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AHRC Town Meeting on Anti-Microbial Resistance in the Indoor and Built Environment

Funding opportunities

amrAHRC Cross-Disciplinary Networking and Information Event (Town Meeting) on Anti-Microbial Resistance in the Indoor and Built Environment

Event date Event time Event location
30/11/2016 10:00 am – 3:30 pm Amba Hotel, Bryanston St, London

The event will provide an opportunity to discuss the potential innovative contribution of the arts and humanities to cross-disciplinary collaborative research on AMR. (See the pre-call announcement).

The meeting will start at 10.30am (registration from 10.00am) and finish around 3.30pm, and participants will be able to:

  • hear background on the Research Councils AMR initiative and the AHRC-led call on AMR in the Indoor and Built Environment
  • network and explore possible research partnerships and collaborations to support potential future applications under the call
  • speak to Research Council staff about possible applications.

Who is the event for?

The event is open to academic researchers, both from the arts and humanities and other relevant research fields, who are interested in cross-disciplinary research relating to AMR in the built environment and to potential partners from outside academia who might be interested in the opportunity to initiate possible collaborations that might lead to research bids. Arts and Humanities researchers with related interests and expertise but who may not have previously engaged directly with AMR are welcome to attend to learn more about potential opportunities in this area.

The event provides a chance to:

  • find out about the cross-Council AMR initiative and the AHRC-led call for pump-priming grants on AMR in the Indoor and Built Environment due to be launched in November 2016
  • discuss with experts the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary working and co-delivery with end-users in this field
  • put questions about the funding call direct to funders
  • network with potential collaborators from other discipline areas or as end-users of research.

How to Register

If you are interested in attending the event please contact AMR@ahrc.ac.uk confirming your interest and providing a brief summary of no more than 300 words, outlining your current role/ organisational affiliation and relevant research / professional expertise as well as briefly stating your potential interest in the AMR in the Built/ Indoor Environment funding call.

Please Note: For those invited to attend the event this summary information will be shared among other participants to support the networking aspects of the event. Your application therefore needs to include a statement confirming that you are happy for this information to be shared with other participants if invited to attend the event.

The closing date for expressing your interest in attending the event is 20 November 2016.

For more information regarding the event please contact Samuel Lambshead 01793 416000 or email s.lambshead@ahrc.ac.uk

If you are interested in attending the town meeting then please let the RKEO Funding Development Team know as we would be interested in receiving a summary of the meeting.

Research Professional – all you need to know

Funding opportunities

Research-Professional-logoEvery BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. To really make the most of your Research Professional account, you should tailor it further by establishing additional alerts based on your specific area of expertise. The Funding Development Team Officers can assist you with this, if required.

Research Professional have created several guides to help introduce users to ResearchProfessional. These can be downloaded here.

Quick Start Guide: Explains to users their first steps with the website, from creating an account to searching for content and setting up email alerts, all in the space of a single page.

User Guide: More detailed information covering all the key aspects of using ResearchProfessional.

Administrator Guide: A detailed description of the administrator functionality.

In addition to the above, there are a set of 2-3 minute videos online, designed to take a user through all the key features of ResearchProfessional. To access the videos, please use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/researchprofessional

Research Professional are running a series of online training broadcasts aimed at introducing users to the basics of creating and configuring their accounts on ResearchProfessional. They are holding monthly sessions, covering everything you need to get started with ResearchProfessional. The broadcast sessions will run for no more than 60 minutes, with the opportunity to ask questions via text chat. Each session will cover:

  • Self registration and logging in
  • Building searches
  • Setting personalised alerts
  • Saving and bookmarking items
  • Subscribing to news alerts
  • Configuring your personal profile

Each session will run between 10.00am and 11.00am (UK) on the fourth Tuesday of each month. You can register here for your preferred date:

22nd November 2016

These are free and comprehensive training sessions and so this is a good opportunity to get to grips with how Research Professional can work for you.

Researching Talbot Campus Biodiversity

Fusion, Student Engagement, student research

Ever wondered what wildlife we have on campus? Volunteer students and staff from the Dept. of Life & Environmental Science Green team are initiating a series of Student Environment Research Team (SERT) projects to find out and you can join in. We will help monitor the successful use wildlife is making of the habitats, nesting boxes and wild food resources that are being created on campus. The wildlife- friendly work is being spearheaded by the Estates Team, led by Dr Neil Smith and supported by the Biodiversity Action Plan Group.

There is a chance to get involved in a bit of  campus habitat creation yourself this week if you like – join us this Friday at noon to help plant flower bulbs around the Fusion building. The bulbs have been chosen for both their wildlife and aesthetic value. Estates have bought the bulb and the planting design has been developed by a SERT of six students for Ecology & Wildlife Conservation BSc mentored by Damian Evans and Anita Diaz. See which bulbs here – bulbs-for-fusion-building-planting

Join us if you can and if you’d like to get involved with campus biodiversity creation and monitoring in some other way please contact Damian Evans devans@bournemouth.ac.uk

CQR lunchtime seminars “In Conversation …” continue with “Phenomenology” this Wednesday!

PG research

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Breaking News! In spite of the recent flooding in Royal London House, the CQR Wed Seminar will go ahead as planned in Room 201. The lifts, however, will be out-of-order.

Following  on from the two very successful (and jam packed!) earlier seminars, the Centre for Qualitative Research “In Conversation …”  series continues with

“Phenomenology”

presented by

Jane Fry and Vanessa Heaslip

Wed., 2 Nov., Royal London House 201 at 1 pm.

 Mark your diaries now and join us for an intriguing conversation!

Because CQR is keen to make information available to students and staff about qualitative METHODS, the seminars are arranged somewhat differently than the typical lunchtime seminar.

We are asking TWO (or more) presenters to agree to present each research method as a CONVERSATION…first, between each other, and then with the audience.  We are also asking that no PowerPoint be used in order that it is truly a conversation and NOT a lecture. The conversations will be about a particular research method and its pros and cons, NOT research projects or outcomes.

Many of us then move next door to RLH to Naked Cafe to continue the conversations and network. Faculty and Students invited to attend!

See you Wednesday at Royal London House 201 at 1 pm.  Students and Staff are Welcome!!

Interim Horizon 2020 questionnaire now open!

international

horizon 2020Have your say about Horizon 2020 as it reaches its mid-way point.

If you are a BU member of staff and wish to participate in this questionnaire, please complete this as an individual rather than on behalf of BU. This questionnaire is also open to the public to record their thoughts on this flagship research and innovation funding scheme.

With Framework Programme 9 (the, as yet, unnamed successor to Horzon 2020) already in planning, make your opinions count.

 

DfID Research Review

Funding opportunities, Guidance

InternationalMapThe Department for International Development (DfID) has published a review of their research strategy.

This review, developed in consultation with the UK’s scientific community, sets out how DFID will invest an average of £390 million per year over the next 4 years.  Read the review here to find out what DfID’s vision and priority areas are.

 

 

HE Policy update

Teaching Excellence

The Higher Education Academy released a report on teaching excellence in a range of subjects – part of their response to the teaching excellence framework.  It includes a useful literature review and a report following interviews with academics.  The conclusions of the report include:

  • pedagogic approaches are different for different subjects – the roles and relationships between teachers and students, the degree of independence and engagement expected of students, the sources of knowledge and their modes of transmission, and the balance between a subject -centred and a student-centred emphasis;
  • on some important issues, there is a lack of clarity about causality, especially in distinguishing between the effects of input and process factors. There is very considerable diversity in the HE student population, in relation to social and educational backgrounds, aspirations, support networks, nationality, age, race and gender and so on. To what extent do different students require different pedagogic approaches and different measures of ‘teaching excellence’?
  • several of the deans interviewed mentioned the uncertainty of students’ futures. They would be living in a fast-changing world. Higher education was seen as an important preparation, but a preparation for what?
  • past excellence was no guarantee of future excellence. Teaching in higher education would need to adapt, recognising both the changing and diverse backgrounds of its students and their changing and uncertain futures

Schools and universities – and raising attainment:

Here is an interesting HEPI blog  – it cites the BU Fair Access research and is an interesting perspective on attainment v aspiration from Nottingham Trent.

Changes to plans for schools were announced this week – while introducing the Technical and Further Education Bill, Justine Greening confirmed that plans to force schools to become academies have been abandoned (which was expected).  This does not affect the  “Schools that work for everyone” consultation which includes provisions relating to grammar schools and the way universities work with schools: We will be holding workshops to discuss our response to this proposal:

  • Friday 4th November in Studland House S206 from 9.00-11.30
  • Thursday 17th November in Christchurch House from 2.00-4.00

Please contact policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you would like to attend one of these sessions and read a presentation about the questions in the consultation here, and a specific presentation about the questions relating to universities here.

International Students:

UCAS released their early 2017 application figures on 27th  October with extensive press coverage – notable highlights are a call in 9% in EU students – of particular concern given that funding reassurance has now been provided for this group – and interesting in the light of the next few bullets.

After last week’s storm in a teacup when Philip Hammond and “other sources” seemed to suggest that international students would be excluded from immigration numbers, quickly stamped on by No 10, who said firmly that this was not being considered, there have been a couple of WonkHe articles looking at the impact of the immigration changes (due to be out for consultation in the next few weeks).  Of course, we don’t know what the proposed changes might be yet, and while removing students from the numbers might mean that there is less focus on them, it isn’t a complete answer to everyone’s concerns about potential limits on international students – and it also doesn’t address concerns about how restrictions might affect international (and EU) staff recruitment.

The first WonkHe blog (David Morris, 24th October) highlights where the international students are

  • there are some very high percentages at UG level – mostly in London and in Scotland but also Liverpool – 25%, Manchester – 19%, Coventry – 18%, Sheffield – 17% – for example.
  • the story in Scotland is different as reported widely (see the report by Audit Scotland July 2016) because the funding arrangements in Scotland have pushed them to recruit increasing numbers of international students and fee paying students from the rest of the UK.
  • at PG level, the percentages are much higher – 64% at Cardiff Metropolitan, 48% at Sheffield, 45% at Newcastle, 49% at Leicester, for example.

In a second blog published on 26th October, David looks at the anticipated link between quality and immigration using the THE’s Mock TEF (flawed, as we know) – flagging particular risks for London universities but also pointing out our own position (at 94 in the Mock TEF and with 9% international students according to their analysis).

The article concludes:

“From the Home Office’s point of view, there seems an added futility here. There are more than twice as many international students at the top 20% institutions of THE’s mock TEF than there are at the bottom 20%. Only 36,900 international students study at institutions that are projected for a Bronze TEF award, and several institutions in that category are more oriented to serving their local communities (and so not on the above list), such as Abertay, Cumbria, Bolton, and Suffolk.”

Impact, research and political engagement:

The Parliamentary outreach service have announced an event on Research, Impact and the UK Parliament in Southampton in 18th January – it costs £40 but should be interesting – if anyone does go, please let me know how it goes.

I held a first workshop on “influencing policymakers with research” this morning as part of the RKE Development Framework – thank you to those who attended – we will do more.

Latest calls for evidence are listed here  -lots of new ones added this week, including:

As always, if you are interested in contributing to a BU response to any of these, please let me know- and read our responses to previous consultations here

Best wishes

Jane

Research Funders Guide

Guidance

map of scienceThe Research Funders Guide (find it in the Research Toolkit along the blog menu bar) has been updated.  As well as updating the call deadlines in the ‘standard calls for major funders’ pages,  each of the pages within the guide have been updated to include a link to the relevant pathway available in the RKE Development Framework.  This links up the opportunities available to support you in applying for the external funding explained in the guide pages.

dev_frameworkFor those of you who haven’t yet heard about the Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) Development Framework, it offers a range of opportunities for academics at all career stages to develop their skills, knowledge and capabilities in relation to research and knowledge exchange. It has been implemented in response to the changing external environment, and developed in consultation with academic colleagues to ensure a strategic fit between the training and development opportunities on offer, and the needs and wishes of academic colleagues.

If you’re interested in applying for external research funding then please contact the RKEO’s Funding Development Team.

The first year student experience – ‘stay-at-home’ students

open access, Publishing

 

Colleagues,

A ‘hot-off-the-press’ publication exploring students experience living at home – maybe of interest to staff busy welcoming our new students, Debbie Holley

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Commuting, transitions and belonging: the experiences of students living at home in their first year at university (Pokorny, Holley, Kane)

In this study, our cross-case analysis of students’ lives challenges the conventional home–university model of transition and highlights the importance of acknowledging the influence of this complex symbiotic relationship for students who attend university and live at home. We argue that as with stay-at-home holidays, or “staycations”, which are of such crucial importance to the tourism industry, so stay-at-home students or commuter students are vital to higher education and the term utilised here is “stayeducation”. Through the narratives of “stayeducation” students, we see how family and community aspects of students’ lives are far more significant than previously realised, and our study suggests that these heavily influence the development of a student sense of belonging. Drawing upon biographical narrative method, this paper introduces three first-year Business and Economics students enrolled at different universities in London and explores their journeys through their transition through home, school and early university life. Ways in which key themes play out in the transition stories of our students and the challenges and obstacles for the individual are drawn out through the cross-case analysis. Findings support the existing literature around gender, class and identity; however, new insights into the importance, for these students, of family, friendships and community are presented. Our work has implications for academic staff, those writing institutional policies, and argues for the creation of different spaces within which students can integrate into their new environment.

This article is gold open access and can be accessed here:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-016-0063-3

What is BU Research Staff Association?

BU Research Staff Association (RSA) is a forum to promote BU research culture. Research staff from across BU are encouraged to attend to network with others researchers, disseminate their work, discuss career opportunities, hear updates on how BU is implementing the Research Concordat, and give feedback or raise concerns that will help to develop and support the research community at BU.

Coffee mornings

BU RSA meets informally at a regular coffee morning which is open to all staff at BU. Each coffee morning has a research related theme and speakers are invited from across BU to share their experiences around this theme.

The programme for 2016/17 is as follows:

Date Time Venue Theme Speakers
28 September 2016 10-11am B420, Lansdowne Campus Ethics

 

 Sarah Bell
Martin Hind
Carole Bond
Katarzyna Musial-Gabrys
30 November 2016 10-11am Global Hub, DG68, Talbot Campus Funding Ehren Milner
Emily Cieciura
Lisa Gale-Andrews
Sharon Docherty
25 January 2017 10-11am Wellbeing Centre, Bournemouth House, Lansdowne Campus Networking and collaboration Edwin van Teijlingen
29 March 2017 10-11am Global Hub, DG68, Talbot Campus Impact Zoe Sheppard
31 May 2017 10-11am Room TBC, Lansdowne Campus TBC TBC
26 July 2017 10-11am Global Hub, DG68, Talbot Campus TBC TBC

BU Research Staff Representatives

There are two BU Research Staff Representatives. Their role is to facilitate the BU RSA coffee mornings and attend the BU Research Concordat Steering Group and the University Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee to provide an update on the BU RSA and raise any feedback or concerns. This ensures that feedback and concerns raised by research staff are fed into the BU Research Concordat Action Plan, so that they are addressed going forwards.

The current BU Research Staff Representatives are:

Dr Michelle Heward
mheward@bournemouth.ac.uk
Bournemouth University Dementia Institute		 Dr Marcellus Mbah mmbah@bournemouth.ac.uk
Centre for Excellence in Learning

Faculty Research Staff Representatives

Each Faculty also has a Research Staff Representative. Their role is to attend Faculty Research and Knowledge Exchange Meetings to provide an update on the BU RSA and feedback any comments or concerns.

The current Faculty Research Staff Representatives are:

Faculty of Health and Social Science Faculty of Management Faculty of Media and Communication Faculty of Science and Technology
Dr Pramod Regmi
pregmi@bournemouth.ac.uk		 Dr Julia Hibbert
jhibbert@bournemouth.ac.uk		 Post Vacant Sara Miellets
miellets@bournemouth.ac.uk

Have your say….

If you are a member of research staff and have any feedback or concerns that you would like to raise, please come along to the next coffee morning or contact any of the Research Staff Representatives to share your thoughts. All comments will be treated in confidence.

Physiotherapy in the ASEAN region hosted in Malaysia

Fusion Investment Fund, staff profile pages

I recently visited Malaysia – meeting with colleagues from INTI International University, attending a national academic conference and as an invited speaker to the 13th Asian Confederation of Physical Therapists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

At INTI International University – I met with the VC, Deputy Dean of Faculty of Health

Professor Narasimman Swaminathan. Prof Nara and I collaborated in delivering a joint session for physiotherapy students to inspire their interest in public health initiatives. Professor Narasimman Swaminathan is a visiting professor in the FHSS at BU and is leading research initiatives at INTI which link closely to those in the Department of Human Sciences and Public Health at BU.

 

I was invited to attended a national academic conference on technology enhanced learning and contributed to the round table discussion about the implementation of technology into curriculums.

 

I had an opportunity to meet with all the presidents of the Physiotherapy Associations that make up the Asian Confederation: ( Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan and Macau). I also met up with Dr Gillian Webb the World Confederation of Physical Therapists ambassador for the ASEAN and Western Pacific Regions. I deivered a lecture aimed at inspiring Physiotherpaists to sue their dskills to increase engagement in physical activity as a method of combatting the non-communicable diseases. The importance of being pro-active in preventing the non-communicable diseases was the theme of the key note speach delivered by Malaysia’s  Deputy Minister of Health Dato’ Seri Dr. Hilmi Haji Yahaya.

I now have a better understanding of the education/research needs of colleagues in this region, which I have fed this back to the Faculty and ADGE.

One of the most interesting people I met was Professor Paul Hodges who holds a chair in Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland – his research findings have influenced my own research journey in the field of movement and pain.

RKE Development Framework: Pre-award Finances workshop on 2 November!

This informative session held in the Fusion Building will introduce researchers to Full Economic Costs (fEC), transparant approaches to costing (TRAC) and BU Financial Regulations. Guidance will be offered on how to cost projects in a way that funders will find acceptable. Training will be provided on producing the ‘Justificaton of Resources’ document required by many funders.

By the end of this session you will be able to:

  • Understand why costs are produced using fEC
  • Gain an understanding of what are reasonable costs on applications
  • Understand why costs must be fully justified.

Please book your place on the Organisational Development webpage here.

As this session starts at 12.00 noon to 1.00 pm, please feel free to bring your lunch.

rkeo-rke-pre-award-at-bu

Chapter on Ethics in Film by Kip Jones published by Routledge

9781138784291Kip Jones’ Chapter, “’Styles of Good Sense’ Ethics, Filmmaking and Scholarship” has recently been published in Routledge’s new volume, The Routledge International Handbook on Narrative and Life History.

Written by leading international scholars from the main contributing perspectives and disciplines, The Routledge International Handbook on Narrative and Life History seeks to capture the range and scope as well as the considerable complexity of the field of narrative study and life history work by situating these fields of study within the historical and contemporary context.

ck-rrf8wgaa6cet-jpg_large

Relishing the chance to cite not only C.E. Scott from The Question of Ethics Nietzsche, Foucault, Heidegger, but also Norma Desmond from Sunset Strip, Jones said, “The Handbook was a welcomed chance, once and for all, to sort the subtleties of ethical considerations in arts-based research approaches such as film”.  Jones is joined in the Handbook‘s discussion on Ethics  by such luminaries as Arthur Frank, Laurel Richardson, Caroline Ellis, and Norman Denzin.

Jones’ Chapter is available now on Brian and Academia.edu and the Handbook will shortly be in the BU Libraries.

 

PhD student visiting

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“[…] collaboration is more important than the competition.”

Bertrand Russell

 

Eduardo Martínez-Carbonell Guillamón is a PhD student from the faculty of Health and Sport Science at University Catholic of San Antonio in Murcia, a lovely city in the south of Spain.

Collaborating with Université Catholique de Louvain and School Top Trades Du Sport, Eduardo is developing a research named “Bone mineral density in a population of the region of Murcia and its relationship with physical exercise”.

His aim is to search for risk factors of osteoporosis and then find a prevention plan based on physical exercises.

From September Eduardo joined our University as a visiting PhD student collaborating with PGR Francesco Ferraro, on the relationship between trunk muscles training and balance, under the supervision of Professor Alison McConnell, Professor Tom Wainwright and Dr. James Gavin.

Working together at the Orthopedic Research Institute is being a gratifying experience.

We both are aware that falls prevention is a sensitive topic that required an interdisciplinary approach.

To accomplish and maintaining a high-quality standard for our volunteers, we are working side by side to get the best out of this experience and actively collaborate in the field of elderly health care.

From this collaboration we hope to improve our knowledge and networks for research to come.

HE Policy update

Posted a little late – I’ve missed a couple of blogs so catch up on the last few here.

Read the UUK evidence to the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee inquiry into industrial strategy.
This highlights the role of universities in:
• making long -term, sustainable contributions to productivity and growth,
• creating the best possible environment for businesses to thrive
• sustaining the world-class excellence of the UK’s research base to attract businesses from all over the world to locate and invest in the UK
• meeting the demands of business through a strong supply of higher-level skills

Research Professional have highlighted a sharp drop in H2020 participation from members that are not full or associate members – “Only 11.7 per cent of Horizon 2020 grant agreements were found include a partner who was not an EU member or Horizon 2020 associated country, the report said. Under Framework 7, 20.5 per cent of agreements included at least one non-European country.”

The Higher Education and Research Bill has finished its Commons committee stage and the amended legislation has now been returned to the Commons. A date for its third reading, when MPs will vote upon whether to pass the amended legislation, has yet to be set. Jo Johnson, the universities and science minister, batted away all opposition amendments at the final committee meeting on 18 October, which examined the bill’s research provisions. The opposition amendments sought to provide additional protections for the existing research councils and to ensure a closer relationship between research and teaching, which Johnson said were “unnecessary” since such powers will be developed in the framework documents, and would jeopardise the flexibility he wants for the legislation. He also confirmed that If the bill is passed into law in its present form, ministers would have powers to change the names and functions of the research councils without consulting the academic community. Meanwhile, peers are holding informal conversations about how to approach the bill when it enters the Lords.

Brexit speculation continues – this week there was a rumour that students would be excluded from immigration figures after all, squashed quickly by No 10:
“The Government objective is to reduce annual net migration to the tens of thousands, and in order to deliver this we are keeping all visa routes are under review.
“Our position on who is included in the figures has not changed, and we are categorically not reviewing whether or not students are included.”

A UUK task force has been looking at violence against women, harassment and hate crime affecting university students and has now reported. See the UUK press release here.
“The evidence showed that while many universities have already taken positive steps to address these issues, university responses are not always as joined-up as they could be. There is more work that can be done to share effective practice across the sector.

HESA published a report on the DLHE consultation – this is not the outcome of the consultation, just an analysis by HESA of the responses, but it gives a sense of direction. HESA will publish a proposal based on this feedback and run a second consultation on it towards the end of the year.

Two research reports were also published – these were commissioned by HESA to support the review.
• CFE Research’s report on ‘What do good outcomes from HE look like’ considers what good outcomes are for a range of groups, including students and graduates, higher education providers, employers and society/the state.
• Warwick Institute for Employment Research’s report on ‘Richer information on student views’.

And a reminder to engage in the “Schools that work for everyone” consultation – workshops on 4th and 17th November – e-mail policy@bournemouth.ac.uk for more information