Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Here are Dr Sid Carter and Dr Ann Hemingway with Harriet Laurie from The Horse Course doing some psychophys data collection with Flower! The Horse Course is working successfully with young people, changing behaviour across Dorset and we are keen to know how it works.
To learn more about the project, contact Sid (scarter@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Ann (aheming@bournemouth.ac.uk)
We would like to invite you to the 2nd meeting of the newly formed Research Staff Association (RSA) on Wednesday 25th February from 12-1pm in PG22.
The RSA is a forum for research staff to network with other researchers from across BU, get updates on how BU is implementing the Research Concordat, exchange information and give feedback that can help to develop and support the research community at BU.
Lunch will be on offer and pizza is on the menu (yes that’s right there is such a thing as a free lunch) so please confirm your attendance by email to rhurst@bournemouth.ac.uk
We look forwarding to meeting you – Ana Ruiz-Navarro and Marilyn Cash (Research Staff Representatives-Research Concordat Steering Group)
The Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team (fondly known to us as KEIT) is a relatively new team within RKEO. KEIT is made up of an enthusiastic group of people working to ensure that BU’s research and knowledge is informed by society for the benefit of society on a number of cross institutional projects such as the Festival of Learning and HEIF-5 funded initiatives, amongst many others!
The past month has been a busy one for the Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team starting with the excellent news that the research website had won the ‘Best Research Website’ in the international eduStyle Awards, winning both the People’s Choice and Judged Award categories – fighting off competition from MIT, Yale and Columbia. If that wasn’t exciting enough, we have been continuing to profile BU’s excellent REF results and Dorset Magazine has featured Professor David Osselton in a piece which brings insight to the region on about his fascinating toxicology research.
We have not rested on our laurels engaging our student body with our amazing research either, with over 40 students attending our first live research chat (known from here on in as 14: Live) led by Professor Janet Dickinson. Students were also treated to insights from Dr James Gavin in The Rock on how exercise can improve ankle flexibility and postural stability in older people. Our public engagement programme has also continued in earnest, with Café Scientifique returning in February. Professor Matt Bentley led a fascinating talk exploring whether reproduction in the sea is lunacy? Despite snow on the morning of the event, Café Boscanova was packed!
BU’s record of partnership working received a big boost with the announcement that Bournemouth University’s Global Environment Solutions (BUG) HEIF funded project team have been commissioned by Poole Council to try and bring an end to the water quality issues which have become synonymous with the lake in Poole Park. Enabled by funding from the Heritage Lottery Funding this is a fantastic result for the local community and BU.
The Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Academic Development Scheme (KTPADs) is once again open for registration. Led by Innovate UK, KTPs are a brilliant way of working with industry and creating employment for an exceptional graduate or post-doctoral researcher. If you would like to get involved, see this blog post and to learn more about the power of KTP or contact Rachel Clarke, our resident KTP guru.
Aside from the work of KEIT you can outwardly see, we are busy planning exciting initiatives for the months and years ahead. Scheduling is currently underway for the next Festival of Learning which takes place between 11th-17th July. We are currently working on some *extremely* exciting events, so watch this space. We are also planning out the Festival of Learning On Tour, so if you want to wow the world or have some fun whilst collecting data, come and join us at a public event. Contact Naomi Kay directly for further information.
On a more technical note, we are working to support researchers to develop and evidence the impact of their research. This is ranging from the technical side with the development of a new institutional wide system for impact capture, through to personalised support to maximise the impact of research. We are also nearly ready to publish the next Bournemouth Research Chronicle – keep your eyes peeled!
If you’re feeling inspired by our blog post and would like to get involved with some of our projects then feel free to get in touch:
– Rebecca Edwards – Knowledge Exchange and Impact Manager
– Rachel Bowen – Research Communications Manager
– Rachel Clarke – Knowledge Exchange Adviser (KTP)
– Jayne Codling – Knowledge Exchange Adviser
– Naomi Kay – Public Engagement Officer
– Harry Gibson – Public Engagement Events Organiser
– Sam Squelch – Student Engagement Coordinator
To find out more about us and what we do, take a look at our team page.
This Commission workshop is the first public occasion to present the European Roadmap for Climate Services to stakeholders and key players in the field, share views and experiences on key issues, discuss the challenges and opportunities, and move towards its implementation. It is aimed in particular at organisations that either produce or supply climate information and intelligence, or are interested as actual or potential users of climate services.
[The Commission attributes a broad meaning to the term “climate services”, which covers the transformation of climate-related data – together with other relevant information – into customised products such as projections, forecasts, information, trends, economic analysis, assessments (including technology assessment), counselling on best practices, development and evaluation of solutions and any other service in relation to climate that may be of use for the society at large.]
The Roadmap, which will be published by the end of February 2015, has been produced by a Commission ad hoc Expert Group, established as one of the main outcomes of the first workshop “Towards a European Market for Climate Services” (18 March 2014). It is not a Commission document, but relied on the involvement of a larger supporting group – including the EC services, Copernicus and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) – and on a focused stakeholders’ consultation. The Roadmap is expected to offer a coherent and focused framework for action, able to leverage on existing initiatives at EU (such as Horizon 2020) and national level, as well as to provide a support framework to local initiatives.
Online registration, draft agenda and further information are available here: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/REGISTRATIONClimateServ
Deadline to register is 10 March, but early registration is recommended as places are limited.
This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents of this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless it is exempt from release under the Act. Any material supplied to NERC may be stored in an electronic records management system.
HEFCE have recently updated the FAQs for the Policy for Open Access in the next REF, all are available here:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/rsrch/rinfrastruct/oa/faq/
New questions are marked as ‘NEW’.
If you haven’t then you most definitely should! Our Research Lifecycle diagram is a jazzy interactive part of the BU Research Blog that shows the support and initiatives that are available to staff and students at each stage of the research lifecycle. The information is general enough so as to apply to all disciplines and you can use it to organize and identify the many activities involved in your research. You can explore the Research Lifecycle to find information on how to get started with:
1. Developing your research strategy
2. Developing your proposal
3. The research process
4. Publication and dissemination
5. Impact
RKEO will be adding to the Research Lifecycle to ensure it always contains the most up to date information to support you with planning, organising and undertaking your research.
You can access the diagram from the links in this post or from the menu bar that appears on all screens in the Research Blog.
Innovate UK have announced a new specific call for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) in Stratified Medicine. Stratified medicine in this case means providing the right treatment, at the right time, to the right patient. The specific call is part of a Stratified Medicine Innovation Platform that is funding a £50 million programme of research and development over five years.
Listed below are the main points for this call:
Successful partnerships will enable businesses to advance a product for a stratified approach to treatment, requiring the use of new modelling systems that will either:
Please note that out of scope are modelling approaches that:
There will be a briefing webinar at 13.00 on Thursday 19th February 2015, further information on this webinar can be found here. Please note this webinar will be recorded and made available for future reference.
This call opens on 2nd March 2015 and closes on 18th November 2015.
If you have any comments or perhaps know of a company who might be interested in this call, please do let me know. Rachel Clarke, KTP Officer – clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk or 01202 961347.
On Friday February 13, 2015 eighteen researchers across all stages of their careers came together for our CEMP Research Away Day. Hosted at the Old School House By the Sea in Boscombe, the day focused on how we can foster our media & education research culture, from REF strategy to collaboration building, both at BU and beyond.
Kicking us off with REF and Impact, Rebecca Edwards from RKEO spoke about key issues including the new Open Access Guidelines and how we can work to evidence our impact. She summed up 8 key points to takeaway:
1. Know your Open Access
2. Go Gold when possible – use RKEO fund
3. Collaborate with other institutions and international colleagues
4. Identify and developing Impact Case Studies
5. Evidencing your Impact as you go along (testimonials, visitor counts, etc)
6. Promote your research on the BU research website
7. Aim to increase research income
8. Focus on PhD registrations and completions
Sound like a gigantic task for just one person? These goals are not for individuals to accomplish alone. Working in teams and groups is key for doing innovative research, producing outputs and building successful bids. Making connections between our work is a necessary beginning.
Isabella Rega’s Making Connections session got the group talking about where our interests intersect. Using three different coloured post-it notes, we wrote down the issues (green), methods (pink) and stakeholders (yellow) that we work with. Participatory research methods, HE teaching and learning, and Education and Social Change emerged as key overlaps.
Out of these connections some concrete plans emerged, including turning fusion project output into educational resources and a participatory methods workshop day.
From project plans to project afterlife, we shifted to speak about documenting and evidencing impact. We looked at four case studies of research projects including ETAG and Copyrightuser.org, their significance and who they reached. Rebecca Edwards provided advice on how we evidence, measure and track our project’s impact. Sometimes these impacts can be anticipated, but more often there is serendipity and surprise.
Tracking Impact
-Tiers of influence
-Is influencing an organisation enough? How do we understand what this was?
-Testimonials
-Formal letters from key institutions
-If you’ve done research at another institution it doesn’t count at our institution. Impact stays at institution. Reason is because it is usually about groups.
-Entire groups can be rewarded for impact
-Demonstrate the evidence of impact on policy —> Following the story
-Distinct contribution of the University
-Can’t always see the impact from the outset —> serendipity involved, not always
-visitors counts and the result of them
After a tasty, if unidentifiable food-filled lunch from Bosconova, we ran a reflection session on barriers to research bidding and publishing. Designed to get us thinking about the personal and structural constraints on our research, the session helped us room-source practical solutions to common challenges.
Richard Wallis got us back up on our feet with a enthusiastic round of Research Speed Dating. Partnering up with colleagues for short bursts of time, we quickly exchanged project ideas offering feedback and fostering more research connections. Julian McDougall and Richard Berger rounded out the afternoon with a go-around. Everyone shared their upcoming plans and outlined the support they would need to achieve them.
Described by participants as a “fantastic day,” we left feeling the best kind of inspired: more excited and less exhausted about the research plans that lay ahead for CEMP’s growing educational research community.
Anna Feigenbaum is a CEMP Fellow. To find out more about CEMP and how to get involved, check out the website: http://www.cemp.ac.uk/
Strategic Allies have a client who would like to collaborate with a partner that can simulate complex reactions and predict the effects of various adjustments and additions on product yield in a thermal/catalytic cracking reaction. If you have the ability to carry out chemical experiments in silico, please contact : Yvonne Crocker Yvonne@strategicallies.co.uk to discuss this further.
Yvonne Crocker
Projects Co-ordinator
Strategic Allies Ltd
Tel. + 44 (0)1442 860634
Website www.strategicallies.co.uk
Trying to keep up with what is happening within this sector.?
Why not sign up for a comprehensive newsletter emailed to you on a regular basis summarising upcoming events, funding programmes and awards within this sector. Packed full of information this is an easy read and a useful tool to keep up to speed with news and information in this fast moving creative arena.
Published by the Knowledge Transfer Network.
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BU’s Paola Palma will be introducing us to a world of shipwrecks and shipworms at the next Talk BU Live event on Tuesday 24 February. Join us in Dylan’s Bar at 5:30pm for a fascinating insight into maritime archaeology and the secrets beneath the sea.
About the talk
Marine borers, particularly shipworms – destroyers of timber par excellence – have been a well-known threat to sailors since ancient times. They attacked the wooden hulls of ships with such intensity that the weakened planks broke up even with mild impact such as hitting a rock or a floating object, causing tragic ship-wrecks. Even the survival of sunken ships as historic wrecks depends on the mercy of wood-destroying organisms, which may turn these “port-holes” to history into meaningless junk.
Recent research along the English coast has shown evidence of a shipworm which is typical of much warmer waters. But what exactly are these sea-dwelling critters? Why are they so far north? And what can we do to stop them destroying our maritime history?
About Talk BU Live
Talk BU Live is a once monthly on-campus event designed to get people talking and thinking. Talks are no more than 20 minutes long with a short Q&A at the end and are open to all students and staff at BU.
You can get involved by tweeting #TalkBU or find out more by contacting the team below or visiting the Talk BU page on the BU website.
Please note that this event will be video recorded and made available online.
Contact
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 961041
Email: newsdesk@bournemouth.ac.uk
Web: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/talk-bu
Louise Oliver
My research on child-to-parent abuse aims to interview families who are experiencing this issue, using the Biographic Narrative Interpretative Method (BNIM) developed by Tom Wengraf. BNIM involves conducting rule governed interviews in which the first part of the interview is unstructured and the second part uses the words of the participant to ask more questions. The analysis of the gathered information will be by using reflecting teams. These teams will help to maintain ‘multi-voiced’ interpretations. This idiographic method opens up the possibility for concurrently investigating multiple experiences, and through a better understanding, allows the development of new working-hypotheses.
The BNIM training is divided into two sections; the first part covers the interview technique to be used and the second part involves looking at the analysis method (This part will be delivered in 2015).
Having attended the first part of the training, understanding has been gained as to how challenging the interview technique is. To know when to “push” for a ‘Particular Incident Narrative’ (PIN) can only be developed through practice, as is knowing when the participant is giving a PIN and not a generic incident narrative. The initial training has involved holding six interviews; improving each time with practice. All attendees have had the opportunity to send two transcripts and notes to Wengraf for further critique, prior to holding the pilot interview.
There are three sub-sessions within this interview technique. The first one uses the ‘Single -Question aimed at Inducing Narratives’ (SQUIN). This involves asking one question, such as “tell me your life story” and allowing the participant to talk about what is important to them. After a short break, or if appropriate another day, sub-session two can begin, using CUED-questions which are the participant’s exact words in the order given, pushing towards the PINs. Sub-session three is used, if required, on a separate day, to garner more information relevant to the research, using a semi-structured interview technique.
What has been observed is how powerful this interview technique is, to garner information especially when the interviewer is not steering the interview. How deep the participant goes into their memory when they are relating a particular PIN, determines how detailed the story becomes. This technique, if used properly, can open up endless possibilities that may not have been considered previously.
RKEO has had a lot of changes over the past six months and this guide aims to explain who to contact in the new structure.
You can read more about the roles about all staff in RKEO and access a structure chart here: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/contact/
Support with writing your bid and identify a funder/scheme/call:
– For support with developing your ideas, horizon scanning for possible funding, building networks or advice on structure and content, you should speak with your Research Facilitator:
– For support with EU and/or international research bids you should speak with one of our EU/international funding specialist Research Facilitators:
Support with submitting a bid:
– For support with costings, internal approvals, submitting your bid, recording it on RED, using Research Professional, etc. you should contact your Funding Development Officer:
Support with managing your research project(s):
– For support with financial and project management of your research grant, legal and audit queries, reporting, etc. you should contact your Project Officer:
– For specialist support you should contact:
Support with knowledge exchange:
– For specislist support with KE activities, you should speak with:
The Bournemouth University ARTS in Research Collaborative (AiR) held a two-day workshop in late summer to experiment with interviewing, narrative and ephemera, and arts-based representations of such approaches (reported here previously). An article available online from today in The Qualitative Report by Kip Jones entitled, “A Report on an Arts-led, Emotive Experiment in Interviewing and Storytelling” details the thinking behind this effort and the mechanisms put in place that contributed to the workshop’s success.The paper reports on the two-day experimental workshop in arts‐led interviewing technique using ephemera to elicit life stories and then reporting narrative accounts back using creative means of presentation.
Academics and students from across Departments at Bournemouth University told each other stories from their pasts based in objects that they presented to each other as gifts. Each partner then reported the shared story to the group using arts‐led presentation methods.
Narrative research and the qualitative interview are discussed. The conclusion is drawn that academics yearn to express the more emotive connections generated by listening to the stories of strangers.
The procedures followed for the two‐day workshop are outlined in order that other academics may also organize their own experiments in eliciting story using personal objects and retelling stories creatively.
Anyone fro
m across Departments, whether lecturer, researcher, student or faculty, is welcome to join the ARTS in Research Collaborative. Please contact Kip Jones if you are interested in joining or just want to know more about the Collaborative.
Investment up to £500,000 in feasibility studies in the area of user experience (UX). The aim is to encourage new and improved ways for machines, their computing systems and people to interact.
Innovate UK is to invest up to £500,000 in feasibility studies in the area of user experience (UX). The aim is to encourage new and improved ways for machines, their computing systems and people to interact. Proposals may address technologies that contribute to these new approaches, such as sensing information about the user, or they may address technologies that help with specific types of experience, such as mobile or wearable devices. Projects must be collaborative and business-led. The competition is open only to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, with the option to collaborate with one additional SME or research organisation/academic partner.
Small businesses could receive up to 70% of their eligible project costs and medium-sized businesses up to 60%.
Projects are expected to last between 3 and 12 months and to have total project costs of up to £50,000.
The feasibility studies are part of a £1.5m Innovate UK programme to stimulate innovations in user experience (UX). This competition runs in parallel with a £1m Knowledge Transfer Partnership competition. For details, visit the competition page.
This competition opens on 16 February 2015 and the deadline for registration is noon on 25 March 2015. The deadline for applications is noon on 1 April 2015. A briefing day (with webinar option) for potential applicants will be held in London on 18 February 2015.
Creative England is offering creative digital businesses in the South West the chance to apply for a third round of Business Strategy and Innovation Vouchers.
The scheme provides companies with £1,000 – £5,000 to subsidise much of the cost of procuring expert third party services in order to aid growth.
Funded by the Creative Industries iNet programme through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), the initiative focuses strongly on digital innovation and business strategy.
The Creative England Innovation Programme helps creative companies build and sell innovative products and services more successfully. This work is delivered through structured projects – which include seed investment, mentoring, marketing, and business support, planning and strategy. These projects help companies jump over business barriers to grow more quickly and profitably.
In order to apply to this round, businesses must be based in Bristol, Bath, Dorset, Devon, Wiltshire, Somerset or Gloucestershire, and be able to provide a total equalling 30% of the requested amount in match funding.
The voucher scheme is part of a wider £314k programme of support through the Creative England Innovation Programme.
Applications for the Voucher Scheme close on February 27th, 2015. For more information please read the guidelines below. Companies can apply directly here.
Last week on the 10th February, the HSC Freshers Fair took place in Bournemouth House. The fresher students who were all from the Midwifery course were just two days in to their University experience. They all seemed extremely interested to some of the research and activities on show for them at the fair.
The research that was on show was posters and information on the secondary prevention of skin cancer. Along with this the Midwifery students had a chance to participate in some activities which included the Rice Stick challenge and the Saucy Diver activity. Enthusiasm was certainly shown towards these activities along with a growing eagerness to hear about more events they can attend which showcases research to a student audience.
If you would like to hear about some upcoming student engagement with research events or would be interested in showcasing some of your research to students, then please feel free to contact ssquelch@bournemouth.ac.uk
Strategic Allies are looking for new solutions for food products in two specific areas:
Salt substitution using a non-sodium ingredient.
Full (100%) salt substitution using a new innovative ingredient or process in order to achieve the same flavour and sensorial properties, without sodium (e.g. MSG would not be of interest).
Shelf life extension – improvement and maintenance of the “freshly roasted” texture and flavour.
Any process or technology innovation that maintains the texture and flavour experienced after cooking, for a period of 12 months.
The client is a European manufacturer of snacks and bite-sized foods who is interested in new technologies and solutions to improve the nutritional profile and presentation of their products. The majority of the company’s products are based on roasted, fried and baked snacks.
You can find further information regarding this search here.
BU staff can login below:
Open Access Publication Fund open again to new applications
Closing tomorrow: please complete the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2025
Plenary talk by Dr Regmi on Hidden Health Burden of Nepalese Migrants
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Research Information Network
Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme pre-Published