We would like to invite you to the latest research seminar of the Centre for Games and Music Technology Research.
Speaker: Chi Zhang (Creative Technology PhD Student)
Title:Using user-customized touch gesture for fast accessing installed apps on smartphones
Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM
Date: Wednesday 17th May 2017
Room: PG11, Poole House, Talbot Campus
Abstract:
User-defined touch gesture is a common method for fast interacting with smartphones, it enables a user to define a touch gesture for a particular task, such as, “-” for volume down and “+” for volume up. But, the user-defined touch gesture method is typically provided as a “user-defined touch gesture set” aiming for countable commonly used tasks. These approaches are aiming to build a gesture set, include a limit number of universal gesture-task pairs developed by the users. Existing user defined touch gesture sets supported a wide range of tasks on the smartphones, however, they: (1) still need learning; (2) cannot cover every task that user wants to active; (3) lack of the evaluation on the speed performance. To overcome these limitations and better understand the speed advantage of user-defined touch gesture method, we presented a novel user-customized touch gesture approach and conducted an experiment to evaluate its speed advantages. The experiment demonstrates a significant speed advantage of using our approach and the accuracy performance is evaluated as well. In particular, our findings include: (1) our approach has a significant speed advantage than traditional interaction method; (2) our approach has no significant accuracy differences between frequent and infrequent used apps; (3) analysed what caused the failure accessing in our experiments. Based on these findings, we offer (1) further evidence of the speed benefits of using user self-defined gesture for accessing tasks; (2) design implications for the future gesture-based interface for fast accessing on smartphones.
Everyone experiences conflict in life. How we deal about it is different, however. Various forms of conflict and strategies of facing them was the topic of a recent workshop organised by Professor Gabriel Schäfer, from University of Applied Sciences, Bremen in Germany. Her talk and workshop on conflict and conflict resolution has been organised over three days by Professsor Jonathan Parker of the Department of Social Sciences and Social Work.
Professor Schäfer argued that conflict resolution happens in different ways because conflict is related to aggression and as human beings we have different ways of expressing our aggression. What we need to remember in resolving the conflicts is to acknowledge that firstly our individual personalities are different (some face conflict and some want to let it go), and secondly there are cultural differences that may cause these conflicts go deeper. As it happens, relationships between couples from different cultures break up more often than those where partners have shared history, background and cultural attributes. However, in the workshop, we tried and tested different strategies that help us to not to diminish but to manage these personal and cultural differences.
Professor Schäfer presented three excellent workshops to staff and students on professionally qualifying and pure academic programmes. At a time of heightened tensions across the world learning effective ways of dealing with conflict is, of course, very important. It is central to working and living in our increasingly diverse and multi-cultural world and allows us to disagree, argue and resolve differences in constructive rather than destructive ways.
The future of transport appears full of fun and flashy possibilities. From super-fast hyperloop transport systems, to self-driving cars and hovering taxis, new technology promises to move us further and faster than ever before. Yet for cities facing everyday problems such as congestion, air pollution and under capacity, the most effective solution could be the humble bus – coupled with the power of data.
Of course, in many cities, technology has already begun replacing printed timetables with live departure boards, using real-time data about buses’ locations sourced from GPS monitoring. But this is just the beginning. There’s one source of data which could offer a live overview of a city’s entire transport network without a single penny of investment. And you’ve probably got it on you right now.
Modern mobile phones contain an array of sensors, including GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, digital compass and more, which are capable of producing a constant stream of data. Individual units of movement, tracked by a phone’s GPS and processed on mass, can give detailed information on journey times, speed and destinations.
Fair trade
Of course, using this data without compromising users’ privacy is a challenge. When dealing with location information, anonymisation can only take you so far. But there is a neat solution. In exchange for their data, passengers could receive a wealth of benefits, including more flexible routes and timetables, predictive of need at any given hour. The level of service could be directly linked to the amount of data a passenger chooses to share.
By combining these data with efficient ticketing across a range of transport modes, including bus, tram, train, taxi and others, it would be possible to create a flexible and responsive system, which can tailor transport solutions to every person’s needs.
Individuals would be able to dial in their destination as they leave home, to be guided by the fastest, cheapest, healthiest or most environmentally friendly route to their destination on a given day, by whatever means, at a standard unit of price per distance. The routes would be responsive to changing weather and road closures, with flexible timetables and services, to cater for a wet Tuesday when everyone wants to take the bus rather than walk or cycle. Overcrowding could be reduced by balancing the load of commuters across different modes of transport.
The best thing is, the system would constantly be learning and improving. It is relatively straightforward to automatically schedule extra services in real time if, say, there’s an unusually large number of people waiting at a particular stop. But, with sophisticated machine learning, which processes large amounts of historical data to detect patterns, slumps and hikes in demand could be preempted. Allowing a transport network to self-learn using data from its consumers can help it to evolve a better service, while maintaining the modest margins of the provider.
The transport system can also be used as a tool to promote social good. For one thing, price can be used as a powerful influence for positive behavioural change: discounts could be offered for getting off a stop earlier and walking the remaining distance. The bus or tram itself can also be enhanced by making it a place for culture, education and information. Advertising could be complemented or even replaced by community television, public art and educational information, which offer a more positive experience for the captive audience.
Here today?
All of this potential can be unlocked today: not in the future, but in the here and now. The main challenges are overcoming tradition, using a single ticket across various transport modes and apportioning revenue between a complex tapestry of transport providers within the domain of a single transport authority.
Alongside Bournemouth University, a small digital technology company, We Are Base, is attempting to do exactly that. Together, we are finding ways to leverage data to make public transport a better option than private vehicles in terms of punctuality, flexibility and comfort. We are also collecting and analysing real-time data to demonstrate how a transport network could use machine learning to optimise its customer transport efficiency.
The technology is the relatively easy part; negotiating local politics often proves more difficult. For instance, finding a fair way of distributing ticket revenues among operators involved in a journey which uses more than one mode of transport, potentially across a number of zones and boroughs. Gaining consumer trust is also essential. For such systems to work, the consumer must choose to follow journey suggestions, even though they might not seem to be optimal at the time. This is particularly difficult; after all, how many of us can say that we trust our local bus companies when some still struggle to run the services to a static timetable?
The opportunity for a transport revolution is here – but for it to work it must be aspired to. This starts with consumers and local authorities understanding and seeing the benefits of a self-learning, adaptable and truly flexible local transport system. And given that it’s within reach, they shouldn’t put up with anything less. So, next time someone proposes a flashy new solution to transport woes, just remember that true innovation lies in the hands of the commuters themselves – locked inside their mobile phones.
The Business School and BU Centre for Entrepreneurship were delighted to welcome Andrew Walker, Co-Founder of Clicktools, to the EBC on the afternoon of the 10th May.
This seminar, the last in the current series of ‘Meet the Entrepreneur’ events, provided a great opportunity for students and staff to hear about Andrew’s personal journey as an entrepreneur and learn more about his own experiences as a business owner and his approach to funding and growing an innovative business.
Working in software since graduating in 1989, Andrew is now on his fourth startup and has experienced the lows and highs of starting and growing software companies. His last startup, Clicktools was bootstrapped from 3 to over 50 people and was partly acquired by SurveyMonkey before being fully acquired by Callidus. Andrew is now on a new journey with ikooloo and also mentors new startups through Virgin Startups and Barclays Eagle Labs.
Mark Painter, Business Development Manager for the Business School, said, ‘I was delighted Andrew was able to visit BU and talk to us today. I am sure the attendees found his insights into the realities of starting a business, and in particular the challenges around raising finance, particularly beneficial’. Mark added, ‘I was also really pleased that we were joined by a group of students from the BU International College’.
Details of future Meet the Entrepreneur seminars will be posted on www.bucfe.com
The Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework is a programme of training and development opportunities available to all members of staff regardless of what level they have attained in their academic career. It provides several pathways of opportunity depending on what interests you. We will soon be launching the 2017/18 programme in time for appraisals.
We’re often asked in RKEO what type of grant should someone apply for depending on their level of experience. Our Research Facilitators are only too happy to advise and so do get in touch with them. You may find the below illustration helpful in guiding you to the choices that are right for you (a larger version is available on MyBU). Also, standard calls for proposals from major funders can be found here.
Insight 2017 opens for applications on 10 May 2017.
£1.6 million is available for research that advances the development and use of data from national clinical audits and patient registries as a mechanism for improving health care quality in the UK.
The programme comprises two funding streams for small and large-scale awards.
Deadline for applications: Tuesday 25 July 2017.
The Health Foundation is exploring what a learning health care system might look like in the UK and wants to better understand the elements that could contribute to making one. They recognise that digitisation and analysis of data and information play an important role in supporting health care systems to continuously learn and improve.
The rich information held in national clinical audits and registries can be used to inform improvements in health care quality. However, national audits and registries are yet to realise their full potential in the UK.
The Health Foundation’s £1.6 million Insight 2017 funding invites researchers to submit ideas for research that advances the development and use of data from national clinical audits and patient registries as a mechanism for improving health care quality in the UK.
The programme comprises two funding streams:
Small-scale awards – up to £100,000 to support innovative research that is particularly novel or conducted at a small scale, completed over 18 months. Projects eligible for funding under this stream include standalone research studies, and feasibility or pilot studies.
Large-scale awards – between £300,000 and £400,000 for substantive studies across more than one site and/or location of innovative and ambitious research with the potential to support transformational change, completed over three years.
The call aims to fund research that either:
broadens the involvement of patients in the design and collection of clinical audit and registry data, specifically the collection and use of patient reported outcomes
demonstrates the value of linking clinical audit and registry data to other data, to improve the value of health care
explores variation in metrics of clinical quality and outlier identification to determine priorities for improvement.
The academic jobs market is becoming more challenging and competitive post-PhD. With the number of PhD holders increasing, there is enormous pressure on the academic job market and declining academic job prospects for doctoral graduates.
What can I do after my PhD? It is a difficult decision for any PhD student on whether to pursue a career in academia, or consider alternative careers. In our dedicated live Q&A we are bringing forth a panel of experts who have moved outside of academia, to share their top tips and advice on alternate career pathways following PhD studies.
To help all those who are considering options after doctoral studies, jobs.ac.uk is holding a FREE 60-minute live video event via a live YouTube Q&A called ‘Alternative Career Pathways After Your PhD’. Find out more and register today.
Dr Nicole Ferdinand, Senior Academic in the Department of Events and Leisure recently presented at a three-day conference (April 30th – May 2nd 2017) at the International Convention Centre in Sydney hosted by Meeting and Events Australia (MEA). She was one of twelve plenary speakers who were part of the association’s national conference which featured the theme “Reboot” as delegates were treated to a number of presentations and workshops which were geared towards pushing the boundaries and challenging delegates to open their minds to the possibilities to improve the delivery of events. The conference celebrated its 40th year this year and is considered Australia’s “ultimate conference” for the events industry.
MEA Conference Opening Ceremony Featuring Australian Dance Troupe
Dr Ferdinand’s plenary session was entitled 360 Degree Post-event Evaluation and featured cutting-edge research developed with fellow BUresearcher Dr Nigel Williams on using social media data in evaluating events.
Dr Nicole Ferdinand on the main stage at the MEA National Conference
She followed her plenary session with a hands-on workshop. Feedback from both sessions was extremely positive as event evaluation is considered crucial for event success.
“Hands-on” Post-event Evaluation Workshop Led by Dr Nicole Ferdinand
For more information on the conference and the other speakers featured at the event, have a look at the conference website.
Dr Ambrose Seddon’s musical work ‘Fleeting Strands’ was recently included in the programme at BEAST FEAST 2017, an international electroacoustic music festival taking place at the University of Birmingham, 27-29 April 2017.
Ambrose ‘diffused’ (spatialised) his composition over the 64-channel loudspeaker system known as BEAST (Birmingham Electroacoustic Sound Theatre), in a programme including works by many highly-respected international artists. More information can be found here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/jvkj7q5
Ambrose is a lecturer in Music and Audio Technology at BU (Creative Technology, Sci Tech) and a member of EMERGE.
Dinosaurs to Forensics is coming to the Royal Society Summer Exhibition in July 2017. We are looking for talented and charismatic research students to help out. You will get first-hand experience of a large public engagement event and you will receive training. The Royal Society Summer Exhibition (3-9 July 2017) is the country’s most prestigious public engagement event and is held in London each year (https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2017/summer-science-exhibition/ ). The exhibit team is led by Matthew Bennett and Marcin Budka from the Faculty of Science and Technology here at BU.
Public engagement is an important aspect of every scientific discipline and this is a great way to learn and gain experience.
Each student will spend a day at the Royal Society interacting with the public and supporting the core exhibit team. Training will be provided and all travel and food expenses will be covered. Please note that this is not a paid opportunity.
GET INVOLVED
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
HAVE an AMAZING NEW EXPERIENCE
MEET NEW PEOPLE
BOOST YOUR EMPLOYMENT PROSPECT
Expressions of interest via email to dbudka@bmth.ac.uk before the 26 May 2017 please. We are looking for help specifically on the 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10 July and additional dates may be required that week. Please state clearly which days you are available for and give brief details of your course of study and experience. In the case of multiple expressions of interest a brief selection process will be run the week commencing the 5 June 2017.
Find out more about Bournemouth University (BU) work and research – while enjoying a drink in your favourite pub – during the upcoming Pint of Science Festival.
This is the first time that the world’s largest festival of public science talks has come to Bournemouth, and will see 25 BU scientists take to the stage in pubs across town.
It runs from Monday 15 – Wednesday 17th May, with talks taking place in Chaplin’s Cellar Bar in Boscombe, and at Ojo Rojo and the Goat & Tricycle in Bournemouth town centre across the three evenings of the festival.
Attendees can enjoy talks on a range of themes, from new technologies like 3D printing and how they could revolutionise the way things like jewellery are created, through to the science underlying mental illness and conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
Selective forgetting, the selfie, internet addiction and whether breathing training can reduce falls will also be explored during the festival in Bournemouth.
BU Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology Dr Shanti Shanker, who has coordinated the Bournemouth events, said: “There is some fantastic research taking place in Bournemouth, and the Pint of Science festival is a great way for people to find out more about it.
“Not only will people hear from researchers directly, they will also have the chance to put their questions to them and delve into these fascinating topics.
“This is the first year that Pint of Science has come to Bournemouth and we really hope people embrace the opportunity to find out more in the comfort of a pub with a pint.”
The international, three-day Pint of Science festival will see thousands of scientists simultaneously standing up and telling the public about their research in over 100 cities across 12 countries.
Tickets are available from the Pint of Science website, with each evening of three talks costing £4.
To find out more about the Bournemouth events and book tickets visit the Pint of Science website.
We cordially invite staff and students with an interest in ageing and/or dementia research to join us at our monthly Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) research meetings. The meetings provide an opportunity for those with related research interests to network and hear about the wealth of research in this area across BU.
We kick off our first ADRC Research Meeting on 9th May 2017 from 11-12.30 (S218, Studland House, Lansdowne Campus) with our theme leaders providing an overview of our three research themes:
Ageing and Dementia Friendly Environments – Prof Jan Wiener
Nutrition and Well-being – Prof Jane Murphy
Activity and Social Inclusion – Dr Ben Hicks
Following the success of a recent FHSS research seminar, the presentations will be in the ignite style – which is a short five minute slots using images, narratives, and altmetrics (http://www.ignitetalks.io/).
We look forward to seeing you there.
Anyone wishing to present their ageing or dementia research at a forthcoming research meeting should contact Dr Michelle Heward to discuss further.
The Advances in Media Management (AiMM) research cluster have been awarded the European Media Management Association’s Doctoral Summer School 2018.
AiMM is a cross faculty research collaboration between the Faculty of Media & Communications and the Faculty of Management and this award follows on from AiMMs success in hosting the association’s annual conference at BU in 2013.The Doctoral Summer School will be held at BU between the 2-4th July 2018 and is targeted at PhD students at all stages of their research, as well as early-stage post-docs.
Congratulations go to the bid team: Dr John Oliver, Dr Chris Chapleo, Dr Joyce Costello, Graham Goode, Melanie Gray and Conor O’Kane.
Social Media ‘on the go’: Examining the impact of age
Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features a joint project between Dr Elvira Bolat and Harry Cutler-Smith, an postgraduate student from the Faculty of Management. The image is looking at social media ‘on the go’: examining the impact of age. The series is a weekly instalment which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.
Dr Bolat’s research is looking at the generational gap on the adoption and use of social media.
Existing research on social media adoption has identified two generational groups, generation Y (aged 18-25) and generation X (aged 35-60). However, there are no existing studies that have investigated the generational gap in the adoption and use of social media ‘on the go’. The team conducted a mixed study comprising of focus group discussion and a survey. The team found that generation X uses mobile social media just as much generation as Y. This has implications on advertising strategies and tactics businesses use on social media. Brands that target generation X should not neglect social media in their marketing and need to consider targeted timely content.
Businesses using social media need to have a planned approach to content development and assume that social media and mobile social media (e.g. Snapchat) is only for younger audience.
If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Bolat or Harry.
We haven’t seen you for a while! Please come and join us for FREE tea and cake, and pick up your FREE coffee voucher if you have completed the PRES survey. We look forward to seeing you.
As part of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework, RKEO held a session on Writing a Justification of Resources. The session provided a brief overview of the Justification of Resources and offered tips for writing this section of the application form. Examples of effective Justifications of Resources were also provided.
The resources from the session are now available on MyBU. To access them, please logon to the ‘Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework’ community, and under ‘Pathways’ select ‘Research Council Funding’.
For further information, please contact Lisa Gale-Andrews, RKEO Research Facilitator.
The RCUK has issued a statement setting out the pre-election rules and what this means for research council funded researchers. This includes press releases about your research, expert commentary on the election, presenting at conferences concerning the election, research council funded data about voting patterns and behaviour, and election related content on websites and social media.
Please read the statement for exact details, but basically, you can’t mention your research council source of funding (unless directly asked) if talking about anything connected with the election.
GE2017: The Prime Minister, Theresa May, used her dissolution speech to focus on the challenge of Brexit in the face of hard lining from Brussels.
The release dates of the parties’ manifestos have not been officially announced, however they are expected:
Conservatives – during week commencing 8 May
Labour – Monday 15 May
Lib Dems – “within a fortnight” (so by 18 May)
Green Party – unconfirmed
UKIP – end of May
Conservatives: The Conservatives have closed ranks during the manifesto preparation period with Theresa May directly overseeing manifesto policy whilst on the campaign trail. There has been little in the way of leaked policy and the Conservatives campaigning to date has barely featured the HE agenda (unsurprising given that the Bill has passed and there has been so much discussion in recent months).
Conservative manifesto pledges that are already announced focus on foreign aid, an energy price cap, a promise to help ‘ordinary working families’ and leading Britain successfully through Brexit.
Also expected are commitments on grammar schools, encouraging a selective stream within comprehensive schools, addressing the social care funding crisis, and Britain’s industrial innovation and competitiveness.
It is expected that the manifesto will support apprenticeships aiming to create 3 million apprenticeships funded by benefit cuts and enforce that NEETS (young people out of work, education or training for six months) will have to do unpaid community work to get benefits (this is c.50,000 18 to 21-year-olds).
Jo Johnson has been active and continues to reiterate the key policies from the last Parliament.
While the Conservatives continue to include students within net migration figures Johnson informed THE that vice-chancellors should concentrate their attention elsewhere: “I think the sector should focus on selling the positive message, which is that…there is no better country in the world in which to study than the UK… [Otherwise] we risk creating exactly the situation which we’re trying to avoid, which is deterring students from coming to study here – by endlessly saying that we’re closed for business. We’re not. We’re open for business, and there’s no limit on the number who can come and study here.”
The THE article also sees Jo Johnson nod to the debate about students as consumers. He states the Office for Students will put “the student interest and the interests of the taxpayer underwriting the system and the interests of employers getting graduates at the other end of it really at the heart of everything that it does…In that sense, we’re moving towards a system in which we have a classic regulated market…since tuition fees replaced direct public funding as the primary source of higher education funding …students are effectively taking on the liabilities as consumers”
Jo Johnson’s response to two parliamentary questions reiterates the already known research commitment:
“The Government is fully committed to maintaining the UK’s world-leading science, research and higher education base” (parliamentary question)
“The Autumn Statement 2016 announcement of an extra £2 billion a year in research and development by 2020-21 underlines the place of science and innovation at the heart of this Government’s industrial strategy” (parliamentary question)
Labour: Labour have shared more of their forthcoming manifesto than the Conservatives, and education, across all ages, is a central tenet of Labour’s campaigning.
Labour has committed to restore university maintenance grants and the FE Educational Maintenance Allowance. However, they have sidestepped recent questions on HE fees prior to their manifesto release.
Previously both Corbyn and John McDonnell stated they wished to abolish tuition fees. Interestingly, a recent HEPI poll highlighted only 35% of students believe Labour would follow through on fee abolition and reintroduction of grants if they gained power.
Labour have also stated they will refuse to grant business rate relief to independent schools unless they can show a “meaningful impact” on state schools through a new School Partnership Standard, for example by lending teaching staff or assisting in university admissions procedures.
Corbyn also focuses on the mental health of young people, social care funding and the NHS.
On immigration the BBC report Labour plan ‘smarter targets to reduce low-skilled migration but ensure university students and high-skilled workers are not deterred’. Regarding apprenticeships Labour aim to equal the numbers of young people on apprenticeships as currently go to university, by 2025.
Jeremy Corbyn in a speech to the National Association of Head Teachers:
“Labour is making our children’s education one of the cornerstones of our General Election campaign… Labour will introduce a National Education Service, ensuring excellent learning opportunities for all from early years to adult education …we set out in no uncertain terms our opposition to the expansion of grammar schools in this country…The task is clear: we must build an education system that suits the needs of our children and the opportunities they will have in the jobs market of tomorrow…. We are also committed to restoring maintenance grants for university students so that no one is held back from realising their ambitions and so that every schoolchild knows that the options of further and higher Education are available to them. We must not be ashamed to value education, for education’s own sake.”
Lib Dems: The Lib Dems are committed to and push for national debate on the key issues, yet seem to feature less in media coverage. While they have currently not declared their position on students and immigration status they do state: “We reject the isolationist and intolerant policies of the Tory Brexit government, and will fight to make Britain a more open and tolerant player on the global stage.” On apprenticeships they plan to create a million more jobs, with higher pay for the lowest paid apprentices.
UKIP: UKIP policy aims to scrap tuition fees for students from poorer backgrounds who take degree courses in the sciences, technology, maths or engineering. It places greater emphasis on vocational education through a new Apprenticeship Qualification Option. Lastly, they would permit universities to charge same amount for EU students as non-EU students
Green Party: The Green party is expected to campaign for free education, a higher universal living wage and increased investment in mental health services. So far they have declared a student-friendly set of policies including abolishing tuition fees and bringing back maintenance grants.
Brexit: Brexit is the key topic for GE2017. Last week’s Education Select Committee report into Brexit and HE highlights the pivotal issues for HE as:
Regional Growth Fund negotiations
Horizon 2020 and research frameworks
Erasmus+ programme
EU staff residency rights and an easier non-Tier 2 route for academics from around the world
EU student visa free access
Student voting: In the news this week is HEPI’s poll of 1,000 full time undergraduate students on their voting preferences.
The poll demonstrates considerable support for the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn, yet, of those planning to vote, a majority will consider voting tactically
93% of students say they are registered to vote. Most students expect to vote at home rather than at university
the most important issues to students are the EU and the NHS
students have not forgiven the Liberal Democrats for breaking their promise on tuition fees (in the past Lib Dems were the most popular party for students)
students are distrustful of the Labour leadership’s support for abolishing tuition fees and bringing back maintenance grants
“Labour, Coalition and Conservative Governments have all backed tuition fees in recent times. The challenge for Labour is whether to include the end of fees and the return of grants in their manifesto when half of students regard such pledges as worthless.” (Nick Hillman, Director of HEPI)
Universities UK have published their priorities for the general election. They ask all political parties to continue to support universities by adopting policies to facilitate and enhance their economic, social and cultural benefits alongside their global competitiveness and post-Brexit impact.
The five priorities are:
Securing an effective post-Brexit settlement for universities
Confirm rights to reside and work for EU national currently within the sector; minimal barriers for EU staff and students in post-Brexit immigration
Horizon 2020 continued participation
Influence and access to 9th Framework Programme
Continued access to Erasmus+ and other mobility programmes
Supporting universities in their role as anchors for growth in local economies
Increase Higher Education Innovation Fund investment to min £250 million pa
Develop collaborative institutes (local collaboration between universities, FE and schools particularly focusing on high-level technical education skills)
Replace the European Structural Investment Funds
Sustainable funding for growing higher-level apprenticeships demand
Improved careers support for young people
Increasing funding for science, research and innovation to match our competitors
Real terms increase in research funding (aim – 3% of GDP), ring fenced.
Enhance support and funding for international research collaboration through a cross-government strategy
Maintain 0.7% commitment for research, innovation and capacity building projects for developing countries
Supporting world-leading teaching, student experience, and improving outcomes
Students access good quality information, including TEF
Maintain real terms funding for high-cost subjects, e.g. STEM
Social mobility supported through data coherence between schools and universities
Funding to improve student mental health
An effective immigration system
Simplified and improved visa regimes
Robust, reliable, published data on the number of international students and overstaying
Reclassify so international students are not considered long-term migrants
Invest in an international student growth strategy supporting international marketing, mobility and partnerships
Enhance opportunities for qualified international graduates to stay in the UK
Consistently communicate a welcoming message to international students and staff
Other policy news
The Lords Science and Technology Committee wrote to Greg Clark to urge for clarity within a strong Industrial Strategy rather than the current green paper, which “resembles a portfolio of tactics rather than a coherent strategy”. The letter frequently references the role of universities in the delivery of a good industrial strategy.
“The strategy should set out pathways of practical steps to a more productive, environmentally sustainable, regionally disperse economy in the UK, building on existing research excellence at every opportunity. The Green Paper provides some long term aspirations but lacks detail on how to reach them and on how success will be measured.”
The letter continues:
“The Committee was particularly surprised to see little emphasis, and no coherent approach, to tax and regulation for industry and science. These dimensions, together with the availability of “patient” finance and appropriate skills, are key elements of the relationship between government, businesses and universities. … The government must create a new partnership with industry and universities in order for the industrial strategy to be effective. This cannot be a partnership with only the usual suspects from industry. This partnership must also include new and emerging sectors.”
It also calls on government to address the VAT disincentive which, when universities and business co-locate, leaves the university with a large tax bill.
Finally, on 27 April the Lords rejected the motion to regret the change to student loans from NHS bursaries for nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students. The motion was disagreed by 38 votes. (Content: 121; Not Content 159)
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The 
Live online event on the 8th June 2017
TEA AND CAKE AT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
The RCUK has issued a 
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