BU Research Blog

September 1, 2022

Prof John Oliver appointed to Horizon & Foresight Scanning Board

BRIAN, BU research, Business Engagement, Impact, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, parliament, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, policy John Oliver

Prof John Oliver has been appointed to the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology’s new Advisory Board responsible for Horizon & Foresight Scanning. The new board has been set up in response to an inquiry into the effectiveness and influence of the Select Committee system by the 2017–19 House of Commons Liaison Committee.

The advisory board aims to improve the efficacy of horizon and foresight scanning processes to inform the identification of Areas of Research Interest (ARI). ARIs are lists of policy issues or questions used by Select Committees, parliamentarians and by parliamentary staff to produce more research evidence in certain topics to scrutinize the government and to inform future policy work.

The advisory board will also be responsible for developing ‘futures thinking’ capabilities by developing training opportunities and resources for parliamentarians and staff to enable them to think more long-term and manage the uncertainty in policy-making.

Prof John Oliver commented that “the world is becoming more and more uncertain with Covid-19, Brexit, Russia-Ukraine War and global economic uncertainty. Indeed, the International Monetary Fund’s World Uncertainty Index recently reported that global uncertainty has reached “unprecedented levels” in recent years. This makes horizon and foresight scanning more of a priority for many policy-makers and organisations as it helps them manage the uncertainty around future dynamics”.

This new role builds on Prof Oliver’s previous scenario planning research and work with the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology and the House of Commons.

May 26, 2022

NIHR Grant Applications Seminar ONLINE – 7th July 2022

BRIAN, BU research, ECR Network, EPSRC, ESRC, Events, Funding opportunities, NHS, pre-award, research opportunities Louise Ward

Dear colleagues

– Do you have a great idea for research in health, social care or public health?
– Are you planning to submit a grant application to NIHR?

Our popular seminar continues online and will take place on Thursday 7th July 2022 from 10.00am – 12.30pm.

The seminar provides an overview of NIHR funding opportunities and research programme remits, requirements and application processes. We will give you top tips for your application and answer specific questions with experienced RDS South West advisers.

We also have a limited number of 20-minute 1-to-1 appointments available after the seminar should you wish to discuss your proposed study with an RDS adviser.

Find out more and book a place.

Your local branch of the NIHR RDS (Research Design Service) is based within the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU)

We can help with your application. We advise on all aspects of developing an application and can review application drafts as well as put them to a mock funding panel (run by RDS South West) known as Project Review Committee, which is a fantastic opportunity for researchers to obtain a critical review of a proposed grant application before this is sent to a funding body.

Contact us as early as possible to benefit fully from the advice

Feel free to call us on 01202 961939 or send us an email.

April 19, 2022

BRIAN is unavailable for use this week

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research Pengpeng

Please be aware that there will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place this week, starting 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

For all BRIAN related queries, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

April 13, 2022

BRIAN will be unavailable for use next week

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research Pengpeng

Please be aware that there will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place next week, 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

For all BRIAN related queries, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

April 12, 2022

BRIAN upgrade feature – add new items

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research Pengpeng

Similar to the current system, after BRIAN has been upgraded, you can add new items for each different element by clicking on the “add” button under each tile –

This function is also similar for the “Grants” and “Records of Impact” tiles.

There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

For all BRIAN related queries, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

April 11, 2022

BRIAN upgrade feature – the publications tile

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research, Publishing Pengpeng

As mentioned last week, after the BRIAN upgrade, you can look forward to seeing the different elements within your BRIAN account represented by its own ’tile’ on the homepage –

Let’s now take a closer look at the “Publications” tile –

By default, your “Publications” tile shows you a condensed summary list view of your publications within your BRIAN account.

When you click on the right arrow key, you will then get to see the ‘graph’ view instead –

Clicking on the left arrow key will take you back to the list view. As mentioned, the publication “list” view is the default setting within your account; however, you can change the default view to “graph” if you wish, by clicking on the “configure homepage” option within the drop-down menu underneath your profile –

And by clicking on “graph” as shown below –

There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

Do stay tuned for more exciting new features from the BRIAN upgrade!

For all BRIAN related queries, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

April 11, 2022

BRIAN upgrade feature – the homepage

BRIAN, BU research Pengpeng

As mentioned last week, after the BRIAN upgrade, you can look forward to seeing a much more consistent and a “cleaner” feel to the overall look of the homepage –

The tiles for each core elements of “publications”, “professional activities”, “grants” and “records of impact” are now in the same shape and size and they are neatly arranged. If you refer to a previous post about this particular feature, you can also find out how you can customise this homepage.

If you look closely at the top right corner of the “Publications” and “Grants” tiles, you will also notice a feature that will allow you to quickly clear any “pending” or “rejected” publications –

There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

Do stay tuned for more exciting new features from the BRIAN upgrade!

For all BRIAN related queries, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

April 6, 2022

BRIAN upgrade feature – My Actions summary box

BRIAN, BU research Pengpeng

When you first log into BRIAN after the upgrade, similar to the current version, you will notice the “My Actions” box at the top, next to your profile picture. The functionality which has been retained is the ability to switch the actions to either a “carousel” or “list” view by clicking on the three dots to the top right corner –

If you switch it to the list view, it will look like this –

The advantage of the “list” view is that it allows you to have an overview of all the pending actions, and for you to act on them quickly and easily.

There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

Do stay tuned for more exciting new features from the BRIAN upgrade!

For all BRIAN related queries, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

April 5, 2022

BRIAN upgrade feature – customising your homepage

BRIAN, BU research Pengpeng

There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

When you first log into BRIAN, you will notice that the “homepage” has completely been revamped. However, upon close inspection, you will discover that all functionalities remain the same. One notable improvement about the homepage from this upgrade is that it allows you to customise your own homepage, as circled –

The customisation functionality allows you to rearrange the “tiles” as how you would like them to appear on your BRIAN homepage; it will also allow you to hide certain “tiles” if you do not wish for them to be visible on your homepage –

Do stay tuned tomorrow for more exciting new features from the BRIAN upgrade!

For all BRIAN related queries, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

April 4, 2022

BRIAN is getting a new look!

BRIAN, BU research, Publishing, staff profile pages Pengpeng

In approximately less than three weeks, we can all look forward to BRIAN getting a brand new look!

There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).

In the next few days, there will be a feature post on BRIAN on each day, showcasing the changes that you can expect from this upgrade. Today, we will start by showing you the “Homepage” when you first log into BRIAN –

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s feature post where you can see how you can customise this homepage!

For any questions or queries you have regarding BRIAN, please email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

December 14, 2021

New publication from the Department of Psychology

BRIAN, BU research, COVID-19, Fusion, student research cpanourgia

A paper titled, ‘Individual factors in the relationship between stress and resilience in mental health psychology practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic” is now published in Journal of Health Psychology and is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211059393.

This paper is an outcome of a QR funded project that was conducted by Dr Constantina Panourgia, Dr Agata Wezyk and Dr Ala Yankouskaya from the Department of Psychology in collaboration with academics from University of West London (Dr Annita Ventouris) and Catholic University of Lyon (Dr Amanda Comoretto) and a former BU MSc student (Miss Zoe Taylor).

This paper explores the concurrent effects of pre-pandemic and COVID-19 stress on resilience in Mental Health Psychology Practitioners focussing on the mediation effects of specific individual factors. Optimism, burnout and secondary traumatic stress, but not coping strategies, self-efficacy, compassion satisfaction, or self-compassion, mediated both the relationship between pre-pandemic stress and resilience and COVID-19 stress and resilience. These findings may be explained by the increased workload caused by the pandemic, and the nature and duration of COVID-19. Very importantly, they address the role of training and supervision practices that allow Mental Health Psychology Practitioners to reflect on their capacity to deal with their job demands under circumstances of general and extreme stress and to identify early signs of burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

The research team plans to extend the above findings by examining the long-term effects of vicarious traumatisation on this group of professionals currently performing their duties in this complex historical moment.

December 8, 2021

Launch of New Open Access Comics Database – Supported by BU’s Women’s Academic Network

BRIAN, BU research, Fusion themes, humanities, open accecss, open access, Public engagement, REF Subjects, Research Centres, Uncategorized, Women's Academic Network jround

This week sees the online release of a new open access comics database (https://www.juliaround.com/spellbound) that reveals previously unknown and unpublished information about the British girls’ mystery comic Spellbound (DC Thomson, 1976-78).

British comics dominated children’s entertainment in the United Kingdom for several decades over the latter half of the twentieth century. There were hundreds of weekly titles, with the most popular circulating over a million copies. They were diverse, exciting, irreverent, innovative, and worked on by some of the top talent in Europe (many artists came from Spanish studios). But their taut storytelling, dynamic layouts, and dramatic content are just memories to many old readers today – and in fact even these are fading. Memories from within the industry are equally precarious, as we have sadly lost a number of important creators over the past few years.

My research aims to increase access to information on British girls’ comics for readers, fans, and researchers. The majority of British comics in the 1970s did not credit their writers or artists, and the comics themselves are often hard to access, so preserving and publicising information on their creators and their content is vital to help us remember and explore their legacy.

Over the last decade I have done a lot of research into Misty, a competitor title published by Fleetway/IPC (1978-80). In 2019 I published my book Gothic for Girls: Misty and British Comics which was the first full-length critical history published on any single British comic. It brought together a wealth of primary research taken from archival visits, creator interviews, and online discussions with past readers, and revealed a great deal about the hidden history and production practices of the comics industry in this country. Many of the writers, artists, editors and associates I interviewed had never previously spoken about their work for British comics. Their recollections gave a fascinating picture of how the industry operated – one that is in danger of being entirely lost due to a lack of records and the ephemeral nature of these publications.

It was a joy to help name the creators of these stories and to finally credit them for their work, and when my project ended I wanted to continue this and make more information about British girls’ comics freely available. The Women’s Academic Network awarded me a small amount of funding back in March 2020 to support planned research trips to access archives of 1970s girls’ comics and speak with relevant publishers and creators. Due to the pandemic a lot of this research instead had to be conducted online and I also purchased several lots of comics as I was unable to access archives.

My aim was to complete my archival analysis of Spellbound and produce an open access database collating all the information I could find on its content (stories, creator names, recurring themes, etc). I’m very happy to announce I’ve finally managed to get the resulting database online and it has now been published at https://www.juliaround.com/spellbound. It contains story summaries and creator information (where known) on the entire run of Spellbound and is searchable by name, keyword, title, etc. My hope is that it introduces new readers to the types of stories that these comics told, that it helps old readers locate the stories they can’t quite remember and find out more about the ones they love, and that it is generally a useful resource for any fans or scholars interested in these lost publications.

Julia Round’s research examines the intersections of Gothic, comics and children’s literature. Her books include Gothic in Comics and Graphic Novels (2014) and the award-winning Gothic for Girls (2019). She is an Associate Professor in English and Comics Studies at Bournemouth University, UK, co-organises the annual International Graphic Novel and Comics Conference (IGNCC), and edits Studies in Comics journal and the Encapsulations book series. She shares her work at www.juliaround.com.

October 18, 2021

Project-DIPCAT: Another Success Story for a Winning Strategic Partnership

Awarded & submitted bids, BRIAN, BU2025, EU, Events, Fusion, Fusion themes, Global engagement, Impact, innovation, international, open access, REF Subjects, research staff, staff profile pages palexander

Designing Innovative Pedagogy for Complex Accounting Topics (Project-DIPCAT) is coming to a successful end in December 2021. BU has led eleven other European Universities in this three-year, Erasmus+ funded project. Its objects were to design, develop and deliver four integrated accountancy case studies with contemporary content and innovative methods for wider dissemination in higher education. While the project partners were challenged by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the resulting intellectual outputs have exceeded expectations and are now suitable for F2F, hybrid and online deliveries.

Intensive Study Programmes

The cases were first tested in an Intensive Study Programme (ISP) at BU in September 2019. The second and third ISPs were originally planned to be delivered in Innsbruck and Budapest in 2020 and 2021. When it became apparent international travel would not be possible, the project partners redesigned the cases and delivery modes for two international hybrid events. The teams were challenged to deliver something truly innovative and engaging that participating students would enjoy remotely.

As ISPs are extra-curricular, they need to achieve something extra and engaging. That X-factor has always been fun, cultural enrichment and opportunities to develop friendships with students from other countries. The partners were delighted these very attributes were recognised and appreciated in feedback from more than 70 participating students in last month’s ISP, virtually hosted by Innsbruck partners. The third and final ISP will be virtually hosted by the Budapest partners next week, 25th-29th October 2021.

The Cases

The four cases are on the most contentious and fast-changing areas that challenge the accounting profession:

International Taxation – during the era of reform (post-BEPS 1.0 and pre-BEPS 2.0);
IFRS 9 – modeling for the changing requirements in accounting for financial instruments;
Digitalization in Auditing (with data mining skill development);
Corporate governance mechanisms fostering socially responsible behavior of companies in tax compliance.

The case studies and the supplemental materials are designed to address all the competencies that are needed for emerging accountancy professionals (e.g. subject-specific knowledge, problem solving ability, interdisciplinary thinking, soft skills and the ability to recognise ethical issues in accountancy). While adaptable to short courses (e.g. ISPs or CPD), taken in their entirety, each case provides the scaffolding, content and assessment for 20-credit modules.

The cases and their rich supplemental learning materials, tasks and pedagogical innovations will be freely available through the European Union Repository in December 2021. The finished International Tax and CSR cases were successfully showcased at the Tax Research Network’s Education Day last month and have already been adopted at other HEIs. A recording of the event will soon be available on the TRN website. The IFRS and Auditing cases will be showcased at an International Accounting Conference in Budapest on 26^th November.

The Team at BU and Beyond

The BUBS academics leading Project-DIPCAT are Dr Phyllis Alexander (PI), Dr Suranjita Mukherjee, Dr Hany Elbardan and Dr Tuan Vu. Mr Robert Day and Judge Anne Fairpo were special appointments to the project given their expertise in corporate governance and international taxation, respectively.

While Project-DIPCAT comes to a successful end, the partners continue to collaborate in research, professional practice and education, as they have done for over 25 years (partner details and their history is on the AFECA webpage). BU was one for four founding partners of AFECA in 1993, thanks to the inspiration and dedication of Mr Day.

The consortium have another Erasmus+ project currently underway – Smart Teaching in Accounting – Meeting Place Online, with its first ISP next month (November 2021). DICPAT and STAMP-Online follow the success story of Project-ILPA, which was shortlisted for best project in 2018 and was classified as a ‘good practice example’ by the European Union. AFECA truly is a winning strategic partnership in accountancy that continues to thrive and innovate!

Follow DIPCAT’s finale on Facebook and Instagram : #dipcatisp and #dipcat2021

September 29, 2021

BU academic interviewed for major Romanian newspaper on her research on Romanian Diaspora and emotions

Awarded & submitted bids, BRIAN, BU2025, Fusion, Global engagement, humanities, Impact, NHS, policy, Public engagement, Research Centres, Research communication, Women's Academic Network edolea

BU academic, D r. Alina Dolea, gave an extensive interview on her research on Romanian Diaspora, the emotional costs of migration, the constant identity struggles, as well as the role of diaspora in public diplomacy. She was interviewed by Elena Stancu, Pulitzer Center’s Persephone Miel Fellows 2021, and photographed by Cosmin Bumbuț; since 2019, the two journalists have been living in a caravan and travelling throughout Europe to document the 5 million Romanian migrants within their project titled “Plecat” (Away/ On the road). They are currently in the UK, gathering stories of migration and giving a voice to the over 1 million Romanians who are currently living here.

The interview was published simultaneously on Teleleu website „Migrația la noi pare să fie ca un di vorț complicat, cu multe reproșuri și frustrări, și cu încercări de împăcare” « Teleleu (Migration seems to be for Romanians a sort of messy divorce, with mutual blame games, frustration and make-up trials) and in the major Romanian newspaper Libertatea: Cercetătoare, despre viața românilor în Marea Britanie: „E ridicol când îi auzi pe guvernanți că vor să-i aducă acasă. Îi aduci o lună, un an și apoi pleacă din nou” (Researcher, about the life of Romanians in the UK: “It is ridiculous when you hear government officials wanting to bring back home the Romanians abroad. You bring them back for a month, a year and then they leave again”).

As an interesting fact, the editor-in-chief of Libertatea newspaper is Catalin Tolontan, who lead the team of investigative journalists featured in the Academy Awards and BAFTA nominee documentary “Collective” – About the film — Collective (collectivefilm.co.uk).

August 10, 2021

NEW UKRI Open access policy

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research Pengpeng

UKRI announced its new open access policy in August 2021.

This policy applies to publications which need to acknowledge funding from UKRI or any of its councils. This includes funding from:

the research councils
Research England
Innovate UK.

It aims to ensure that findings from research funded by the public through UKRI can be freely accessed, used and built on.

The policy applies to:

peer-reviewed research articles submitted for publication on or after 1 April 2022
monographs, book chapters and edited collections published on or after 1 January 2024.

Please see this link for the full policy document and other related information and details –

https://www.ukri.org/publications/ukri-open-access-policy/

August 3, 2021

BRIAN is up and running again!

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research Pengpeng

Following a successful upgrade, BRIAN is now up and running again and functioning as normal.

Do send an email to BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk if you encounter any issues.

August 2, 2021

BRIAN unavailable due to upgrade – 2nd & 3rd August!

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research Pengpeng

Just a reminder that BRIAN will be unavailable to users today and tomorrow, Monday, 2nd August and Tuesday, 3rd August for a scheduled upgrade.

If you need any help using the new system or if you encounter any problems after the upgrade, please do send an email to BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk and a member of staff will be able to assist you.

In the meantime, if you do have general queries relating to the upgrade, please get in touch with BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

Further information will be available once BRIAN is up and running again following the scheduled upgrade.

July 26, 2021

BRIAN will be unavailable due to upgrade – 2nd & 3rd August 2021

BRIAN, BU Challenges, BU research Pengpeng

BRIAN will be unavailable to users next week on Monday, 2nd August and Tuesday, 3rd August for a scheduled upgrade.

If you need any help using the new system or if you encounter any problems after the upgrade, please do send an email to BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk and a member of staff will be able to assist you.

In the meantime, if you do have general queries relating to the upgrade, please get in touch with BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk

Further information will be available once BRIAN is up and running again following the scheduled upgrade.

Category / BRIAN

Prof John Oliver appointed to Horizon & Foresight Scanning Board

BRIAN is unavailable for use this week

BRIAN will be unavailable for use next week

BRIAN upgrade feature – add new items

BRIAN upgrade feature – the publications tile

BRIAN upgrade feature – the homepage

BRIAN upgrade feature – My Actions summary box

BRIAN upgrade feature – customising your homepage

BRIAN is getting a new look!

In approximately less than three weeks, we can all look forward to BRIAN getting a brand new look!

New publication from the Department of Psychology

Launch of New Open Access Comics Database – Supported by BU’s Women’s Academic Network

Project-DIPCAT: Another Success Story for a Winning Strategic Partnership

BU academic interviewed for major Romanian newspaper on her research on Romanian Diaspora and emotions

NEW UKRI Open access policy

BRIAN is up and running again!

BRIAN unavailable due to upgrade – 2nd & 3rd August!

BRIAN will be unavailable due to upgrade – 2nd & 3rd August 2021

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In approximately less than three weeks, we can all look forward to BRIAN getting a brand new look!

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