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BU’s 100+ Media Directory Launch

In May 2012 Bournemouth University launched the BU 100+ Media Directory to highlight the wide range of research carried out at the university. The directory contains a selection of our top academics with their fields of expertise and contact details. Journalists can then call upon them for informed comment, news analysis or education insight for any article or broadcast they might be working on. We have a version online and also printed the directory.

There was a launch party for the printed directory in London and copies were sent out to journalists across the land. A copy landed on the desk of Edward Fennell from The Times. He wrote in the paper on 28 June: “As insiders know, the media school at Bournemouth University is outstanding. It’s full of ex-pros and recently won a Queen’s Anniversary Award. In short, it’s very cool all round.”

He then went on to describe the Media Directory as a thick, retro reporter’s notebook saying that is was “an interesting (albeit risky) shift away from reliance on its website. Every page features one of the university’s ‘Top 100’ experts, with all their credentials attractively laid out.” He pointed out that included among them were lawyers such as Dr Dinusha Mendis, Senior Lecturer in Law and the co-director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management.”

He continued that this was when he realised that the directory might be suitable for law firms as well to help promote their partners, ending the article: “If you are confident enough then this is a lovely chunky way of telling your clients about your partners. It’s counterintuitive, but sometimes that is where you want to be.”

If you want a copy to land on your desk, please contact James Donald 01202 961032.

How does the UK influence Horizon 2020?

I heard a very interesting presentation by Scott Hudson from the UK Representation to the EU Brussels (UKREP)  last week who discussed how decisions on funding are made in Brussels.  UKREP exists to present the UK government views to the EU in order to try and influence legislation to make it more beneficial to the UK. They also get involved with UK representative groups in Brussels such as UKRO and  in lobbying etc.

UKREP get involved with the 80 or so Council Working Groups. These groups have representatives fro  all 27 Member States and meet twice a  week to discuss legislation.  One of these councils is responsible for Horizon 2020 and UKREP attend these discussions to present the UK view in order to to stop/ push certain legislation. UKREP work closely with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to represent the UK view. A rather terrfiyingly complex diagran was shown demonstrating the process in creating legislation.

But back to Horizon 2020. The UK have agreed with most of the proposals for this in particular the 3 pillars  and the greater initiatives to include SMEs as well as the focus on excellence.  They also agree with simplification. But want to be clear on who is benefitting from this,  and ensuring it’s us who is benefiting and not the European Commission.

UKREP also broadly support flat rates of reimbursement but on the back of David Willetts push, have  called for a reintroduction of an option for the recovery of actual indirect costs occurred.

Finally UKREP are continuing to push for a clear role of social sciences and humanities within Horizon 2020. They call for social sciences and humanities throughout all major themes such as green cars etc and not for it to be just seen as something distinct.

Given that UKREP have such great links with BIS it’s important to ensure we have good communication with them too. A key contact within BU for liaising with BIS is Mark Painter so do get in touch with him if you want to learn more about how you can influence BIS.

BU summer mock REF exercise gets underway

The fourth in a series of mock Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercises is currently underway at BU, with the paperwork now on its way to the external reviewers who have been specially recruited for their expertise in their subject area. The reviewers will spend the next month or so going through all the forms and submitted outputs and will provide feedback on each submission.

After reviewing the forms, the reviewers will also be involved in a meeting involving the BU Unit of Assessment (UOA) Leader and three or four nominated BU academics from each UOA to discuss the submissions and the feedback given. These meetings are due to take place during the early autumn. Once all the review meetings have taken place, the reviewers’ comments and the outcomes from the meetings will be compiled – this information will then be fed back to academics by the relevant UOA Leaders to help in the further development of the REF submissions.

The next (and final) REF mock exercise is due to take place during February to April 2013; it will be a full dry run and will be the last chance for you to receive external feedback on your outputs before the final REF submission deadline on 29th November 2013.

In the meantime, I’d like to thank all the BU academics who have been involved in the current mock exercise for taking part and for responding promptly to any queries. Thanks also to the UOA Leaders for collating the information and submitting it on time, particularly as the deadlines were quite tight. Your joint cooperation is much appreciated!

For all previous REF postings on the BU Research Blog, click here.

Wellcome Trust – University Awards in Medical History and Humanities

This scheme allows universities to attract outstanding research staff by providing support for up to five years, after which time the award holder takes up a guaranteed permanent post in the university.

A monograph and other substantial publications are expected to result from an award, so teaching and other non-research commitments are expected to be minimal during the period of full Wellcome Trust support.

Up to five years’ support is available, providing your full salary for three years, 50 per cent in the fourth year and 25 per cent in the fifth year.

Travel expenses to attend meetings are provided for five years, but research expenses are provided for the first three years of the award only.

You must be nominated by your prospective head of department and have an undertaking from the head of the institution, vice-chancellor, principal or dean that your personal support will be taken over by the institution at the end of the award.

Support is normally available only at lecturer level, although in exceptional cases awards to senior-lecturer level may be possible.

Initial enquiries about the scheme may be made by you (the potential candidate) or a department in an institution.

These enquiries should be followed by a preliminary application from you by e-mail or post including

  • an explicit statement from the head of the institution, vice-chancellor or dean demonstrating the institution’s commitment to the history of medicine field, and a statement confirming that the institution will provide 50 per cent salary costs in year four, 75 per cent in year five and full salary thereafter
  • CV and full publication list
  • an outline of no more than two pages of the proposed project
  • a letter of support from the head of department, including a statement on your expected teaching/administrative load for the five-year period (this can be sent by separate cover)
  • the approximate cost of the proposal, broken down into your salary, equipment and project running costs.

If successful, you will be invited to submit a full application.

A preliminary application must be submitted before a full application is invited.

Preliminary application deadlines are:
20 June
(with a full application deadline of 1 August)
1 December
(with a full application deadline of 1 February)

Contact: Grants Management – Medical History and Humanities
Wellcome Trust
Gibbs Building
215 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE, UK

T +44 (0)20 7611 8499
E
mhh@wellcome.ac.uk

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

Cancer Research UK – Population research committee project grants

Cancer Research UK have announced a call for ‘Population Research Committee project grants‘.

Project grants provide support for a defined piece of work with objectives that can be achieved in the time specified. Applications are judged on the basis of scientific excellence, innovation, relevance to cancer research and potential impact on policy and practice.

What is covered

  • Clinical and public health epidemiology (excluding primary and secondary prevention studies involving medical interventions, e.g. vaccines and chemoprevention)
  • Educational and behavioural research in areas of prevention, screening and early diagnosis
  • Proposals considering clinical trials methodologies or statistics
  • Proposals considering secondary effects of treatment

Applications are judged on the basis of scientific excellence, innovation and relevance to cancer research.

Eligibility

Applications will be accepted from scientists, clinicians or health care workers in UK universities, medical schools, hospitals and some research institutions. In addition, all applicants for Project Grants must have at least three years post-doctoral experience or equivalent, or a tenured post.

Period of funding

Funding is normally provided for up to 36 months.  In exceptional circumstances, and where justified by the research proposed, applications for project grants for more than 36 months duration may be considered. All such applications must be discussed with the office before submission.  Shorter time periods will also be considered, if this is appropriate to the particular project.

Funding value

No set value. Funding decisions are made on the basis of scientific merit. Individuals submitting applications above the level of £100,000 per annum are advised to contact Dr Hannah Whiteman (contact details below.)

How to apply

Applications must be submitted via their electronic Grants Management System (eGMS). See How to apply for more information and to submit your application via eGMS. Please note that applications are only fully submitted to Cancer Research UK once approved by your host institution administrators.

Submission deadlines

Preliminary submissions Final submissions Committee review
N/A 16 Nov 2012 Apr 2013

 

Additional notes

Applications for PhD studentships on project grants will not be considered.

Please note that deadlines are final and Cancer Research UK cannot accept applications after 5 p.m. on these dates. Applications will be processed in the order they are received up to the maximum quota for any one meeting. If the pre-set quota is reached before 5 p.m. on the deadline date applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis.

The Population Research Committee will only accept applications for additional arms to, or sub-studies for, existing trials, if the parent trial has been funded or endorsed by a Cancer Research UK Funding Committee or adopted by the NCRN.

Other details

For enquiries related to this funding scheme, please contact: Dr Fiona Reddington, Tel: +44 (0) 20 3469 5324
 
 
The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

British Heart Foundation – Funding opportunities

There are two health/medical science related funding opportunities available through the British Heart Foundation.

The first is ‘Clinical Study Grants (click the link for more information on how to apply).  A summary of the call is as follows:

For clinical trials and other clinical studies costing more than £300,000.

Entry requirements

  • The principal investigator will be a senior researcher working in an established research institution in the UK. S/he must have a strong track record of grant support, usually from us, and an internationally recognised research profile.
  • Any multicentre interventional clinical trial, while remaining under the scientific control of the principal investigator, should be managed by a UKCRC-registered Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) and should include a member of the CTU as a co-applicant or principal investigator.
  • For multicentre observational studies, applicants should consider a mentorship arrangement with a CTU — BHF will judge the need for this arrangement on a case by case basis.

Grant duration

Up to 5 years, with an interim review at the half way point. BHF may consider a staged award based on proof of adequate recruitment and progress if deemed appropriate. 

Award may include

  • Staff salaries. For example: research fellow, clinical trial co-ordinator, research nurse, where fully justified.  
  • Research consumables directly attributable to the project.
  • Research equipment essential for the project.

 

The second opportunity is ‘Immediate postdoctoral basic science research fellowships’ (click the link for more information on how to apply).  A summary of the call is as follows:

To provide an opportunity for the most promising newly qualified postdoctoral researchers to make an early start in developing their independent cardiovascular research careers in an established institution in the UK.

Entry requirements

  • Candidates should be in the final year of their PhD studies or have no more than one year of postdoctoral research experience from the date of the PhD viva.
  • Candidates must be able to show, by publications or otherwise, evidence of exceptional research ability.
  • The fellowship will not usually be held in the institution where the PhD was carried out.
  • Residency requirements apply – check eligibility.

Grant duration

  • 3 years with the possibility of a 1 year extension if a strong case can be made (e.g. that this will lead to a competitive application for a more senior personal award).
  • BHF strongly encourage that up to 1.5 years of the award are spent overseas or in a second UK institution.
  • A supervisor is required in each laboratory, who must be able to guarantee the candidate access to space and resources for the required period and provide relevant scientific guidance.

Award may include

  • Salary of applicant.
  • Reasonable research consumables and small items of equipment, directly attributable to the project.
  • Economy return travel costs to second laboratory for the fellow only.  

 

Decision process for both calls

There are no closing dates.  Please submit the application when it is ready.

 The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

ESRC – Grant linked studentships funding opportunity

Grant Linked studentships are designed to add value to the proposed research outlined in the grant application, whilst providing a clear opportunity for a distinct and independent course of enquiry for the student. Through being embedded with a high quality research team, they should offer the student an opportunity to both develop their substantive research skills, alongside broader professional development.

Grant linked studentships may be requested on any research application (with the exception of the Future Leaders scheme) as long as:

  • the grant applied for is for 3 years or more
  • the Principal or Co-Investigators are approved to act as primary supervisors for PhD students
  • the student(s) will be located in an ESRC accredited Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) and they are studying on an accredited pathway.

Up to three studentships can be applied for on any single grant application. It must also be clear that the studentship is not a displacement for the normal research support required on the grant. The student must have a distinct, independent area of enquiry that will add value to the overall research objectives of the grant.  

For further details on the application process for Grant Linked Studentships please read the information available within the Research Funding Guide.

More information on the details on the rules and regulations for Grant linked studentships can be found within the Postgraduate Funding Guidelines.

If you require further assistance please contact ptdenquiries@esrc.ac.uk

 The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

BU Wellbeing Theory Keynote in Montreal

The theme of the 31st International Human Sciences Research Conference was ‘Renewing the Encounter between the Human Sciences, the Arts & the Humanities.’ Professors Les Todres and Kate Galvin presented one of four keynote addresses on their Dwelling-Mobility theory of Wellbeing. They illustrated their theory with film clips, poetry, and phenomenological-reflective writing. A video of their talk can be viewed in due course on the conference website.  BU was further represented by two  staff members and one PhD student: Caroline Ellis-Hill from the School of Health and Social Care, presented her  research on ‘caring following a stroke’; Sean Beer from the School of Tourism presented data and analysis from his studies on experiences that shaped peoples’ perceptions of what made food and drink authentic to them; and Regina Hess, a PhD student, spoke poetically of the survival of the 2004 Asian Tsunami. This interdisciplinary conference will be held next year in Denmark.

Jumping Trains

I am sitting on the train returning to BU after attending a rather dull function in London last night and my mind is racing over stuff as the countryside flashes by the train window.  It is funny where peoples mind goes while sitting on the train, there are those in the carriage who have their head down typing frantically at laptops and I-pads, others gossiping with colleagues and friends on route to meetings and days out, others engrossed in the newspapers whose headlines are screaming loudly about last nights penalty shoot out.

My own mind is racing free form over problems with my own research, worrying about the kids, thinking about BU’s regional strategy, interviews this afternoon when back on Talbot, the usual mix of stuff – unfocused, but aware of the passage of time, the approach of deadlines and challenges, all hurtling towards me like the landscape outside.  A week ago we launched BRIAN and despite teething problems it is looking good, new stuff to learn and the articulation between it and the VIVO which runs the new staff profiles is an added complication.  The idea of a system that can find your publications for its self and output them to the world is cool and the ability to tailor and modify your staff profile more easily,  potentially with weekly updates, is all quite exciting.  When I started out as an academic twenty years ago you used to get a nice pile of off prints through the post when ever you had published something and one of the tasks I was taught early on was to sit down with your address book and send them out not only to your parents and academic mates, but also to the key figures in your field.  Part of raising your own profile and getting read.  Those days are gone and paper off prints are largely a thing of the past, but the need to raise the profile of your work with fellow academics remains.  Tools like BRIAN, Twitter, Facebook, Academia.edu, and LinkedIn all allow you to do so, even for people like me who feel uneasy about the social networking revolution.

We commissioned some work recently from Elsevier looking at the academic reach of work at BU – who was citing it, where and how often.  Interesting stuff which has been passed on to the research leads in each School – why not ask them about it?  The message from this work was not great while we do some really cool research at BU, to be honest it is not getting read and cited as much as it should be.  We intend to launch a bit of a campaign in the autumn to tackle this issue and help staff understand how to maximize their academic reach and get read/cited more often.  Optimizing ones profiles on Scopus, Web of Science, use of social media, using BRIAN to enhance your external profile are all things that we will advise and encourage on.  But lurking here is a train analogy inspired by the train I am sitting on.

We are good as academics of working within an existing networks like rail networks – for example South West Trains – our work is read and cited by our colleagues within BU, our academic mates and collaborators, and others in our network.  There are other networks out there however – Southern Trains or just now looking out of the window Cross Country Trains – with academics in other countries, national regions, or social/academic networks doing similar work whether or not they identify themselves with the same network or discipline badges as we or not.  The key to improving ones own academic impact, getting read and cited is being able to jump between those networks; to be the linking track.  It is easier said than done – rail networks meet at stations, which in our parlance are academic conferences, not just those which rally our own discipline but also those of cognate disciplines providing the chance to meet other academics, collaborate and be remembered.  The problem is that conferences are a bit like last nights chip paper full of promise when hot with chips but quickly forgotten and confined to the bin when home with a real meal.   I suppose I am saying it is often hard to capitalize on the contacts made at conference and ensure your work is remembered.  Follow through is essential to make sure these contact see your written work which is what counts.  Reaching out directly by cold emails with PDF’s copies of your work is one way, asking to collaborate directly is another, but the one I want to emphasis here is study leave.  There is nothing like a period of study leave to build new networks and with the study leaving funding available now as part of the Fusion Investment Fund there is no excuse; the idea way of jumping tracks for a bit.  It looks as if the first round of study leave funding will be under subscribed, in contrast to the other strands, but with another opportunity to come in December it is worth perhaps thinking about how one can use such opportunities to jump trains for a bit and widen your academic network?

ICT Infoday on Collective Awareness Platforms for Social Innovation and Sustainable Social Changes

The info day on Collective Awareness Platforms is jointly organised by Queen Mary, University of London, and the European Commission. The event will launch the work programme for ‘Collective Awareness Platforms’ within the next ICT call.  Collective Awareness Platforms for Social Innovation and Sustainable Social Changes (CAPS) are ICT systems leveraging the emerging ‘network effect’ by combining open online social media, distributed knowledge creation and data from real environments (Internet of Things), in order to create new forms of social innovation.

The day will be made up of a brief presentation of the work programme for the next ICT Call 10 by the European Commission, followed by question and answers and an ideas workshop in the afternoon.

Fusion Investment Fund Applications Closed

Thank you for all your applications to the Fusion Investment Fund!  

The committees are meeting in July to decide which proposals will receive funding and Prof. Matthew Bennett will be in touch to relay these decisions to all of our applicants.

I will be posting to the Research Blog details about the proposals that do secure funding.  If you do not manage to get funded in this round there will be a further opportunity to apply to the fund again in December when we will open to proposals again.  I do hope that you will apply again particularly if this is the first time you have applied for funding. 

If you wish to develop your skills then we have a Grants Academy that can help.  The Academy recruits members to develop their potential for securing funds internal and external, you should be able to find all the information you need here.  The Academy is managed by Caroline o Kane who will also be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Finally thank you for your interest in the Fund!

Sam Furr

Connecting with Canada

Week commencing 18 June saw me attending a research retreat at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, building on successful collaboration with Canadian colleagues (via 2 CIHR development grants) established around 5 years ago my colleague Professor Debra Morgan is now leading a large programme grant application to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) which would allow for comparative work to be conducted in Dorset and Canada around community based dementia services. As well as academic meetings discussing the content, focus and budgetary implications of the programme of work there was a one day ‘Stakeholder’ event where decision makers debated the merits of the four strands of the programme of proposed work. This was a fantastic example of public engagement in writing a programme grant and the opening presentation I gave about the UK dementia strategies and implementation plans were very well received. It is always good to have synergy between work going on in different places and to learn from one another. Canadian colleagues were very complimentary about the policy level work that has been established within the UK, but some of the practical initiatives occuring in rural Canada are very much at the forefront of quality dementia care provision. Here’s hoping we secure the grant award!

BRIAN – more reliable than the British summer

BU launched its new publications management system, BRIAN (Bournemouth Research Information and Networking), this week.  Over 300 of you have already logged in and input information.  BRIAN provides a facility to quickly and easily update your research activity in one place, which enables research information to be used in multiple places.

For those of you who have been inputting your information into BRIAN, you should now see your external profile pages taking shape.  Your profile pages will allow you to promote yourself for potential research collaborations, research grants and enterprise opportunities.  It will also provide a search function for staff to find out about potential collaborative opportunities with colleagues from across BU, and so the more staff update their profiles, the greater the opportunity for collaboration and seeing the benefits of BRIAN.

Don’t forget to look at the user guides in my earlier blogs.  Also, there is help available in the RDU for all things BRIAN related: BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

Some of the features soon to be added to BRIAN: Grants; REF; improved PhD Student information – watch this space!

BBSRC – Flexible Interchange Programme

Application deadline: 20 September 2012, by 4pm 

BBSRC’s FLexible Interchange Programme (FLIP) supports the movement of people from one environment to a different one to exchange knowledge/technology/skills, developing bioscience research/researchers and addressing our strategic priorities.

FLIP awards provide flexible opportunities for individuals (“the interchangers”) moving between different organisations, disciplines and sectors at all stages in their career beyond the PhD (or equivalent).

Awards

In the region of 10 awards will be made in the first year, building to 20 per annum over subsequent years.

Awards will typically:

  • last up to 24 months
  • cost up to £150k in total at 80% fEC
  • be undertaken on a full-time, part-time or intermittent basis
  • cover a contribution to the salary of the interchangers, reasonable travel and subsistence and costs associated with the interchange

Applications outside these ranges will be considered with full justification.

Download FLIP flyer (PDF 1.27MB)

Scope

FLIP aims to:

  • enhance opportunities for the exchange of knowledge, technology and people between the research base and user communities and vice versa for economic and/or societal benefit
  • facilitate the development of partnerships to foster longer-term collaborations, thereby maximising the impact of previously-funded BBSRC research
  • allow for an expansion of the skill base of individuals, particularly in emerging, niche and vulnerable areas alongside our strategic priorities

Eligibility

Each FLIP proposal will only have one lead academic applicant.

Lead applicant must:

  • satisfy our standard eligibility criteria as described in BBSRC’s grants guide (see related links)
  • be a named investigator on the awarded BBSRC research grant connected to the proposed interchange

Interchanger must:

  • have a PhD (or for non-academics the equivalent professional experience)
  • upon commencement of the FLIP award, be employed by one of the organisations participating in the interchange, such as a research organisation, UK industry, policy making or charitable organisation

How to apply

View the call text for full information. Complete the application form and mandatory attachments and submit via email as one single PDF document to FLIP@bbsrc.ac.uk.

Some applicants may be invited to attend a discretionary interview subsequent to the assessment of applications.

Application downloads

Assessment

Applications will be assessed at BBSRC’s Research Committee E meeting on 13-14 December 2012.

Interviews (if required) will be held from early January 2013.

Funding decisions will be announced by late January 2013 (dates are for guidance only and may be subject to change).

Contact

For eligibility, application process, deadlines and outcomes of applications: FLIP@bbsrc.ac.uk

For programme details:
Phillip Tait, Innovation Manager
phillip.tait@bbsrc.ac.uk
tel: 01793 442124

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.