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SUNRISE: collaborative project with Universiti Sains Malaysia supporting sustainability research

A project being run in partnership with a Malaysian university aims to inspire and build capacity for sustainability research

The SUNRISE project (Supporting University Network for Research in Sustainability Engagement) is a collaborative initiative between Bournemouth University (BU) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

The SUNRISE project team holding a Malaysian flagSome of the SUNRISE project team

Funded by the British Council’s UK-Malaysia Going Global Partnerships Grant for Student Mobility, the project focuses on building capacity for research on sustainability and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As part of the project, a series of events have been held for students and staff at both BU and USM, developing stronger links between the two universities and facilitating collaboration on sustainability research around shared areas of expertise.

The first event, held in April, showcased BU and USM staff’s sustainability research to an audience of staff and students from across the two universities.

The second event was a conference covering student research on sustainability, which took place in May. It was organised, promoted and managed by a team of 4 students from the BU MSc (Hons) Event Management course as part of their final year project.

The third and final event took place in October and celebrated project on sustainability by Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) from BU and USM. Presentations included topics such as sustainable duckweed production, tourists’ use of public transportation, and the impact of coastal erosion on socio-economic activities.

There were also presentations around enhancing diversity and inclusivity in research, as well as discussions around ways to build capacity for sustainability research.

The event saw the launch of the BU Student Sustainability Champion Award, in partnership with BU’s Sustainability team.

Associate Professor Dr Milena Bobeva, who has led the project for BU, said: I am incredibly proud with everyone who made the final SUNRISE forum another successful event: the doctoral students presenting their work; the Disability Services colleagues who shared valuable insight on how to present our work for greater inclusivity and diversity; the visiting researchers from our project partner, Universiti Sains Malaysia; and the engaging online and in-person audience.

“It has been a true privilege to work with the SUNRISE team and I am looking forward to sharing our experiences and enhancing the capacity for sustainability research.”

Find out more about the SUNRISE project

Check out the artwork from the ESRC funded project, Communities of wellbeing: the digital lives of LGBTQ+ young people.

This year’s ESRC-funded Festival of Social Sciences includes the project: Communities of wellbeing: the digital lives of LGBTQ+ young people. Jayne Caudwell and Frankie Gaunt secured a small amount of funding from ESRC and BU research Centre for Seldon Heard Voices (CSHV) to run workshops, have artwork designed and displayed at the Lighthouse, Poole.

The workshops involved  discussions about on-line spaces that make LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, happy and provide them with a sense of belonging. Three workshops took place in August and October. Six themes emerged from group discussion at the workshops: 

  1. Types of social media, especially social media platforms that allow participants to have control over who sees their content. This made them feel safer, and Snap Chat was the most popular because content is short-term.
  1. Coming Out as LGBTQ+ on social media was seen as positive for people who come out and for people who see someone coming out. This was important for diasporic people who are unable to be openly LGBTQ+ in countries where it is illegal. Coming out on Tik Tok and Snap Chat felt safer compared with other social media sites.
  1. Participants did not like what they called ‘love to hate’ algorithms. It was mentioned that transgender people in the UK experience a lot of hate on social media. However, by being on platforms where they are able to control who sees their content, participants felt they were able to influence algorithms. They said they saw content that was affirming, positive, and joyful.
  1. Away from the popular social media sites, specialised groups were talked about. These groups were referred to as ‘secret groups’ and viewed as trustworthy. To enter these groups involved a long process of screening, but participants understood that this was needed to make the groups safe.
  1. Some social media sites were seen to help educate people about LGBTQ+ issues. For example, terms such as ‘non binary’ are explained by non-binary people in posts on websites. This education aspect was considered very important for people in communities where LGBTQ+ people are silenced and marginalised. Social media can help raise awareness and normalise LGBTQ+ for them. Also, social media can be used to seek advise about LGBTQ+ issues and to learn more about things like transitioning for transgender people.
  1. Workshop participants felt that social media websites can be positive, inspiring, educational, fun, enjoyable and safe because of the posts that are posted not always because of the site. It is the actual posts that are the important thing.

A final point, from the workshops, was that meeting other LGBTQ+ people in-person and doing something together in physical space would be nice.

The above themes were handed over to an artist who composed a series of six picture boards. These picture boards are on display at The Lighthouse in Poole from Friday 25th October to 16th November. The Lighthouse have publicised the project. Go to: Communities of wellbeing: the digital lives of LGBTQ+ young people – Lighthouse

BU Public Engagement have set up ways for people to provide feedback on the exhibition.

The artwork will also be on display at the ESRC event at University of  Southampton on Saturday 9th November as part of Arts and Humanities Day.

AFE seminar 31st October – Streamlining finance for SMEs: the solution of automated pre-filled VAT returns

Join us for the Accounting, Finance and Economics (AFE) seminar, taking place on Thursday 31st October at 2pm.

The AFE seminar for this semester will be delivered by BU’s Dr Siamand Hesami on the topic of Streamlining finance for SMEs: the solution of automated prefilled VAT returns. 

Digital transformation in tax administrations has gained global momentum as governments seek to enhance efficiency and service delivery. The seminar will examine the financial and economic impacts of a key digital innovation: prefilling value-added tax (VAT) returns.

Using Chile as a case study, the analysis evaluates the net benefits and costs from both government and taxpayer perspectives. The results demonstrate that prefilling VAT returns can significantly reduce taxpayer compliance costs, presenting a strong case for its adoption.

For Chile, this initiative’s economic net present value is estimated at US$5.66 billion, with US$1.729 billion in benefits to the private sector and US$3.391 billion in positive budgetary impact for the government. Sensitivity analyses confirm the robustness of these findings, except in scenarios where changes in taxpayer compliance significantly affect government revenues.

This research highlights prefilling VAT returns as an effective strategy to reduce compliance costs, close the tax gap, and minimise the risk of audits and tax evasion, offering valuable insights for broader applications in tax administration.

The seminar takes place in F108 (Fusion Building) from 2pm.

BU policy influence digest newsletter – 29/10/2024

Read the latest edition of the BU policy influence digest newsletter. It is drawn from several sources including directly from UK central and devolved administrations, newsletters from Parliament Knowledge Exchange Unit, UPEN and others.

Items this week include;

  • Respond to new consultations and inquiries for policy impact – 29/10/2024

Explore new opportunities to respond to consultations and inquiries from the UK and globally.

  • Upcoming webinar – Policy Engagement in the Context of Political Shifts

This masterclass will explore the multiple challenges that researchers and knowledge brokers face in a complex political landscape.

  • KEU – What makes an MP tick? Inside the mind of a Member of Parliament

The below has been reproduced from the UK Parliament Knowledge Exchange Unit. There are a number of places you can look to work out which issues an MP intends to focus on.

  • The gap between policymakers and academics can be bridged. Here’s how. (Free login required)

Civil servants appreciate a relational approach that responds to their needs and convenes evidence they will actually find useful, says Sally Hogg.

  • UPEN blog – How does Arts and Humanities research influence public policymaking?

If you’d like to receive future editions of this digest by email, sign up in two clicks (BU login required).

New Generation thinkers 2025 – call now open – AHRC and BBC Radio4

Funding opportunities

This scheme offers five early career researchers the opportunity to be ‘researchers in residence’ where they will work with programme makers at BBC Radio 4 and produce a piece of writing to be recorded for radio.

If selected, you’ll also take part in learning and development opportunities with AHRC around working with the media, engaging the public with research and how to work with policy makers.

You’ll be an up-and-coming early career researcher with a passion for sharing ideas with the largest possible audience.

 

 

 

 

Full info on the scheme can be found here

Scope

AHRC are looking for applications from a diversity of backgrounds, research disciplines and institutions, particularly candidates who can demonstrate:

  • how one area of their research could make a strong, clearly expressed and engaging piece of writing for BBC radio. The scheme will match researchers with programmes or BBC units, so we are looking for discussion ideas for those programmes which draw upon your own research or your knowledge of trends in your subject area
  • how this research could have the potential to either change public opinion or influence policy
  • creativity, originality and the potential to talk and write about other areas within the arts and humanities in an accessible and interesting manner, particularly to a wider audience
  • that they are comfortable talking and writing about ideas from beyond their own research area in an accessible and interesting way
  • a wide range of interests through their review and description of their current research
  • high standards of scholarship: clear explanations in interesting, well-written, jargon-free language, that is editorially and stylistically suitable for a BBC audience

To get a good idea of what we’re looking for, we recommend you listen to work by previous New Generation Thinkers on the BBC website before you apply.

Who is eligible to apply

To apply for the New Generation Thinkers scheme, you must be:

  • a UK resident
  • over the age of 18
  • currently working or studying at a UK research organisation that is eligible to receive funding from UKRI. See Eligibility of your organisation
  • studying a relevant area of research. See ‘Your research history’

You must also be either:

  • currently studying for your first PhD and having made considerable progress on your research, for example within one year of submission
  • within eight years of the award of your first PhD, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities, health reasons, or reasons consequent upon the COVID-19 pandemic
  • within six years of your first academic appointment at an organisation that is eligible to receive funding from UKRI, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities, health reasons, or reasons consequent upon the COVID-19 pandemic. This must be a paid contract of employment, either full-time or part-time, which lists research or teaching as the primary function, including research assistantships

You do not need to have a permanent contract of employment to be eligible, provided you meet the conditions at the time of your application.

If you have applied to the scheme before, you may apply again provided you have never been selected as a new generation thinker in any given year.

Each person is allowed to submit only one application. The application will ask how your research aligns with one of the programmes or units. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and BBC may then match you to any one of the five programmes or units.

Who is not eligible to apply

You cannot apply if:

  • you work for the BBC, AHRC or UKRI
  • you are a senior academic

 

Webinar for potential applicants

AHRC will hold webinars on:

These will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

 

We ran a workshop at BU late last academic year, slides available- give us a shout and if needed, we can run this workshop again at BU.

Let Eva Papadopoulou know if you are interested via email please.

 

 

Research committee vacancies – help shape research at BU

R & KE Operations, Research Ethics Panels

We are currently seeking expressions of interest from academics at all career stages to be part of several key research and knowledge exchange committees.  

The positions offer the chance to have your voice heard in an institutional committee at an exciting time while we are developing our BU2035 strategy – helping to shape and deliver research and knowledge exchange activity across BU.  

The available positions are:  

Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee 

There are two vacancies, one for an early career Academic and one for a mid-career Academic. 

This committee is responsible for monitoring and enhancing research and knowledge exchange at BU, helping to support the quality, visibility and impact of Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) activities. It reports into Senate and normally meets four times per year.  

Research Degrees Committee: Supervisor representative

There is a vacancy for an academic at any grade who is currently supervising Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs). 

The committee takes responsibility for the strategic direction, nature, quality, development and delivery of the university’s research degree provision. It reports into the Education Committee with strong links to the Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee and normally meets five times per year. 

Research and Knowledge Exchange Concordat Steering Group

There are three vacancies for this steering group, a Researcher (typically a Postdoctoral Research Assistant), an early career Academic, and a mid-career Academic.

The steering group is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of a coherent and robust action plan to embed the principles of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Concordats that BU has signed up to. It reports into the Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee and normally meets four times a year.  

Research Ethics Committee

There are two vacancies for this committee, Chair (member of the Professoriate) and Deputy Chair (member of the Professoriate).

The committee is responsible for promoting best ethical practice in relation to research activities, including overseeing the Research Ethics Panels and arbitrating in cases of dispute over ethical best practice and misconduct. It reports into Senate and normally meets four times a year.  

If you are interested in any of the roles, please submit an Expression of Interest (no longer than one page of A4) to research@bournemouth.ac.uk outlining which position you are applying for, why you are interested in the role, and the knowledge, skills and experience you think you could bring. This will be followed by an interview process.  

The Terms of Reference for these committees are available on request by emailing research@bournemouth.ac.uk.

The closing date for submitting Expressions of Interest is Friday 15 November.  

International Open Access Week: Open Access – facilitating global development

Research assessment

In our final blog post to mark International Open Access Week, Professor Edwin van Teijlingen, Chair of BU’s REF Outputs Sub-Committee, writes about the role of open access research in supporting the REF and facilitating global development…

The REF (Research Excellence Framework) is the periodical (every seven years or so) assessment of the quality of research in the UK at universities and research institutes.

Every university prepares a submission comprising its best publications, evidence of impact in wider society, and a description of its research environment.  The next REF – 2029 – will be in just over four years’ time.

The relevance of open access to the REF is that it is a requirement that academics at UK universities and research institutes make their publications in papers open access. This means making publications available to any reader without them having to pay a fee.

The underlying argument is that publicly funded research, be it funded by charities or by the government, should be freely available for all to read, i.e. for the greater good!

One important side effect of the REF’s push for open access is that people who would otherwise not have access can see and use the research.

The three main groups in my view are those not based at universities with subscriptions to loads of scientific journals:

(1) practitioners, in our field health and social care staff who are not working in universities;

(2) members of the public interested in their own conditions and relevant care;

(3) those involved in patient pressure groups and charities; and

(4) students and academics in low-income countries, such as Nepal and Bangladesh.

These groups are now getting access to up-to-date research findings that otherwise would be hidden behind a paywall.

The latter is of key importance, as Bournemouth University colleagues work in many low-income countries.

For me personally, I have been teaching sessions in Nepal on research methods for nearly two decades and I have noticed the enormous improvement in access to up-to-date research publications amongst students during this period, since some many more international publications are now freely available in Nepal.

It is gratifying to know that Bournemouth University academics, together with colleagues all over the world, are contributing to global development through open access publishing.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Chair of Bournemouth University REF Outputs Sub-Committee

Visiting Faculty, Centre for Disability Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India
Honorary Professor, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK.
Visiting Professor, Nobel College, affiliated with Pokhara University, Nepal.
Visiting Professor. Manmohan Memorial Inst Health Sci affiliated with Tribhuvan University, Nepal

 

 

Emerging Issues for Research Impact: A Horizon Scan

In early 2024, the Parliamentray Office of Science & Technology (POST) conducted a comprehensive consultation with hundreds of experts from across the UK to identify pressing issues that parliament might need to address within the next five years.

Through this extensive consultation, over 100 significant issues were identified, spanning a wide range of topics, from prison reform and countering extremism to rebuilding trust in public institutions and preventing disease. POST are now in the process of preparing articles on many of these issues to assist parliamentary Select Committees and Govt departments in determining appropriate courses of action.

Emeritus Prof. John Oliver has been advising POSTs Horizon Scanning & Foresight Committee on a range of methodology and policy issues. Indeed, his research into horizon scanning and scenario planning has been used to underpin the methodological process involved in the consultation.

More information can be found on the link below and will provide BU researhcers with a valuable insight into the questions that will guide societal and economic impact from their research. It will also build the ‘Case for Support’ in funding applications.

https://post.parliament.uk/horizon-scan-2024/#heading-1

Good luck!

Emeritus Prof. John Oliver

International Open Access Week: Library support for open access

open access, Publishing

It’s Day 4 of International Open Access Week! Today we are focusing on how Library and Learning Services (LLS) supports Open Access at BU.

LLS plays a key part in promoting open access across the University, managing journal funding deals and making research outputs available via Bournemouth University Research Online (BURO) and the Bournemouth Online Research Data Repository (BORDaR).

Our Open Access guide helps with understanding OA and promoting our funding deals, enabling BU academics to publish Gold Open Access for free (or in some cases for the cost of VAT) in over 10,000 journals.

Gold open access publications will be made available via publisher web pages, and BURO, but it is the work of the BURO and BORDaR Teams that allow your Green open access work to be made publicly available, such as this paper on tourism or this dataset on cyber security.

Populating BURO involves

  • Scanning alerting services weekly for BU research outputs to ensure BRIAN is comprehensively populated with records
  • Ensuring full text is uploaded to BURO via BRIAN where it is missing (around 20% of all BRIAN records are resolved by LLS)
  • Processing all records uploaded by academics and ensuring the correct version is made available and copyright compliant

In the past 12 months 1400+ records were reviewed and processed by the BURO Team. Amongst the 10 most popular downloads over the last 12 months include this Green open access paper from 2019 on social media (4000+ downloads), this BU doctoral thesis from 2015, also on social media.

Join in the conversation around open access week on social media using  #OAweek, or contact us at research@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to share your thoughts via the research blog.

Find out more about Open Access at BU on the RKE Sharepoint site

Centre for Wellbeing and Long-Term Health (CWLTH)

The next CWLTH Research Seminar and Centre Meeting will be at 14:00-15:00 on Wednesday 13th November 2024.  Dr Steve Trenoweth (Principal Academic in Mental Health Nursing and CWLTH Workstream Lead for Mental Health and Psychosocial Care) will speak about ‘New directions in mental healthcare: international perspective’.  Steve will be drawing on his experiences of working with colleagues and CWLTH members at Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.  The second half of the meeting will be an opportunity to reflect on CWLTH activities and future plans.  All are welcome to join this event.  Click HERE to join the meeting and for more information contact CWLTH@Bournemouth.ac.uk.

International Open Access Week: BU ranked in top 20 universities worldwide for proportion of open access research outputs

open access, Publishing

BU has been ranked 13th in the world for the proportion of our research outputs which are published open access.

The CWTS Leiden Ranking provides information about the scientific performance of over 1,500 major universities worldwide – including their scientific impact, collaboration and open access publishing.

In the 2024 rankings, BU is placed 13th for the proportion of research outputs that are published open access – with 91.5% of our publications being freely available.

Around half of all BU publications were green open access publications and around 22% were published gold open access, with biomedical and health sciences, and physical sciences and engineering having the largest proportion of open access publications.

This week marks International Open Access Week, which aims to showcase the benefits of publishing open access and build momentum for the open sharing of academic knowledge.

We are committed to supporting open access research at BU and strive to make our research data as accessible as possible. By having the research of our academics and students online for everyone to access, this enables our research to reach communities worldwide and have greater impact.

Professor Sarah Bate, Interim Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “Open science is immensely valued by the BU research community, not only underpinning the integrity and transparency of the research that we do, but allowing this work to be freely accessed by readers from within academia and beyond.

“Our high position in the Leiden ranking is a testament to our researchers and those promoting research excellence in professional services, highlighting the strength of our commitment to open science.”

Join in the conversation around open access week on social media using  #OAweek, or contact us at research@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to share your thoughts via the research blog.

Find out more about Open Access at BU on the RKE Sharepoint site

Research process seminar. Navigating the Publishing Process: Tips for Successful Journal Submissions. 19th November @2pm on Zoom

Publishing

Join us for an opportunity to engage with journal editors from two of the eminent journals in media, communication and journalism studies, but covering content that will be of interest of scholars across the university.

Folker Hanusch, editor in Chief of Journalism Studies.

Emily Keightley, editor of Media, Culture and Society.

Our speakers will share their insights, tips, and best practices on navigating the world of academic publishing including:

– how to interpret journal aims and scope.

– choosing the right journal for your article.

– effective approaches for addressing reviewers’ comments.

– managing rejections and resubmissions.

Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or an emerging scholar, this event promises to be a valuable platform for learning about the editorial process, and gaining insider perspectives on crafting impactful scholarly contributions. On registering, please send us your questions for the editors in advance, and they will do their best to cover them in the session.

Tuesday 19th November at 3pm.

Please register in advance, here: https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkd-ioqTMuGN31lwPbjfBcSrzdDsw5oDIn