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OpenAIRE2020 National Open Access Desk

Post-award, Publishing

jisclogoBack in July, Mafalda Picarra from JISC wrote a blog post on the Jisc Scholarly Communications about OpenAIRE2020 National Open Access Desk. If you are involved in or are interested in an EC Horizon 2020 project, this blog post will be of interest to you.

Since the start of the OpenAIRE2020 project in January, Jisc became the UK National Open Access Desk (NOAD). This means that Jisc is now providing support and information to help UK HEIs and researchers to comply with the EC’s Horizon 2020 programme OA policy, the Open Research Data Pilot and the FP7 Post-Grant Open Access Pilot.

Jisc has been working closely with UK national associations – SCONUL, ARMA, RLUK and UKCoRR – to ensure that information about the EC’s Horizon 2020 OA policy and the Pilots is disseminated through the most appropriate channels to multiple stakeholders. Back in June, the national associations sent a first communication to their members. Today, we will disseminate more detailed information to HEIs research librarians, research managers, open access contact points and EU research, policy and funding teams on the EC’s OA policy and the two pilots.

In a nutshell, the Horizon 2020 OA policy requires that all peer reviewed publications resultant from Horizon 2020 and European Research Council funded projects be made open access. In addition, a Pilot on Open Research Data is being run in some core areas of Horizon 2020 which aims to improve and maximise access to and re-use of research data generated by projects. Finally, OpenAIRE is running a Pilot on FP7 Post-Grant Open Access where eligible FP7 projects can apply for funding to publish their research outputs on open access.

OpenAIRE has developed relevant resources (factsheets, guides and webinars) that can be accessed online (https://www.openaire.eu/) and provides helpdesk support to those that require more information on compliance with the EC’s OA policy or on how to participate in the pilots.logo_openaire

For more information contact the National Open Access Desk (NOAD), Mafalda Picarra, on info.openaire@jisc.ac.uk

 

BU Business Engagement Network – LinkedIn

Business Engagement, Knowledge Exchange

linkedin-logo

 

Are you keen to develop relationships with businesses? Why not join the new BU Business Engagement Network on LinkedIn. It’s growing quickly. Not only is it a great way to find out about what is happening within the area of business engagement and knowledge exchange, its a useful method to use to develop your own  networks – locally, regionally and internationally (often just using your own smartphone or tablet whilst on the move).

Click here to join : BU Business Engagement Network

(You will need to be user of LinkedIn)

Institute for Small Business and Entrpreneurship Research and Knowledge Exchange (RAKE) Fund

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange

 

ISBE Research and Knowledge Exchange (RAKE) Fund – Anchor Institutions

The Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Research and Knowledge Exchange (RAKE) fund is an initiative kindly supported by; the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Lloyds Banking Group, the Federation of Small Business (FSB), British Academy of Management (BAM) administered through ISBE.  This initiative aims to encourage and support research activities from academics, third sector organisations, consultants and practitioners with the ambition of drawing together and generating an entrepreneurial community of practice to facilitate knowledge exchange and transfer. 

Proposals are invited that explore ways in which anchor institutions and wider fee-based professional service providers can support small firms to develop their entrepreneurial capabilities. 

For more information click here

Call closes 14 August.

Global Food Security – new programme of research to be announced

Funding opportunities

 Chicken and globe

The Global Food Security (GFS) Programme will soon be announcing a new five-year interdisciplinary programme of research.

The programme has been co-designed by BBSRC, ESRC, NERC, Defra and FSA, in partnership with wider stakeholders, and will address a major food security challenge: Resilience of the UK Food System in a Global Context

For more information click here

Latest Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

moneyThe following funding opportunities have been announced. Please follow the links for more information:

British Council, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills under the Newton Fund and China’s Ministry of Education invite applications for their UK-China PhD placements and supervisor mobility grants. These grants enable PhD students and their supervisors from the UK or China to undertake a short period of study related to tackling global challenges, either at a higher education institution in China or in the UK. Placements are available in the following fields: health and life sciences, such as HIV and AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, child mortality and maternal health; environmental technologies, such as climate change, green technology, sustainable development, ecosystem services and resource scarcity; food and water security; energy; urbanisation; education and creative economy for economic development and social welfare. Studies must have direct relevance to both the UK’s and China’s social welfare and economic development. All applications must include both a PhD student and their supervisor.  Students may undertake visits lasting between three and 12 months, and their supervisor may visit for up to three months. Funding covers visa fees, international airfares, tuition fees, accommodation and stipend. Placements must start between January and December 2016.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 11.59pm, 10/10/15.

European Molecular Biology Laboratory invites applications, under its EMBL interdisciplinary postdocs (EIPOD) initiative, for the EI3POD postdoctoral programme. This enables postdoctoral fellows to undertake training on intellectual property, entrepreneurship and research, and take part in international, inter-institutional collaborations or an intersectorial experience, while carrying out interdisciplinary research projects. Applicants may choose one of the following career modules when applying or do so within the first 18 months of the start of their fellowship: interdisciplinary EIPOD – this is aimed at an academic career path and comprises an interdisciplinary research project, which includes one coordinating group leader and one partner laboratory both from EMBL faculty; international or inter-institutional EIPOD – this includes an interdisciplinary research project that should involve EMBL supervisors, and one external academic partner from a group from the EMBL network of institutionalised partnerships or collaborations; Intersectorial EIPOD – this involves an interdisciplinary research project that is designed to foster exposure to the applied or commercial side of science, and involves EMBL supervisors and either one industry partner from a group from the EMBL network of institutionalised partnerships or collaborations, or an active involvement of an EIPOD in intellectual property generation, out-licensing and, if applicable, in the first steps towards a spin-off activity. Applicants should have a PhD or four years of full-time equivalent research experience. Scientists who are currently doing postdoctoral research at other institutions may apply. Positions are funded for a three-year period and will be primarily based at EMBL; however, recipients may spend up to nine months at an EMBL Australia laboratory.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 10/09/15.

Natural Environment Research Council invites applications for its international opportunities fund, which provides resources to NERC-supported researchers to forge long-term partnerships with overseas scientists that add value to current NERC-funded science. The following two grants are available in this round: pump priming grants – each worth up to £40,000 at 80 per cent full economic cost for up to two years, to help researchers establish and develop novel, collaborative links with international partners; pump priming plus grants – each worth up to £320,000 at 80 per cent full economic cost for up to three years, to support establishment of novel international collaborative links which allow the development of partnerships that require more resources. PIs must be eligible for NERC discovery science funding and currently in receipt of NERC research funding as a PI through a NERC discovery science grant, a NERC strategic research programme grant, the research scientist at a NERC centre mechanism, or an independent research fellowship grant.

Maximum award: £320000. Closing date: 4pm, 24/09/15.

Please note that some funders specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

If thinking of applying, why not add notification of your interest on Research Professional’s record of the bid so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

Driverless vehicles: apply now for business innovation funding

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange

Bruce photo

 

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is to invest in new vehicle developments in the areas of connectivity, autonomy and customer interaction, and to support new business models. 
Businesses can apply for a share of £20 million to develop new products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles.

  • the competition is now open and the registration deadline  is at noon on 23 September 2015
  • a briefing to highlight the main features of the competition will be held in London on 4 August 2015

 

For more information click here

 

 

European Funding for Sustainable and Climate Resilient Business – UK Launch of Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 and Challenge 5

Info Days

KTN in collaboration with Innovate UK is running a series of events to launch the 2016 Horizon 2020 work programme for Societal Challenges 2 (Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy) and 5 (Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials).

  • European Brokerage Event: Circular Horizons 2016/17 – European Business Brokerage event for Horizon 2020 funding for resource efficient business models and the circular economy, 10th September, London;
  • H2020 Nature Based Solutions – Re-greening Cities Information Day, 30th September, London;
  • Feeding a changing world – Horizon 2020 Funding for Resource Efficient bio-based value chains – farm to fork, non-food crops, BioBased products and waste treatment, 13th October, Manchester;
  • Solutions for a climate resilient world: Horizon 2020 funding in 2016, 2nd November, Exeter;
  • Horizon 2020 funding for Water innovation, 1st October, Manchester.

An opportunity to network with potential industry partners.  Details and registration here.

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to attend so we can co-ordinate if more than one person is interested in the area(s).

 

 

 

 

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August 2015 Business Briefing is now live! – Creative, Digital & Design Briefing

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Transfer

andrew archery

 

This is a monthly publication that provides a digest of useful information about funding, financing, support and events to assist creative, digital and design businesses with their innovation and growth strategies. A great source of information to keep up to speed with what is happening in this sector.

 Creative, Digital & Design Business Briefing – August 2015

Including Virtual & Augmented Reality  – £210K IC tomorrow contest

Internet of Things Cites Demonstrator  – up to £10m funding

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles  – up to £20m funding

Research Professional – all you need to know

Guidance

Every 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 fuorth Tuesday of each month.  You can register here for your preferred date:

25th August 2015

22nd September 2015

27th October 2015

24th November 2015

26th January 2016

23rd February 2016

22nd March 2016

26th April 2016

24th May 2016

28th June 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.

Mission accomplished: fish genetics and population restoration are fused!

Our recent blogs on our fusion-funded co-creation and co-production project on fish population restoration were reporting our strong recent progress as our students began their placements – and all of a sudden, the project is now finished! So what did we discover?

Well, firstly, our students who completed their placements with the University of Insubria in Northern Italy have worked incredibly hard, with excellent reports coming back from our Italian partners (see below). They produced some excellent genetic data to help progress our work. Our placement students based at BU have also been working very hard (albeit in much cooler conditions!) and produced some excellent ecological data.

BU students in Italy

(Above) Our placement students outside the Università degli Studi dell’Insubria with Dr Serena Zaccara (3rd from left) and Caterina Antognazza (2nd left)

Secondly, through our co-creation with stakeholders, students and research collaborators, we have successfully revealed the extent of the disturbance of human activities on fish genetic patterns in the UK. We have revealed clear impacts relating to losses of genetic integrity of fish at the river basin level that we suggest affect their ability to adapt to local conditions – which could be important in the context of climate change. We will be publishing our findings in at least two peer-reviewed papers in the next few months with our students as co-authors.

Thirdly, did we discover how these fish populations could be restored sustainably? Yes, we think we did and we have already passed these on to the relevant authorities at our recent workshop, so these are being considered for implementation.

Finally, we have shown once again that co-creating and co-producing knowledge with our students, stakeholders and international collaborators brings multiple benefits, including enhanced mobility and employment prospects for our students. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding experience for all!

– Rob Britton, Demetra Andreou & Ben Thomas (all SciTech)

HE Policy Update

Monday

Inequality

A study has revealed that high-achieving children from privileged backgrounds in England have a 53 per cent chance of entering a Russell Group university, compared with a one in four chance for their disadvantaged peers. Affluent children reach top universities no matter the system (THE).

Tuesday

Learning Gain 

Soon, there will be new efforts to explore the ‘learning gain’ which is known as the skills and knowledge that students develop in higher education. HEFCE is soon to launch around a dozen pilot projects to look at ways to measure the learning gain. One attempt to answer this is the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (Ahelo) run by the OCED. Earlier this month, however, it was announced that England would not be taking part in Ahelo, many have greeted the news with relief. Universities say no to new ranking (The Guardian).

UUK campaign for Europe

Universities UK have officially launched their Universities for Europe campaign. The aim of the campaign is to ensure that the significant benefits of EU membership to universities – and through them, to the British people – are properly explained. Higher education 

University leaders make the case for EU membership (UUK).

REF

James Wilsdon has written a blog in defence of the REF exercise following the attack by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). In a five-page briefing, the IEA calls for the REF to be abolished because it is too costly, distorts research priorities and can be gamed. “The UK universities need the REF. We benefit enormously from the stable and relatively unrestricted funding that it delivers each year to our research system. And that system has been strengthened by the REF’s emphasis on the wider impacts of UK research, which are now captured in a searchable database of almost 7,000 case studies.” In defence of the Research Excellence Framework (The Guardian).

Wednesday

Business-University Collaboration

A third of companies surveyed by the data firm Beauhurst, said that academics lack the commercial understanding needed to make a business-university collaboration work. Academics lack understanding to make business-university links work, says study (THE).

University Finances

An article looks at the likely impacts of the latest round of cuts on universities and discusses how institutions may manage their finances. Hard Evidence: are universities strapped for cash? (The Conversation).

Thursday

TEF

Madeleine Atkins, the Chief Executive of HEFCE has argued that new arrangements for quality assurance and the teaching excellence framework should form a single overall system to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication. Quality assurance and TEF should be ‘one system’, says Hefce head (THE).

Tuition Fees

A report by the Sutton Trust has revealed that poorer students in England may be put off university by funding changes that could leave them with higher debts than middle-class graduates helped by their parents.  Higher debts may deter poor students from university, says report (BBC).

UK interdisciplinary research

A report by Elsevier explored international comparisons with UK interdisciplinary research. The report highlights an increasing global trend towards interdisciplinarity and confirms the UK’s world-leading research performance. Review of the UK’s interdisciplinary research (HEFCE).

Friday

Widening Participation

Sixth-formers are more likely to go to university if they are told about the social benefits rather than shown the potential long-term financial gains, new research from the government’s nudge unit (Cabinet Office behavioural insights team) has found. Tales of social life are best advert for university (The Times).

Arjan Gosal one of our RKEO Research Reflections event presentation joint winners!

Festival of Learning

At our recent RKEO Research Reflections event at the Festival of Learning it was really interesting to hear about the amazing variety of research taking place at BU and to have them presented with such enthusiasm and different styles.

A big congratualtions to Arjan Gosal who was one of the joint winning presenters – please see below for a taste of his presentation – ‘Losing sight of the trees for the honey’.Arjan Gosal photo (2)

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment highlighted the importance of quantifying ecosystem services as being pivotal to the allocation of environmental resources though robust policy creation and implementation. Whilst biophysical and economic values are often used in conservation planning by decision makers, community ecosystem values are rarely quantified or defined clearly. Recreation, aesthetics and cultural ecosystem services are primary to this work.

 

Arjan Gosal Slide (2)A multifaceted approach using various techniques, including participatory GIS, spatial mapping, GPS tracking of visitors and use of existing data sets are explored in relation to the New Forest. Situated on the South Coast of England, it is a prime example of a historic natural landscape, from being a medieval hunting ground to a commoning system that survives to the current day. England’s most recently designated national park has over 34,000 residents and many more visitors each year. With a clear need to understand the dynamics of how people value the various habitats and areas of this national park; this work aims to provide a strong methodology for inclusion of peoples shifting views on habitats and changing landscapes.

Although a substantial amount of research has examined the connections between biodiversity, ecosystem processes and ecosystem services, much of this has been conducted at relatively Arjan Gosal Presenting at Research Reflections (2)small scales, and with a limited number of species. There is therefore a need to understand how these relationships translate to a landscape scale, at which environmental management decisions need to be undertaken. Thus it is important we don’t lose sight of the wider landscape when assessing cultural services, not just looking at the honeypot sights, so that we do not lose sight of the trees.

Please contact Arjan if you would like to receive further information relating to his research.

 

EC Info Day – Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy taking place on the 14th-15th Sept

Info Days

euflagEC Info days: relating to Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy are being held on the: 14th-15th September 2015 in Brussels   

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below to book or register your interest – bear in mind places are limited!

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=0B56FA95-AFE0-D63B-DD0527FE301EC26C

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

 

ERC Starting Grants call launched

Funding opportunities

The 2016 CALL for ERC Starting Grants has been launched but note the deadline for submission is 17th November THIS YEAR.  ERC Starting Grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme (2 to 7 years of post-PhD experience).  An overview of the scheme is available here.

The newly-launched ERC work-programme is here and there is an Information Day at LSE on 8th September, details here.

If you are interested in applying please let myself or your Funding Development Officer know so we can help you with the application.

 

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EC Info Day – Health, Demographic Change and Well-being taking place on the 18th Sept 2015

Info Days

EC Info days: relating to Health, Demographic Change and Well-being are being held on the: 18th September 2015, Brussels, Belgium euflag

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below now to book or register you interest – this will definitely be a popular event!

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=7829B368-BCD2-7BA8-039C396F0C62FA5D

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

Small Event Grants – Contemporary European Studies UACES

Funding opportunities

Are you a member of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies? Successful applicants for Small Event Grants will receive up to £1,000 of funding for one-off events, typically conferences or workshops. Closing date Friday 18th September 2015. Proposals are welcome on any aspect of contemporary European Studies, particularly interdisciplinary proposals which encourage the participation…

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Digital Project Grants – Awards up to £40,000

Digital Project Grants – Awards up to £40,000

The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art invites applications for its digital project grants. These provide institutions and individuals help to support a curator or research scholar undertaking a digital research project which will lead to a digital or online project. Closing date 30th September 2015. Projects may include: online exhibition or curation…

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