 12 months (for PhD students) and up to three months (for supervisors) at higher education institutions in China or the UK. The application process closes at 12:00 (UK time) on 20th September 2017.

On behalf of the Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, UK and the Ministry of Science and Technology, India, British Council- India, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) India are pleased to invite applications for funding to support short-term PhD placements between UK and Indian institutions. The deadline for receipt of applications is 21 August 2017, 16:00 UK time.

Research Environment Links (REL) Grants aim to support international collaboration through training programmes, the exchange of knowledge and best practice, the development and implementation of pilot activities in the areas relevant to the Newton capacity building strands. The partnerships are led by institutions in Vietnam in conjunction with an expert counterpart organisation in the UK.  The grant can be £50,000 to £140,000. The deadline is 21 July 2017, 16:00 UK time.

The British Council in Germany is looking for UK-based researchers to deliver interactive, engaging and hands-on science workshops in English on the topic of Seas and Oceans. Ideally the funder is looking for UK-based science researchers, engineers,  Ph.D. students and STEM Ambassadors with a science background and a track record of outreach work with schools. The deadline for submitting proposals is 30 September 2017. The workshops will take place between spring 2017 and autumn 2017.

The British Council is providing funding to attend a number of selected workshops. Various deadlines apply.

If you are planning to apply to any of these schemes, please contact your Research Facilitator for help and support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REF Main Panel Chairs announced

Research assessment

The main panels will provide leadership and guidance to the sub-panels that undertake the REF assessment. As chairs designate, the appointees will at first advise the funding bodies on the initial decisions and on the further development of the framework. They will take up their roles as chairs later in the year*, once the outcomes of the ‘consultation on the second REF’ are announced and further appointments to the REF panels have been made.

The Main Panel Chairs (designate) for each of the four main panel areas are:

Biographies for the Main Panel Chairs are available here: Biographies

*Interesting to note that HEFCE have reaffirmed their previous commitment to announce the outcomes of the consultation later this year, despite rumours this would either be delayed or result in a second technical consultation.

British Academy Global Challenges Research Networking Grants

Funding opportunities, international

The Academy of Medical Sciences in partnership with the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society, is delighted to announce the call for applications to a scheme to allow researchers from developing countries and the UK to forge links and hold networking events to generate innovative and interdisciplinary research ideas to address global challenges.

What is offered

This scheme is targeted at researchers who are looking to form new international collaborations. The maximum amount available is £25,000. Applications from the humanities and social sciences are welcome.

Applications should focus on building a collaborative network and therefore have to be submitted jointly by a lead overseas researcher from a developing country and a lead researcher based in the UK.

To be eligible to apply, both applicants must:

  • Have completed a PhD or have experience at an equivalent level
  • Have proven research experience in their field
  • Hold a permanent position at an eligible institution (in the UK or a DAC-listed country), or a fixed-term contract for the duration of the award.

Projects must start between 1st January 2018 and 31st March 2018, and the funding will last for one year. Full details of eligibility for this scheme are outlined in the guidance, which can be downloaded from the right side of this page. Please read this carefully before submitting an application.

Please contact the Academy of Medical Science’s grants team if you have any queries on 0203 1413 244, or email the team at gcrfnetworking@acmedsci.ac.uk.

For more information see here.

How to be a Productivity Ninja™

BU Challenges, Guidance, Info Days, Training, writing

The ThinkProductive Team will be visiting BU next Wednesday to deliver a 90 minute action-packed seminar on How to be a Productivity Ninja™ . They will share with you the 9 Characteristics of the Productivity Ninja™ and help you to identify specific ways you can implement them.

If you want to learn the way of the Productivity Ninja™ then book on here!

 

 

Growing up and getting old – 12th July 10am-1pm Talbot Campus

We are living longer, but are we really healthier?

Join the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre for our growing up and getting old event (part of Bournemouth University Festival of Learning week) which is fun and interactive for all. Hear about good nutrition and lifestyle choices, innovative hospital care, developments in care home design guidelines, and why older people should take up graffiti and practice Tai Chi (with a free taster session of Tai Chi).

The event will take place on Wednesday 12th July 2017 between 10am and 1pm in the Student Hall at Talbot Campus.

Book your place now: https://microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk/festival-of-learning/events/growing-up-and-getting-old/