Category / BU research

National Research Supervision Recognition: Apply Now & Join the Supporting Workshop on 16 September

UKCGE Research Supervision Recognition: Open Call & Workshop on Wednesday 16 September

Gain national recognition for your doctoral supervision with support from the Doctoral College. Academic staff at all experience levels, from first-time co-supervisors to seasoned lead supervisors can apply for national accreditation through the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE). Ahead of the 19 October deadline, join us on Wednesday 16 September, 12–1pm for an online workshop covering the UKCGE framework and application process.

Levels of Recognition

  • Recognised Supervisor (Full Award): For those who have supported doctoral candidates through to final examination and completion.
  • Recognised Associate Supervisor: For those who have not yet supervised candidates to completion and/or who contribute to supervision in an informal capacity.

Why Apply

UK universities are increasingly prioritising supervisor development to enhance research culture and doctoral support. The Research Supervisor Recognition Programme (RSRP) encourages supervisors at all levels to engage in structured self-reflection, using the Good Supervisory Practice Framework to identify strengths and target areas for growth.

Key Benefits

  • Structured Self-Reflection: Evaluate your methods and decision-making
  • Benchmarked Excellence: Map your practice against national standards
  • Professional Growth: Identify clear pathways for improvement, whether applying for Full or Associate awards
  • BU already has over 30 recognised research supervisors, and you could be next

How to Apply

Write a reflective account of your supervisory practice aligned with the Good Supervisory Practice Framework.

Submit your Application using the Relevant Form

Recognised Supervisor Reflective Account Form

Recognised Associate Supervisor Reflective Account Form

Your application will be peer-reviewed by a two-person panel. Whatever the outcome, you will receive detailed feedback.

UKCGE | Frequently Asked Questions

To complete your application, please ensure we receive a formal approval email sent directly from your Associate Dean Research, Innovation and Enterprise to researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk. This confirmation is required before your application can move to the final review stage.

For more information, to register your interest, or to discuss your application, please email Julia Taylor (Doctoral College) at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

Please note: The Doctoral College will cover the cost of applications submitted by BU supervisors.

Application Deadlines

BU Window Closes: 9am, Monday 19 October

UKCGE Window Closes: Friday 23 October

Expected Outcome: January 2027

Complete applications should be submitted to Julia Taylor (Doctoral College) at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk by the above deadlines.

Supporting Workshop

Supervisory Lunchbite | UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor Award 

This session provides an introduction to the UKCGE Good Supervisory Practice Framework and the two levels of recognition:

Recognised Supervisor (Full Award)

Recognised Associate Supervisor

Staff attending this session will be able to:

  • Understand the application process for UKCGE recognition (including deadlines and timescales)
  • Apply the UKCGE Best Practice Framework to their own supervisory experience
  • Appreciate the wide-ranging, highly complex and demanding set of roles that modern research supervisors undertake to perform the role effectively

Wednesday 16 September, 12-1pm

Online

Find out more and register here

NEW AI PAPER JUST PUBLISHED Artificial Intelligence and Human Resources Recruitment for Tourism and Hospitality

NEW AI PAPER JUST PUBLISHED
Artificial Intelligence and Human Resources Recruitment

Shi,X., Leung, X/Y., Bai, B., Buhalis, D., 2027 Artificial intelligence–facilitated selection in tourism and hospitality: Justice, inclusion, and gender differences in resume screening and interviews, Tourism Management Volume 118, February 2027, 105478 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2026.105478

Abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent in human resource management, its role in tourism and hospitality hiring remains underexplored. This study investigates job applicants’ perceptions of AI in employee selection, focusing on resume screening and interviews. Drawing on fairness heuristic theory and social role theory, we examine how AI affects perceived justice, inclusion, and organizational attractiveness. Four scenario-based experiments and one qualitative study were conducted with job applicants comparing AI-based and human-based selection methods. Results show that human recruiters are generally perceived as more just and inclusive, enhancing organizational attractiveness. However, gender moderates these effects: females favor AI-based resume screening, whereas males are more receptive to AI-based interviews. These findings provide insights for organizations seeking to integrate AI into employee selection while maintaining justice and inclusion. As AI becomes more prevalent in hiring, organizations should prioritize human oversight, ensuring that AI supports rather than replaces human.

Keywords
Artificial intelligence (AI)Employee selectionFairness heuristic theorySocial role theoryGender differencesOrganizational attractiveness

 

 

 

3C Event: ECR Network Café – Wednesday 16 September 2-3pm

Join Us for Culture, Community & Cake: Launching BU’s Early Career Researcher Network

Kick off the new academic year by connecting with your research community. As part of BU’s Research Culture, Community and Cake (3C) initiative, we are excited to host a special ECR Network Café.

Whether you are brand new to BU, or looking to expand your existing circle, this session offers a relaxed space to meet fellow early career researchers, exchange ideas, and find common ground. Alongside coffee and cake, we will also be officially launching BU’s new ECR Development Programme, designed specifically to help you build the skills, networks, and support systems needed to thrive in your research journey.

Event Details 

Wednesday 16 September, 2-3pm

F305, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus

Come along to enjoy a slice of cake, help shape a supportive ECR network, and take advantage of the professional development opportunities available to you this year.

Find out more and register here

BU geography student’s undergraduate dissertation published in international journal

student research

Grassroots opposition to second homes, seen on the streets of Cornwall.

Research that began as an undergraduate dissertation at Bournemouth University has been published in Geographical Review, journal of the American Geographical Society. The paper, “Second Homes and the (Re)production of Cornish Nationalism,” is co-authored by Conan Millen, a recent graduate of BU’s BSc (hons) Geography, and Dr Marin Cvitanović, Principal Academic in Human Geography in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

The study looks at how attitudes toward second homes and tourism connect to identity in Cornwall, one of the poorest regions in Western Europe despite its high concentration of second-home ownership. Drawing on an online survey of 504 Cornwall residents, the paper identifies four distinct clusters of opinion on housing, tourism and belonging, and asks how these relate to age, income and ethnic identity.

A few findings stand out. Younger, lower-income and Cornish-identifying respondents were significantly more likely to oppose second homes and short-term holiday lets, particularly over concerns about affordability and community cohesion. Older and more affluent respondents identifying as British or English took a more positive view of tourism’s economic benefits. Age had the strongest statistical effect of any factor measured, more so than ethnicity or income, suggesting that generational experience of housing insecurity plays a central role in shaping these attitudes. Opposition to second homes was also somewhat higher in postcodes with higher average house prices.

The paper places these findings within wider debates on housing and identity. It draws a link between the rise of “generation rent” across the UK and Europe and the emergence of place-based, often exclusionary responses to housing pressure, sometimes described in the literature as forms of “housing nationalism.” In Cornwall’s case, the study argues that expressions of Cornish identity in relation to housing are shaped as much by material economic exclusion as by cultural or ethnic distinctiveness.

Since graduating, Conan Millen has been working as part of the wider public health team at Cornwall Council, where he is involved in analysing and processing data to inform projects and monitor the health and wellbeing of people living and growing up in Cornwall.

BU’s BSc (Hons) Geography is accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). In the most recent National Student Survey, 94% of students agreed that teaching staff were good at explaining things, and 94% agreed that teaching staff had supported their learning well.

References:

Millen, C., & Cvitanović, M. (2026). Second Homes and the (Re)production of Cornish Nationalism. Geographical Review, 116(1), 39–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.2025.2578855

Why some commons survive and others don’t

conferences

BU’s research presented at the Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference

Dr Marin Cvitanović, Principal Academic in Human Geography at BU’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, presented research on commons at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, held at the Society and Imperial College London from 1 to 4 September 2026.

Commons are resources, such as pastures, forests and water, that are shared and managed collectively by a community, rather than owned privately or by the state. The presentation, “Pathways to de-marginalising commons in Croatia,” was co-authored with Dr Lana Slavuj Borčić of the University of Zagreb. It used Croatia as a case study to ask a question that is relevant well beyond one country: why do some shared-resource systems survive generations of political, economic and demographic change, while others quietly fall out of use? Cvitanović and Slavuj Borčić argue that commons can become marginalised in several ways at once. This includes geographical marginalisation in depopulating rural regions, institutional marginalisation through long periods of legal ambiguity, and economic marginalisation through exclusion from subsidies and leasing markets. A further, generational, form of marginalisation can also occur, where legal recognition arrives only after the community that once sustained a commons has already aged out of it.

To understand how some commons manage to persist despite these pressures, the researchers compared cases where common pastures had fallen out of use, with a case where a commons continued to function. The comparison points to a broader pattern. Legal recognition on its own rarely saves a commons. What tends to matter is whether governance support, funding routes and recognition of a resource’s wider ecological value arrive while a community of users still exists to make use of them. Even then, moving away from marginalisation looks more like an ongoing process than a finished achievement.

This work is linked to Dr Cvitanović’s involvement in Resilient Rules, an ERC-funded Horizon Europe project led by the University of Zaragoza, which studies the diversity and resilience of rules that communities worldwide use to govern shared natural resources. Dr Cvitanović contributes to the project’s global field research team, covering Croatia.

The RGS-IBG Annual International Conference is one of the world’s largest gatherings of geographers, bringing together more than 2,000 researchers each year. The 2026 conference theme, “Geographies of inequalities: towards just places,” was chaired by Professor Peter Hopkins of Newcastle University.

BU Research blog in 2023 grows into 2026 publication

open access, Publishing, writing

What started as a BU Research Blog in September 2023 became a properly published paper last week when the Nepal Journal of Public Health published our paper ‘The Final Hurdle: Proofreading your Academic Paper’ [1].  This paper started life as short BU Research Blog with the title ‘Proofreading your article accepted for publication’.  After sharing further experiences about proofreading mishaps the four authors decided to write a paper which is both a reminder to all academics, and piece of advice to perhaps more junior authors.

This paper is the latest in a long line of publications by the authors in the field of health and social care on different aspects of academic writing and publishing.  Earlier articles covered, for example, the writing process, the role of the editor, advice of constructing titles, plagiarism, and many more [2-40].

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

References:

  1. Harvey, O., Arnold, R., Ireland, J., van Teijlingen, E. (2026). The Final Hurdle: Proofreading your Academic Paper. Nepal Journal of Public Health, 3(1), 58–62. https://doi.org/10.70280/njph(2026)v3i1.65
  2. van Teijlingen E (2004), Why I can’t get any academic writing done, Medical Sociology News 30(3): 62-63. britsoc.co.uk/media/26334/MSN_Nov_2004.pdf
  3. Pitchforth, E, Porter, M, van Teijlingen, ER, Forrest Keenan K. (2005) Writing up and presenting qualitative research in family planning & reproductive health care, Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care 31(2): 132-35. http://jfprhc.bmj.com/content/31/2/132.full.pdf+html
  4. van Teijlingen E. (2008) RAE pulls academics away from applied multidisciplinary health promotion research International Journal of Health Promotion & Education 46: 116.
  5. van Teijlingen E, Ryan, K., Alexander, J., Marchant, S. (2011) The Research Excellence Framework (REF): new developments to assess research in higher education institutions and its impact on society. MIDIRS 21(3): 298-301.
  6. Hartwell, H., van Teijlingen, E., Parker, J. (2013) Nutrition; Effects of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) Nutrition & Food Science 43(1): 74-77.
  7. Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, BD. (2013) Writing an Abstract for a Scientific Conference, Kathmandu University Medical Journal 11(3): 262-65. http://www.kumj.com.np/issue/43/262-265.pdf
  8. van Teijlingen, E., Ireland, J., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Sathian, B. (2014) Finding the right title for your article: Advice for academic authors, Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 4(1): 344-347. http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/10138/8265
  9. van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Bick, D. (2014) Who should be an author on your academic paper? Midwifery 30: 385-386.
  10. Hall, J., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) The journal editor: friend or foe? Women & Birth 28(2): e26-e29.
  11. van Teijlingen E, Simkhada P (2016) Publishing in journals of the NepJOL family. INASP website http://blog.inasp.info/publishing-journals-nepjol-family/
  12. Pradhan, A.K., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2017) Predatory publishing: a great concern for authors, Medical Science 5(4): 43.
  13. van Teijlingen, E.R., Dhakal Adhikari, S., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, A., Aryal, N., Panday, S. (2021). Publishing, identifiers & metrics: Playing the numbers game. Health Prospect, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v20i1.37391
  14. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P.P., Hundley, V. with Shreesh, K. (Eds.) (2022) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books [ISBN: 9789937117609]
  15. Arnold, R., Ireland, J., Mahato, P.,
  16. (2022) Writing and publishing a reflective paper: Three case studies, Welhams Academic Journal 1(1): 4-11. https://college.angels.edu.np/images/Academic_Jornal/Welhams_Academic_Journal_Vol-1.pdf
  17. van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P.P., Wasti, S.P. (2022) Introduction, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 1-4.
  18. Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Swoveet, P. (2022) Writing an Academic Paper, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 6-14.
  19. Hundley, V., Luce, A., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Collaborative Writing for Publication, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 15-19.
  20. van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Shanker, S. (2022) Selecting an Appropriate Journal and Submitting your Paper, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 20-31.
  21. van Teijlingen, E., Thapa, D., Marahatta, S.B., Sapkota, J.L., Regmi, P. Sathian, B. (2022) Editors and Reviewers: Roles and Responsibilities, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 32-37.
  22. van Teijlingen, E., Ireland, J., Hundley, V, Dhakal Rai, S., Simkhada, P., Sathian, B. (2022) Identifying an appropriate Title, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 39-47.
  23. Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, B, Acharya D.R. (2022) Writing an Abstract for a Scientific Conference, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 48-56.
  24. Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E., Baniya J., Sijapati, B. (2022) Writing the Introduction and Background, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 57-67.
  25. van Teijlingen, E., Pitchforth, E., Keenan Forrest, K., Mahato, P. (2022) Writing a Qualitative Paper, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 88-97.
  26. Wasti, S.P, Devkota, B., Bhatta, D.N., Pitchforth, E., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Writing the Introduction and Background, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 112-120.
  27. Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. (2022) Writing up the Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 121-129
  28. Aryal, N., Regmi, P.R., Simkhada, B., Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E., Wasti, S.P., Hundley, V, Khatri, R. (2022) Being Ethical in Writing and Publishing, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 153-161.
  29. van Teijlingen, E., Venter, K. (2022) Writing a Book Review, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 162-167.
  30. Devkota, B., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V, Wasti, S.P. (2022) Writing a Research Proposal, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 168-175.
  31. Wasti, S.P. Regmi, P.R., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V. (2022) Writing a PhD Proposal, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 176-183.
  32. Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Converting your Master’s or Doctoral Thesis into an Academic Paper for Publication, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 184-189.
  33. van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Acharya, J., Silwal, R.C., Wasti, S.P. (2022) Academic Writing: Final Thoughts, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 201-20
  34. Harvey, O., van Teijlingen, A., Regmi, P.R., Ireland, J., Rijal, A., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2022) Co-authors, colleagues, and contributors: Complexities in collaboration and sharing lessons on academic writing, Health Prospect 21(1):1-3. https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/HPROSPECT/article/view/39320/31432
  35. van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Sathian, B., Simkhada, P., Robinson, J., Banerjee, I. (2022). The Art of the Editorial. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 12(1):1135–38. https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v12i1.43104
  36. Harvey, O., Taylor, A., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Struggling to reply to reviewers: Some advice for novice researchers. Health Prospect, 21(2):19-22.
  37. Simkhada, B., van Teijlingen, A., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2024) ChatGPT: Challenges to editors and examiners. Health Prospect, 23(1): 21–24. https://doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v23i1.60819
  38. van Teijlingen, E., Subedi, M., Parker, S., Khattri, M.B. (2024) The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Academic Writing and Publishing Papers, Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology & Anthropology, 18(2): 1-4. https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ/article/view/73358
  39. van Teijlingen, E., Balen, J., Regmi, P., Rushton, S., Simkhada, P., Aryal, N. (2025). Bridging Research and Policy: Practical Tips for Writing Policy Briefs. Journal of Health Promotion, 13(1): 89–96. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v13i1.87170
  40. Pandey, R., Khattri, M.B., Subedi, M., Dixit, K.M., van Teijlingen, E. (2026) Navigating Plagiarism in Social Science Research: Epistemic Re-framing or Unethical Redundancy? Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology & Anthropology, 20(1): 1-6.

 

REF 2029 Sector Survey: Have Your Say

REF 2029 impact case studies, REF Subjects, Research assessment

The REF2029 team has launched an informal sector survey to gather targeted feedback on a small number of policy areas for final development, in order to get feedback on the clarity, robustness and implementation of a small number of proposals that have emerged through the criteria-setting process.

The survey topics cover:

  • draft assessment criteria for Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE)
  • SPRE arrangements for institutions submitting to a single Unit of Assessment (UoA)
  • submitting outputs to more than one Unit of Assessment
  • equality-related unit reductions
  • collection of research income data
  • 100-word statements for submissions to UoA 12 – Engineering

If you would like to contribute to the institutional response, please can you share your thoughts with REF@bournemouth.ac.uk by Tuesday 1 September so we can collate responses into an institutional response for submission before 4 September 2026.

Alternatively, there is an opportunity to respond on behalf of another group or organisation or as an individual here.

UKCGE Recognised Research Supervision Programme: Applications Close 19 October

The current submission window open for academic staff to seek national recognition for their doctoral supervision closes at 9am on Monday 19 October.

Whether you are just starting out in supervision or already experienced, you can apply for national recognition of your doctoral supervision through the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE).

Levels of Recognition

  • Recognised Supervisor (Full Award): For those who have supported doctoral candidates through to final examination and completion.
  • Recognised Associate Supervisor: For those who have not yet supervised candidates to completion and/or who contribute to supervision in an informal capacity.

Why Apply

UK universities are increasingly prioritising supervisor development to enhance research culture and doctoral support. The Research Supervisor Recognition Programme (RSRP) encourages supervisors at all levels to engage in structured self-reflection, using the Good Supervisory Practice Framework to identify strengths and target areas for growth.

Key Benefits

  • Structured Self-Reflection: Evaluate your methods and decision-making
  • Benchmarked Excellence: Map your practice against national standards
  • Professional Growth: Identify clear pathways for improvement, whether applying for Full or Associate awards
  • BU already has over 30 recognised research supervisors, and you could be next

How to Apply

Write a reflective account of your supervisory practice aligned with the Good Supervisory Practice Framework.

Submit your Application using the Relevant Form

Recognised Supervisor Reflective Account Form

Recognised Associate Supervisor Reflective Account Form

Your application will be peer-reviewed by a two-person panel. Whatever the outcome, you will receive detailed feedback.

UKCGE | Frequently Asked Questions

To complete your application, please ensure we receive a formal approval email sent directly from your Associate Dean Research, Innovation and Enterprise to researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk. This confirmation is required before your application can move to the final review stage.

For more information, to register your interest, or to discuss your application, please email Julia Taylor (Doctoral College) at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

Please note: The Doctoral College will cover the cost of applications submitted by BU supervisors.

Application Deadlines

BU Window Closes: 9am, Monday 19 October

UKCGE Window Closes: Friday 23 October

Expected Outcome: January 2027

Complete applications should be submitted to Julia Taylor (Doctoral College) at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk by the above deadlines.

Supporting Workshop

Supervisory Lunchbite | UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor Award 

This session provides an introduction to the UKCGE Good Supervisory Practice Framework and the two levels of recognition:

Recognised Supervisor (Full Award)

Recognised Associate Supervisor

Staff attending this session will be able to:

  • Understand the application process for UKCGE recognition (including deadlines and timescales)
  • Apply the UKCGE Best Practice Framework to their own supervisory experience
  • Appreciate the wide-ranging, highly complex and demanding set of roles that modern research supervisors undertake to perform the role effectively

Wednesday 16 September, 12-1pm

Online

Find out more and register here

Dr. Paul Whittington attends Technology and the SEND Reforms Roundtable in the House of Commons

Dr. Paul Whittington was invited to attend the Technology and SEND Reforms Roundtable at the House of Commons on Wednesday 8th July. The event was organised by Policy Connect through the All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology with the focus on the role of technology in SEND support and SEND teacher training incorporating technology and responsible AI. The session was held in a committee room within the Palace of Westminster and included a panel of experts from CENMAC, University of East London, LEP Academy Trust, TechEdology and Nasen, chaired by Peter Swallow MP.

The Roundtable discussed the recent work undertaken by the Department for Education since the 2019 Education Technology Strategy. This included assessments for assistive technology and meeting digital standards by using AI and teacher training. The Government has committed £200m to provide this training including funding assistive technology lending libraries in local authorities throughout the UK. This is an important area of research for pupils with SEND as suitable assistive technology can reduce barriers and enable more individual needs to be met. The event was also an opportunity for Dr. Paul Whittington to promote the EduAbility research conducted by the Department of Computing and Engineering, involving Professor Huseyin Dogan.

The EduAbility application provides assistive technology recommendations and training for pupils with disabilities as well as teachers, support staff and parents/carers. It is therefore closely related to the SEND Reforms. Following the development of the Android application in 2025, funding was awarded from the department’s Quality Research Fund for the iOS development of EduAbility. Since March 2026, the application has been converted to the Flutter platform that allows EduAbilty to be maintained for both Android and iOS simultaneously using a shared codebase format.

Now that the application is compatible for both Android and iOS, we will be publishing EduAbility on Apple Store and Google Play Store in Autumn 2026. This will initially be as a free application, with future potential to be a paid application to support ongoing development and maintenance. Policy Connect have expressed interest in EduAbility to promote the application through their networks, including the Schools within the EdTech Demonstrator Programme. It is anticipated that Dr. Paul Whittington will attend future events organised by Policy Connect within the domain of education and assistive technology.

Dr. Paul Whittington joins Bett 2026 DfE Assistive Technology Roundtable

In January 2026, Dr. Paul Whittington was invited to be a panellist on the Department for Education (DfE) Assistive Technology roundtable at Bett 2026 in ExCel London, the leading event for education technology. The purpose of the roundtable was for DfE policy colleagues to listen and learn from domain experts in assistive technology to further inform their understanding of the use of assistive technology in mainstream education. There were two focused areas for discussion, ‘barriers and enablers to assistive technology in mainstream settings’ and ‘the existing evidence base’.

The roundtable was chaired by Helen Davies, Assistive Technology Policy Lead at DfE and included panellists from the University of Dundee and CENMAC, a London based advisory service providing assessments of assistive technology. Interesting discussions were held during the one hour panel session where the current challenges of assistive technology in education were highlighted. This included that pupils with disabilities are often unaware of the technologies that can support them with education and that teachers/support staff may not have the required knowledge to guide the individuals. Dr. Paul Whittington emphasised his personal experience of the importance that assistive technology played in his mainstream education, in terms of accessing computers and educational resources. A theme of a discussion was developing recommendation systems for assistive technology and how this could aim to improve awareness of available products, which is aligned closely with the EduAbility application developed by Dr. Paul Whittington and Professor Huseyin Dogan from the Department of Computing and Engineering.

Attending the roundtable was also an opportunity to visit the many exhibitors at Bett 2026 who were showcasing the latest in innovations in assistive technology as well as other products for general educational use. Exhibitors included suppliers of software such as Crick Software, VisionAid and The Williams AV Family of Assistive Communication Solutions. There were also some interesting robotics technologies that have been designed to provide practical support for people with disabilities.

Visiting the exhibitors was an opportunity to introduce EduAbiity as a method for manufacturers to promote their products to potential customers. The British Association for Assistive Technology (BATA) had a stand at the show and discussions were held in relation to Bournemouth University becoming an academic member of the association to further our future research in the domain in terms of conducting evaluations and maximising visibility of our initiatives in line with the BU 2035 research strategy.

Overall, it was a very valuable visit to the Bett 2026 show in terms of contributing to DfE discussions and promoting our assistive technology research. We are currently in the process of developing the EduAbility application for iOS and once this is publicly disseminated through the Apple Store and Google Play Store, there could be potential for Bournemouth University to attend the Bett Show as an exhibitor in the future.

BU Prof Jonathan Parker promoting social work in Malaysia

international, writing

BU Professor Emeritus Jonathan Parker recently discussed his recently published latest edition of the book Newly-Qualified Social Workers: A Practice Guide to the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment to Prof. Denison Jayasooria from Malaysia.  Prof. Parker has a longstanding collaboration with social work researchers in Malaysia, for example in the field of social work education or the inclusion of indigenous people’s voices in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

New interdisciplinary paper accepted for publication

international, open access, Women's Academic Network

Today we heard from the Editor in Chief of the Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences that our paper ‘Ethical Entrepreneurship in Pharmacy: An Interdisciplinary Solution to a Global Public Health Problem‘ has been accepted for publication [1].  This paper has three Bournemouth academics as co-author: Dr. Pramod Regmi, Dr. Sukanya Ayatakshi-Endow and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. The paper is truly interdisciplinary, the six authors have disciplinary backgrounds in: pharmacy, health education, public health, business studies, economics, health services research and sociology. 

This viewpoint offers a different way of looking at the worldwide problem of the increased use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance. In low-income countries, such as Nepal, pharmacies have a key role in dispensing medicine, and local pharmacies often provide health care advice in rural communities. However, the way many pharmacies operate can easily lead to unethical practices that are harmful to the health of their recipients, but also to the wider population. Such dangerous business practices involve inappropriate prescription and dispensing of medicine (i.e. antibiotics). Public health professionals have promoted better regulation and education to reduce the use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance. These approaches have an important place to play, but in this paper, we propose one particular intervention, namely the training of community pharmacy shop owners in sustainable and ethical entrepreneurship. To offer greater insights into the issue we have produced a theoretical framework. We suggest interventions should be co-created with all relevant stakeholders to change perceptions of entrepreneurship, offer management training, thus promoting an ethical and sustainable business culture, and in the long run, improve pharmacy education in these areas.

The Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences is an Open Access journal, hence freely available to read when it gets published.

Reference:

  1. Regmi, P.R., Ayatakshi-Endow, S., Rajkarnikar, R., van Teijlingen, E., Khanal, D.P., Poudel, R.S. (2026) Ethical Entrepreneurship in Pharmacy: An Interdisciplinary Solution to a Global Public Health Problem?” Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences (EJMS) (accepted July 2026).

Three NIHR Internships awarded at BU

Awarded & submitted bids, NHS, PG research, Women's Academic Network

Congratulations to Susara Blunden, Christinia Bempomaah and Rebecca Lovedale who has been awarded an NIHR Internship starting the end of September at Bournemouth University (BU).
Christinia Bempomaah is cancer nurse at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD) her supervisor will be Dr. Lindsay Welch, Associate Professor of Nursing Practice, in a joint BU-UHD appointment, with a second supervisor to be appointed.
Susara is a research delivery midwife with UHD as well as a M.Res. student at BU.  During her internship she will be undertaking PPIE looking at the acceptability of using AI to measure blood pressure in pregnancy. This will focus on working with communities whose maternal and neonatal outcomes are most affected by hypertensive diseases of pregnancy in coastal and rural communities.  Susara will be supported by Dr. Kate Jupp and Prof. Mel Hughes at BU’s Public Involvement in Education & Research (PIER) team, Dr. Lindsay Welch, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.

Whilst Rebecca Lovedale is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust (DHCUFT) her focuses for the NIHR internship with be on urgent care and her supervisors will be Dr. Lindsay Welch as well as BU’s Senior Lecturer In Paramedic Science, Dr. Pete Phillips.
Congratulations to all.

Prof. Dr. Edwin van Teijlingen

UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor

BU contributions to successful Global Health conference

conferences, international, Publishing, writing

Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen attended this week’s Global Consortium for Public Health Research (GCPHR) 4th Annual Conference at the University of Huddersfield.  The conference was very well attended with delegates from India, Nepal, Ghana, Finland and the UK.  BU’s contribution included a poster on the recently completed study on kidney disease in Nepalese migrant workers, a study funded by The Colt Foundation.

Prof. Chandra Kala Sharma, President of Nursing Association of Nepal and Dr. Bibha Simkhada, Reader in Nursing at the University of Huddersfield presented on ‘Implementing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in Nursing in Nepal’.  In this very topical presentation they highlighted the importance of the research conducted in Nepal by UK universities (which included Bournemouth University) in getting the regulations changed in Nepal around CPD.  This effect of research into CPD in Nursing will make a useful REF Impact Case Study.

Both Pramod and Edwin chaired a session on different days of the conference.  Whilst Prof. van Teijlingen gave an invited presentation on the topic of ‘Equitable participation on academic publications’.    He also facilitated a Round Table Discussion with five selected panel members on the final day.