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BUDI Financial & Legal Masterclass – 17 June

There are still places left for BUDI’s upcoming one day Masterclass on the Financial and Legal aspects of Dementia, to be held at the EBC, Landsdowne Campus this Wednesday 17th June.

We have a number of different speakers including Stuart Bradford from Coles Miller solicitors, Esther Donald from Bournemouth Borough Council, Malcolm Skinner, a legal writer for LexisNexis and Vivien Zarucki, an Independent Financial Advisor. It looks set to be an interesting and informative day with plenty of opportunity for participation and discussion.

Should you wish to book a place, please see the link below:-

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/budi-masterclass-financial-legal-aspects-of-dementia-care-tickets-15779535014

HE Policy Update

Monday

Immigration

An article looks at the challenges ahead for the PM’s Immigration Task Force when it meets for the first time. It examines how student immigration should be controlled. The article states that a large number of international students seek to stay in the UK after their course, because immigration rules are generous in allowing students to switch on to other courses or work in the UK once their studies have finished. It will take more than bluster to slash immigration (The Daily Telegraph).

Tuesday

QAA Future

A draft policy paper (Future Approaches to Quality Assessment – England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the final version of which is due to be released by HEFCE later this month) suggests institutional reviews by QAA could be replaced by internal monitoring by universities themselves. QAA reviews ‘could be abolished’ (THE).

International Students

A HEFCE study reveals that 40 per cent of international students who started undergraduate programmes in 2011-12 after taking a course delivered overseas by the same institution, or by a partner, had entered postgraduate study within two years. This was significantly up on the 30 per cent figure for the 2009-10 cohort, according to the report. Transnational students ‘more likely to progress to postgraduate courses’ (THE).

Wednesday

Graduate Employment

BIS data has revealed that more graduates in England are now in work than at any time since 2007. However, these graduates have also seen a fall in their median salary of more than £1,000 in the past five years. Graduates are earning less but more are in work (BBC).

Thursday

BIS Cuts

The government could scrap student grants and convert them into loans or lower the borrowing repayment threshold for graduates as it looks to make cuts to higher education, suggests Giles Wilkes, special adviser to former Business Secretary Vince Cable between 2010 and 2014. Grants may become loans as BIS wields axe, (THE).

Degree Quality

The Higher Education Academy found that 47 per cent of institutions it surveyed had changed their degree algorithms since 2010 to ensure that their students were not disadvantaged compared to those in other institutions. Some 70 per cent of graduates achieved at least a 2:1 in 2013-14 compared with 63 per cent in 2009-10, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Half of universities have ‘made changes to degree algorithms’, (THE).

Friday

Universities Growth Report

UUK has launched its new report The Economic Role of UK Universities, which says that higher education institutions’ ability to invest for the long term and to remain resilient in the face of international competition, relies on a funding system that ensures financial stability and predictability. Back universities to grow economy, says UUK (THE).

Making an impact – Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF): money available to support your business engagement and knowledge exchange ideas

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

HEFCE provide funding for knowledge exchange (Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF)) to support and develop a broad range of knowledge-based interactions between universities and colleges and the wider world, which result in economic and social benefit to the UK. The current round of funding is referred to as HEIF-5 and runs until 31st July 2015.

 BU has a proven track record with this funding stream and our success continues. Currently there are 13 live projects funded from HEIF-5, including VFX Hub, BUDI and the Cyber Security Unit. Interim funding has been made available to run from 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016. This is known as HEIF 5+1.

 A call will shortly be circulated internally inviting colleagues to bid for funds to run new projects with funding starting 1 August 2015 and ending 31 July 2016. These projects will need to reflect our interim strategy sent to HEFCE:

 “BU will continue to invest in innovation themes with a strong focus on network creation, with a particular focus on digital and creative industries, health and wellbeing, and regional development. The additional year of funding will enable BU to continue to develop our existing area in addition to investment to develop new innovations. This will allow BU to create innovations in areas such as e-health, whilst developing closer links with regional initiatives to enhance local development opportunities, working with the Dorset LEP and other local organisations. We will also consider the use of HEIF funds to invest in effective mechanisms for engaging with business/industry. Our core strategy of investing in sector-specific themes with a strong focus on network creation remains; what has changed in light of emerging opportunities is the nature of the themes in which we will invest and the mechanisms through which we will engage with the region.”

Keep an eye out on the staff intranet, research blog and other staff communication channels for updates. For more information on HEIF and other knowledge exchange opportunities, please contact Jayne Codling Knowledge Exchange Adviser (RKEO).

 

 

Reminder RKEO & Legal Services Coffee Morning on 25/06/15

Coffee Morning, Funding opportunities

coffee morning pics

Just a quick reminder our next RKEO coffee morning will be taking place on Thursday the 25th of June and will be held in conjunction with our colleagues from the Legal Services team.

Members of the RKEO and the Legal Services teams will be in the Retreat, Talbot Campus from 9.30 to 10.30am.

Come along and discuss your research plans with our RKEO team and check out how they can support you through the whole research funding process from applying to successful project management and delivery. We can also help you find the right funding opportunity, discuss the processes relating to funding schemes, as well as identifying potential collaborators and partners to strengthen your application. We can help with public engagement, knowledge transfer opportunities and much, much more….

Representatives from Legal Services will also be available to answer queries on matters such as contracting arrangements, freedom of information and data protection.

Come along and have a chat with us and see how we can help you, or just pop by and enjoy a coffee and a cake.

We look forward to seeing you!

 

The virtual and the field: enhancing visualisation in archaeology using serious game technologies

Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund

The FIF funded collaborative project between the Creative Technology and Archaeology Frameworks has produced another output.

Virtual&Field

A visualisation of the Iron Age banjo enclosure discovered in the Bournemouth University Durotriges Big Dig at Winterborne Kingston has been produced using Unreal Engine 4. The system allows users to explore the environment as it may have appeared in the Iron Age at a human scale.

This was a pilot study that was produced as part of a Fusion Investment Fund project at Bournemouth University in collaboration between staff and students on the Archaeology and Games Technology courses. It is anticipated that the environment will be further developed by Games Technology students as part of their final year project studies with enhancements made to the existing environment and with the addition of visualisations of the same site at different historical periods of habitation.

A fly through of the Iron Age environment can be seen at:

For more information about the visualisation please contact djohn@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Benefits of using a Research Assistant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employing a Research Assistant on a project instead of costing your own academic time is cost effective and can bring many benefits. From a funder’s perspective, Research Assistants are generally encouraged because they offer good value for money compared against academic staff salaries. Research Assistant salaries are generally 53% cheaper than the average academic staff salaries.  A grade 4 research assistant costs £20198 per year where the lowest grade lecturer costs £32277.

They can help with a broad range of research related activities and can offer wider knowledge and fresh ideas. The use of Research Assistants offers the opportunity to others to forward their academic careers and gain vital research experience.

BRAD Week coming soon…..watch out for details!

Info Days, Training

final wordle

Just to advise you details of our next BRAD events programme will be coming out very soon….watch out for our announcements on the Research BLOG and BU Intranet and get yourself booked in via Organisational Development.

BRAD week will be held from the 29th of June – 6th of July 2015.

Please see the comments we received from people who attended our last BRAD event week in April.

Pop these dates in your calenders and get ready!

An overview of Information Security today and into the future

Knowledge Exchange

Kevin Henry is *the* guru in security certifications and training and we are delighted that he will be presenting at the University tomorrow and on Friday 12th of June.  Kevin is going to deliver a handful of lectures which will take you on an enlightening journey through the world of Information Security!

Kevin will present on the following topics:

Thursday 11th June

Shelley Lecture Theatre, Poole House

10.00am – 12.30 pm

Content of the CISSP

What is Information Security and its Role in Business?

2pm – 4pm

How is the face of Information Security Changing?

Hackers versus APTs

Where should my career go?

Friday 12th June

Shelley Lecture Theatre, Poole House

10.00am – 12.30pm

The Value of the CISSP and other Certifications

International Standards and Practices – An Overview of ISO/IEC 27001 and PCI-DSS

If you would like to attend any of the lectures please contact the BU Cyber Security Unit to reserve your place – 01202 962 557 or email 

Kevin is recognized as one of the Leaders in the field of Information Security worldwide. He has been involved in computers since 1976 when he was an operator on the largest minicomputer system in Canada at the time. He has since worked in many areas of Information Technology including Computer Programming, Systems Analysis and Information Technology Audit. Following 20 years in the telecommunications field, Kevin moved to a Senior Auditor position with the State of Oregon where he was a member of the Governor’s IT Security Subcommittee and performed audits on courts and court-related IT systems. The co-chair of the CBK for the CISSP and several other certifications, as well as an author with published articles in over ten books and magazines, Kevin is the principal of KMHenry Management Inc. and served until recently as the Head of Education for (ISC)2 and Vice President of ITPG, responsible for all educational systems, products and instructors for training programs. Currently Kevin is an Authorized Instructor for (ISC)2, ISACA, and BCI.

Visit the BUCSU website for more information on enterprise consultancy, research and education

Religion, Digital Reading and the Future of the Book

The final talk hosted by the Narrative Research Group this semester will take place tomorrow at 4p.m. in PG10. Our speaker is Dr Tim Hutchings from Durham University. Dr Hutchings is a sociologist and ethnographer of digital religion. His PhD (Durham University, 2010) examined the relationship between online and local activity in five online Christian churches, looking at emerging patterns of ritual, community and authority. His subsequent research has included studies of online Christian proselytism and storytelling (HUMlab, Umea University, Sweden), digital Bible reading (CRESC, The Open University) and contemporary pilgrimage (CODEC, Durham University). A list of his publications can be found here: https://durham.academia.edu/TimHutchings. Dr Hutchings is the Editor of the Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture and Conference and Events Officer for the British Sociological Association’s Sociology of Religion Study Group.

His talk will focus on Bible apps and the impact of digital reading on religious authority. All welcome.

UKRO launches new portal

Funding opportunities

UKRO logoThe UK Research Office has a new portal.

The new UKRO Portal maintains the functions and services of the old website, namely the UKRO articles with email updates and the extensive UKRO fact-sheets on Horizon 2020 and other EU funding streams.

In addition, the new Portal offers:

  • a new design, compatible with portable devices;
  • a streamlined, simple navigation;
  • a powerful new search engine with refiners and hash tags;
  • dedicated areas for European Liaison Officers and Research Council staff;
  • and a new event registration facility.

If you want to familiarise yourself with the new Portal, UKRO recommend you start by having a quick look at the subscriber area.

If you are not registered with UKRO, all you need to do is register with your BU email address (we are institutional members). Once registered, you can access all the UKRO content and manage your alerts so that updates are delivered directly to your inbox.

All in all, making engaging with EU funding just that little bit easier.

It’s time to fuel your creative vision

Business Engagement, Knowledge Exchange

Creative Britain 2015: Access to finance and skills, takes place for the first time at EventCity, Manchester on 17th September.

This event will connect 100 companies and several hundred delegates from the creative industries with over 1,200 Angel investors, Crowdfunder and professional VCT and EIS companies that can make their projects a reality.

Delegates from creative companies will learn about support in terms of skill development along with the solutions and infrastructure available to help turn concepts into reality and protect the value of their work. For Investors in the creative industries, the show will be a chance to view demonstrations and meet with some of the most exciting prospects in Film, TV, Digital, Gaming, Technology and Publishing.

Confirmed speakers include Innovate UK, TIGA and Creative Industries Arts Council England.

Click here for more information http://creativebritain.today/

 

NERC publish demand management quotas

Funding opportunities, Guidance

nerc-logo-50thNERC informed us in March that they were implementing new measures designed to raise discovery science standard grant success rates.  This included a reduction in the maximum value of a standard grant award (will fall from the current £1·2m to £800k (100 per cent full economic costing (fEC), £640k at 80 per cent fEC)), and a new institutional-level submission policy which limits the number of applications an individual research organisation can make.

NERC have just issued an update on demand management measures, which includes a full list of the quotas that will apply to the July 2015 and January 2016 standard grant (including New Investigator) closing dates for each institution.

Please note that following on from my previous blog post explaining the selection process to be adopted at BU, if you wish to apply to the NERC standard grant scheme then please contact the RKEO Funding Development Team in the first instance (please note that the application has been selected for the July call and so no further applications will be accepted).

Fusion Investment Fund – is it for you?

Funding opportunities, Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund

Lots of people know about the Fusion Investment Fund (or FIF as it’s affectionately known!). Since 2012 we’ve awarded £2m spread across more than 200 projects. Here are a couple of facts that you might not know though…

Professional Services staff can apply for FIF too

FIF is open to professional services staff as well as academic staff. If you have a great idea which could change the way we work here at BU and move us towards our Fusion goals, then we want to hear from you!

What sort of ideas?

Well, in the past, FIF has supported these projects from Professional Services staff…

Under the Staff mobility and networking strand we have supplied funding for:

  • Visiting US partners to conduct research about / promotion of Summer Schools
  • My Community: Our Heritage workshops at the British Science Festival 2013

Under the Co-creation and co-production strand we have supported:

  • BU Lego Challenge
  • Sharing PAL: Students sharing their experiences of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) to create collaboration, engagement and learning
  • Global Skills: articulating international experiences in academic and professional contexts

Interested? Then do get in touch. See the links at the bottom of this post.

Erasmus for training

Did you know that our Erasmus funding is available for those who want to take training abroad as well as those who want to teach? Every year our academic staff visit European institutions to teach, exchange ideas and build their networks. What’s less well known is that staff (both academic and professional services staff) can apply for funding to go to a European Higher Education institution, or enterprise, to train, learn new techniques, share best practice and widen your horizons.

Erasmus provides up to €1,000 towards your travel and subsistence costs when travelling to another EU member country.

Priority will be given to staff who have not previously received funding from this strand so, if you’ve never considered it before, now might be your chance!

Want to find out more?

Well, hurry! Applications close this Friday at 12 noon. Visit the FIF website for further details and for information about how to apply. Sue Townrow, the FIF Co-ordinator, is available on both campuses this week so, if you’d like to meet, please get in touch. You can also contact us by email with any queries.

FIF – maybe it’s for you after all?!