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EPSRC UK-India partnership in smart energy grids and energy storage technologies

The EPSRC, under the Research Council UK’s energy programme, and the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, have launched a joint call for proposals for their UK-India partnership in smart energy grids and energy storage technologies. This seeks to strengthen collaboration between UK and Indian research institutions within an overarching focus on research relating to smart energy grids and energy storage technologies. Proposals must address one of the following areas:

•appropriate distributed storage technologies;

•on/off grid energy systems;

•DC networks;

•control and communications.

Projects must be joint activities involving research groups from both India and the UK, and must involve personnel exchange between the Indian and UK partners. All proposals must be for consortia, with equal or proportionate participation from UK and Indian researchers. UK applicants must be the principal investigator or co-investigator on a current Research Council award. Higher education institutions, some Research Council institutes and independent research organisations are eligible to apply.

The costs for UK institutions will be met by EPSRC, and those for Indian institutions will be met by DST. EPSRC will contribute up to £5 million for this call over a three-year period with matched resources from DST. The deadline is 15.11.12

Fusion Investment Fund: Strengthening Service Computing Research in Bournemouth University

Fusion

I was inspired to send a proposal to the fusion investment fund on a hint by Prof. Mark Hadfield. I was helping with DEC internationalisation affairs, and in a meeting Mark  mentioned that we would like to have more international visiting professors in DEC. As I have built up an extensive international network,  together with my co-investigator Dr. Paul de Vrieze, we asked a number of distinguished Professors in The Netherlands, Australia and China to apply for visiting professorships. Four full professors with world wide research reputations were willing to accept the offer.

Their visiting can strongly enhance research culture and postgraduate teaching especially in relation to our newly validated MSc. Enterprise Information Systems and PhD research in the area of service computing, e-government, computational intelligence and ubiquitous computing. 

As all four visiting professors hold rich research funding and experience, the project allows face-to-face opportunities to collaborate on project proposals, research papers and other research activities that can kick start discussions for collaboration and joined project proposals.

Based on our new MSc Enterprise Information Systems we have already received inquiries on professional practice. Prof. Keith Phalp, our third co-applicant has been contacted by Welsh Government Chief Information Officer Michael Eaton. We are going to organize public panels or other industrial engagement opportunities by our visiting professors.

To prepare the application I looked at the call for proposals for the FIF and attended one of the workshops about the fund. At the workshop I explained my ideas to Prof. Matthew Bennett, with the question which Fusion Investment Fund strand to follow. Matthew gave very clear direction that the appropriate strand would be to apply for (inward) study leave from the Fusion Investment Fund. In general, we saw that our proposal has a great opportunity to integrate education, research and professional practice. The project will run from Nov 2012 to May 2013, and we hope it will bring many further opportunities to Bournemouth University.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

Awarded & submitted bids

Congratulations to Dean Wright (Media School) for securing funding from both Air-site Ltd and Dorling Kindersley Ltd and Kathy Hodder (ApSci) for securing funding from Fieldwork Ecological Services Ltd.

Good luck to Jaqui Hewitt-Taylor (HSC) for her Nuffield Foundation Outline application, Heather Hartwell (School of Tourism), Barry Richards (Media School), Darren Lilleker (Media School), Anita Diaz (ApSci), Rob Britton (ApSci) and Elena Cantarello (ApSci) for their applications to EC – Marie Curie – IEF and Jian Chang (Media School) for his application to EC – Marie Curie – IIF.

Impact factors or further thoughts on where do I publish?

News from the PVC

I came across this brilliant paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) this weekend.  An elegantly written plea for research to be assessed on its quality not the impact factor of the journal in which it is published.  As the authors state ‘we must forego using impact factors as a proxy for excellence and replace them with in-depth analyses of the science produced.’  As the article outlines impact factors where developed by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) originally as an aid to librarians making decision about which journals to purchase.  Today it is part of the decision making process for many academics that surrounds where to publish being held as a proxy for journal prestige.  As the Eve and her colleagues point out ‘the least important paper published in a journal shares the impact factor with the most important papers in the same journal’, and therefore the impact factor of a journal may not accurately reflect the quality of all the work within it and as such is a flawed proxy.

You only have to go back a couple of years to find a fierce debate about the use of bibliometrics within REF2014, something which has been reduced in the final submission framework to a few select units of assessment where citation date will be used.  In fact the REF codes make an explicit statement that quality assessment of an output will be made on the basis of the quality of the research not any perceived journal ranking system whether it be impact factors or the ABS list (Association of Business Schools).  This is to be applauded, but can you take natural journal prejudices, based on things like the ABS list, impact factors or for that matter subject convention, out of the academics undertaking the reviews?  Having now chaired one of our mock assessment panels I am left wondering whether you can?  It will pose a serious challenge to the objectivity and veracity of the REF if one can’t.

Despite this reservation the plea made by Eve and her colleagues is to be welcomed; research should be published where it is best suited, will get read by the people who need to read it within ones discipline, where it will encourage debate and in turn drive further research.  It does not make the decision of where to publish any easier for early career academics, but I would encourage all those involved in providing advice to them, to read the impassioned plea made by Eve and her colleagues and move from default references to impact factors and ranking lists.

Work in labs? Got links in Africa? Then this will be good news for you!

A £15.3 million (US$24 million) fund to build links between African research laboratories and strengthen their research capacity through mentoring has been launched by the Royal Society (the UK’s science academy) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The aim is to provide equipment and training for African scientists, and to establish researcher exchange programmes between the United Kingdom and Sub-Saharan Africa. Start-up grants of up to US$39,000 will assist the formation of research consortia, and larger grants of almost US$2 million will then support specific research programmes over a five-year period. To qualify for the larger grants, projects must involve a consortium of one UK laboratory and three African laboratories. Calls for proposals will be launched in November, but keep an eye on the DFID website for more announcements.

De Hogeweyk: unique lifestyle housing for people with dementia

I (Marilyn Cash, HSC) recently had the opportunity to visit De Hogeweyk a nursing home in the Netherlands that provides care to 152 people in the later stages of dementia. Unlike traditional nursing homes, De Hogeweyk is designed as a small self contained village with 23 individual homes, a supermarket, a hair and beauty salon, restaurant, theatre and traditional Dutch ‘brown cafe’. The homes are designed to reflect seven different typical Dutch ‘lifestyles’, identified by Motivaction a social research agency:-
1. Traditional for residents whose identity came from carrying out a traditional profession
2. City for “urbanized” residents whose life had been spent in the centre of the city
3. “Het Gooi” for residents who attach importance to manners, etiquette, and external appearance
4. Cultural: for residents who appreciate art and fine culture
5. Christian: for residents for whom practicing their Christian religion is an important part of daily life
6. Indonesian: a lifestyle for residents with an Indonesian background
7. Homey: for residents who believe that caring for the family and household is important.

De Hogeweyk allows residents to experience life as if they were living in the community but from within a safe and secure environment. Residents are able to take part in everyday activities in their homes supported by a team of staff and volunteers. They are able to walk freely through the streets and gardens which are designed to reflect normal life with street signs, streetlights, benches and squares where people can congregate. Being able to move freely around not only contributes to their health but also gives a feeling of ‘being at home’. The feeling of normality is further supported by the fact that none of the staff wear uniforms. The scheme has been designed to integrate with the local community and the facilities are open to anyone, not just to residents and their families.
A total of 240 staff (equivalent to 170 full-time jobs) work at De Hogeweyk; this includes, nurses, nursing assistants, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, a full-time doctor and a Psychiatrist. They are supported by 120 volunteers, who are mostly retired people living in the local community. Many of the volunteers live alone and appreciate the social interaction that volunteering gives them. Residents are funded through the Dutch national insurance scheme for long-term care
De Hogeweyk has been criticised for being a deception; but I think that most people reading this would prefer this ‘lifestyle’ to that offered by a traditional nursing home.

Handing over the BU REF baton

Research assessment

Well, the day has finally come when I’m to hand over the BU REF baton to Peng Peng Ooi who is to take over as the BU Research Development Officer for the REF while I am on maternity leave. She’s had a crash course in all things REF since she began at the RDU in July and has very much landed in at the deep end because of the mock REF exercise on outputs that’s currently taking place!

This hasn’t put her off though, and she’s poised ready to take things forward in the coming months prior to the REF submission deadline in November 2013.

It just remains to wish you all the very best with your submissions and to thank you for your cooperation with the REF preparations so far. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the blog for all BU REF-related information. See you next year!

Anita Somner

Research Development Officer (REF)

FI- WARE are looking for additional partners

FI-WARE, the core platform of the future internet, invites proposals through the Directorate-General for Information Society and Media for its open call for additional partners. FI-WARE has reserved a portion of its budget to fund specific tasks carried out by a new beneficiary or beneficiaries, who will join the consortium after starting the project. Topics for this call are:

•advanced web-based user interface generic enablers, for which funding is worth up to €2.75 million;

•steam-oriented GEs, for which funding is worth up to €2.25m;

•cloud proxy extended development and management platform GE, for which funding is worth up to €1m.

The deadline is 07.11.12; to find out more info check out the FI-WARE webpage.

Lifelong Learning programme Grundtvig funding available

Adult Education Learner Workshops: Any organisation involved in adult education provision can apply for funding through the Grundtvig programme to host interactive learning workshops for European participants on a specific educational theme.  Workshop themes could include; active citizenship and intercultural dialogue;  language learning; discussion groups on issues of common European interest; basic number, literacy and ICT skills for personal development; and visual and creative arts.  Funding of approximately 9,000 Euro is available towards the preparation and management of a Learner Workshop and the travel and subsistence costs of each participant. Funding is also available for cultural and linguistic preparation as well as special assistance based on the needs of the individual.  The closing date for applications is the 21st February 2013 and the Learner Workshop must be held before the 31st August 2014.

Grundtvig In-Service Training Grants: Individuals involved in adult education provision have the opportunity to apply for grants through the Grundtvig In-service training programme to attend practical skill-based courses in a European country and provide personal development opportunities.  The funding is available to individuals involved in both formal or in-formal adult education and can include  teachers or trainers; managerial or administrative staff from an adult education provider; a member of staff working with adults with special learning needs; or those intending to work in adult education in the future.  There are 3 deadlines for applications each year. The next deadline for applications is 17 September 2012.

 

Grundtvig Preparatory Visits: Grundtvig is a European Union programme that funds training opportunities for UK adult education organisations, staff & learners.  UK organisation involved in non-vocational adult education that want to meet partners prior to submitting a Grundtvig Partnership or Senior Volunteering application, or to attend a Contact Seminar to find new partner can apply for funding to undertake a preparatory visit.  Organisations wishing to undertake a Preparatory Visit can apply for funding of up to 1,200 Euro.   An example of a preparatory visit was from Gingerbread Northern Ireland who used a Preparatory Visits grant to visit potential project partners in Belgium. They met to discuss a collaborating on a Grundtvig Learning Partnership.  Organisations  must submit their funding application to the UK National Agent (ECOTEC) at least 8 weeks before the activity start date.

Funding for Adult Education Staff Placements in Other European Countries: Adult Education organisations can apply for funding to send individuals on work placements in an adult education organisation  in another European country.  Funded through the Grundtvig Assistantships programme, placements are for between 13 and 45 weeks.  Grundtvig Assistantships are for those at any stage in their career who are already working on a part time or full-time basis anywhere in the informal and formal non-vocational, adult education sector. This applies to volunteer staff as well as those who are formally employed. The amount of funding available is determined by the duration of an Assistantship and the country in which it is to be undertaken. The funding available is intended as a contribution to the costs involved in an Assistantship, this can include; travel to and from the host country; visa costs; local travel during the Assistantship; travel insurance; and accommodation and general living The deadline for applications is the 28th March 2013.

Grundtvig Visits and Exchange Grants :Adult education staff who want to improve their practical skills and to gain a broader understanding of lifelong learning across Europe can apply for funding to attend a seminar, conference, job shadowing and training in another European country. Visits and Exchange grants are offered under the Grundtvig part of the Lifelong Learning Programme. The Grundtvig programme aims to strengthen the European dimension in adult education. Funding is open to those involved in adult education. Activities can last between one day and twelve weeks and are a great way for you to improve teaching, coaching, counselling or mentoring skills. Grants are available to contribute towards the total costs incurred, including conference or seminar fees, travel, subsistence and other costs. An illustration of a project is where a lecturer from Aberdeen went to job shadow social pedagogy experts and to learn about the Danish educational system. Applications can be made throughout the year, up to 12 weeks before the activity begins, until 14th December 2012?.

New STRC season seminar : “Introduction to System Testing” (22nd of August 16h at Lawrence Lecture Theatre)

It is my pleasure to kindly announce the new season of the Smart Technology Research Center Seminars.

Our first guest will be Mr. Aleksander Badura; which has extensive experience in Software System’s Testing in a wide range of projects within the international company Research & Engineering Center (REC-global).

The talk will take place next Wednesday, the 22nd of August at Lawrence Lecture Theatre at 16:00 h (please click here for a map)

I kindly encourage to researchers and PhD students interested on software systems to attend to this talk; where software systems testing will be analysed from an Industrial perspective.

The title of the talk is “Introduction to System Testing”:

“I will provide an introduction to Software Testing with focusing on Test level or System Test. We will discuss how testing within a project Life Cycle is planned and performed. To conclude I will provide an example of testing within INFER project”

Best Wishes, Emili

Emili Balaguer-Ballester, PhD

SMART Technology Research Center, School of Engineering & Computing, Bournemouth University

Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Heidelberg

Latest BU REF Highlight Report now available

Research assessment

The latest BU REF Highlight Report (#12) is now available for BU staff to download. It covers the period from January to July 2012.

Features in this report include information about:

You can access your copy of the report from the following location on the I-drive (just copy and paste the following into Windows Explorer): I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\REF\REF preparations\REF highlight reports

COST pilot evaluation and selection scheme for interdisciplinary proposals

COST (European Co-operation in Science and Technology) has announced the launch of a pilot evaluation and selection scheme for interdisciplinary proposals. You may remember from my earlier posts on COST, that  this is a funding source which offers support for networks centred around nationally funded research projects in fields that are of interest to at least five COST countries. And that it has had a whopping €10m boost lately.

A pilot evaluation and selection procedure for the submission to the Open Call of Trans-Domain Proposals (TDP) will be launched in early 2013. These funding opportunities offer researchers the chance to bid for funding to support future networks across wide interdisciplinary research areas. Currently all domains across the COST Open Call use a two stage submission process; the TDP Pilot will  require a single submission of a full proposal, with the aim of making the evaluation and selection procedure faster.  This means that if you want to submit a proposal you will need to pre-register;  this will most likely be from 15 February 2013 to 29 March 2013 with the Full Proposal to be submitted by 14 June 2013 and the first proposals to be approved in November 2013.

REF2014 – Dissemination of REF documents

REF Subjects, Research assessment

The University is currently preparing to take part in the first Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment, which is a national exercise to assess the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. To ensure that the University abides by its principles of transparency, consistency, accountability and inclusivity in preparing and finalising the BU submission to the REF, the BU REF 2014 Code of Practice (v2), BU REF Frequently Asked Questions and BU REF Individual Staff Circumstances Disclosure Form have been developed and are now being formally disseminated to all BU academic staff to ensure all eligible staff are fully informed. When you have received this email, it is important that you read the information contained in these documents and you are therefore required to acknowledge receipt of this communication by sending the automatic ‘read receipt’ to the email as soon as possible.

These documents are also available on the BU Research Blog under the ‘REF’ tab.

In conjunction with the dissemination of these key documents, two open sessions have been scheduled for the autumn to give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have prior to the collection of the first round of BU REF Individual Staff Circumstances Disclosure Forms (due to be returned by 31 October 2012):

Talbot Campus:

Date: 27 September 2012

Time : 11.30am to 1.00pm

Venue: The Wallace Lecture Theatre, Weymouth House

Lansdowne Campus:

Date: 11 October 2012

Time: 3.00pm to 4.30pm

Venue: EB306, Executive Business Centre

You are invited to attend either event – more details will be circulated in due course. If you are unable to attend but have any queries, please contact Peng Peng Ooi (Research Development Officer – REF: pengpeng.ooi@bournemouth.ac.uk).

Many thanks for your cooperation in this and hopefully this information is useful for you.