Category / BU research

GDPR: What you need to know for your research

BU research

Research Professional have interviewed Sarah Dickson, Head of the Medical Research Council Regulatory Support Centre, on what researchers need to know about the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which comes into force on 25th May.

Click on the RP article to find out about who is affected, what data we’re talking about, how GDPR affects you as a researcher, consent, fairness and transparency, and who you should talk to.

BU information on the GDPR can be found here.

BU’s GDPR Chief Data Officer is James Stevens.  Legal Services provide a quick guide to Legal and Regulatory Issues for Researchers, which covers the GDPR.

Reminder of BU’s Bridging Fund Scheme for researchers

BU research, Research news

In summer 2015 we launched the BU Bridging Fund Scheme which aims to provide additional stability to fixed-term researchers who continue to rely heavily on short-term contracts usually linked to external funding. This situation sometimes impacts negatively on continuity of employment and job security and can result in a costly loss of researcher talent for the institution.

The new Bridging Fund Scheme aims to mitigate these circumstances by redeploying the researcher where possible, or where feasible, by providing ‘bridging funding’ for the continuation of employment for a short-term (maximum three months) between research grants. It is intended to permit the temporary employment, in certain circumstances, of researchers between fixed-term contracts at BU, for whom no other source of funding is available, in order to:

(a) encourage the retention of experienced and skilled staff, and sustain research teams and expertise;

(b) aconcordat to support the career development of researchersvoid the break in employment and career which might otherwise be faced by such staff;

(c) maximise the opportunity for such staff to produce high-quality outputs and/or research impact at the end of funded contracts/grants.

To find out more about the scheme, including how to apply for bridging funding, see the scheme guidelines.

This is a great step forward for BU and for BU’s researchers and is an action from our EC HR Excellence in Research Award which aims to increase BU’s alignment with the national Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers (further information is available here: https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/research-environment/research-concordat/).

Virtual Problems STEAMLab

BU research, Events, innovation, Knowledge Exchange

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, 6th June 2018, BU’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Office will be facilitating a STEAMLab event on Virtual problems.

Which means…?

We’re seeking to come up with novel research which addresses the challenges of new immersive technology.

So, who should attend?

We want anyone who thinks they might have something to contribute, and who is available all day on Wednesday 6th June to come along. We will also be inviting relevant external attendees to contribute to the day.  We welcome academics, NGO/business/government representatives/SMEs who wish to contribute to having a positive impact through addressing the challenges.

What do I need to prepare in advance? What will the STEAMLab entail?

Absolutely nothing in advance. During the STEAMLab, you’ll be guided through a process which results in the development of research ideas. The process facilitates creativity, potentially leading to innovative and interdisciplinary research ideas. These ideas will be explored with other attendees, and further developed based on the feedback received.

What if I don’t have time to think about ideas in advance?

You don’t need to do this. Some inspiring speakers with a range of backgrounds will be coming along to give your ideas…

What about afterwards? Do I need to go away and do loads of work?

Well… that depends! The STEAMLab will result in some novel research ideas. Some of these may be progressed immediately; others might need more time to think about. You may find common ground with other attendees which you choose to take forward in other ways, such as writing a paper or applying for research funding.  Support will be available to progress project ideas after the day.

What if my topic area is really specific, such as health?

Your contribution will be very welcome! One of the main benefits of a STEAMlab event is to bring together individuals with a range of backgrounds and specialisms who are able to see things just that bit differently to one another.

So, is this just networking?

Definitely not! It is a facilitated session with the primary intention of developing innovative research ideas, which also enables the development of networks. It gives you the opportunity to explore research ideas which you may develop over time, together with the chance to find common ground with academics from across BU and beyond.

So, how do I book onto this event?

To take part in this exciting opportunity, all participants should complete the Virtual Problems-challenges-STEAMLab-Application-Form and return this to RKEDevFramework@bournemouth.ac.uk by 25th May. Places are strictly limited and you will be be contacted to confirm a place place on the STEAMLab with arrangements nearer the time.  The event will be held in Bournemouth at the Fusion building.

By applying, you agree to attend for the full duration of the event on 6th June (c. 9:30 – 16:30). Spaces will be confirmed on 1/6/18.

If you have any queries prior to submitting your application, please contact Alexandra Pekalski RKEO Research Facilitator.

 

Do you have any Big Ideas??!?!!?

BU research

EPSRC logoIf you have any Big Ideas that you would like to share – the EPSRC would like to hear about them here. Unlike other announcements, this is not a call for proposals but rather a request to help develop the research strategy of the EPSRC through a number of community led ‘Big Ideas’ related to engineering or physical sciences.

Please contact your faculty Funding Development Officer for help with the processes for submitting your idea or Ehren Milner (emilner@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Rachel Clarke (clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk) if you would like to develop your idea further before submitting it.

BU PGR Aishah Selamat selected for S2DS London Summer Programme 2018

BU research, Doctoral College, PG research, Research news

picture source: www.S2DS.org

Picture Source: S2DS (www.S2DS.org)

Science to Data Science (S2DS) is one of Europe’s largest data science training programme. The S2DS is a five-week intensive programme where exceptional analytical PhDs are selected to tackle commercial data science projects. A list of past participating commercial companies includes KPMG, Barclays, Infosys, Hortonworks, British Gas and many more.

SciTech PGR Aishah Selamat is amongst the 90 individuals chosen to participate in the upcoming S2DS London Summer Programme this August 2018. To join the 2018 cohort, participants are to submit their written application and CV. Successfully applicants will then be invited for an interview before acceptance to the programme. Apart from theoretical and practical learning opportunities – the programme will groomed the PhDs professionally for a Data Scientist role.

Aishah is a third year PhD student in the Creative Department. A UK Data Service Data Impact Fellow also, her research is co-funded by Bournemouth University and County Coaches (UK) LLP. Her research aims to develop an Intelligent Transportation Analytical Model for SMEs in the private coach industry.

Aishah would like to express her gratitude to her supervisory team (Dr. Simant Prakoonwit, Dr. Reza Sahandi & Dr. Wajid Khan) for their continuous support throughout her PhD journey.

Look out for Aishah blog post (and Twitter) on her S2DS experiences this summer!

If you would like to know more about her research, Aishah can be reached via aishah@bournemouth.ac.uk

Innovate UK visit- Health & Care at Innovate UK and Mini-STEAMLab 30/5/18

BU research, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer Partnership

The M3 Network welcomes Chris Sawyer, Innovation Lead for Health & Care at Innovate UK, to speak at Bournemouth University on the 30th of May, 2018, 12:00-14:00. This event is an opportunity to gain not only information about Innovate UK and funding opportunities but to discuss the challenges facing health and care technology innovation.
Following the presentation there will be lunch and a facilitated workshop designed to bring forward ideas from academic and industry collaboration.
Academics from the M3 network and those from industry working with health and care technology are encouraged to attend. To book onto this session please e-mail RKEDevFramework@bournemouth.ac.uk with your name and organisation.

NIHR Grant Applications Seminar & Support Event – 26 June 2018

BU research, Events, Funding opportunities, pre-award

 

 

 

Are you planning to submit a grant application to NIHR?

We are holding a one-day event in Bournemouth that is aimed at helping you to improve your chances of success.

The morning seminar session is open to anyone to come and hear Simon Goodwin, RfPB Programme Manager for the South West, and RDS advisers give presentations on what makes a good grant proposal. Topics covered will include:

  • what does the NIHR (and in particular RfPB) look for?
  • the application as a marketing document: selling the topic, selling the method, and selling the team
  • the team
  • clarity of description and explanation
  • feasibility issues
  • identifying and avoiding potential pitfalls.

The afternoon support session of one-to-one appointments is for those who would like to discuss their own proposal with an RDS adviser.

This event is FREE and refreshments and lunch will be provided. Places are limited and will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. In order to secure your place please register using our online form by 1pm, 18 June 2018. Find out more.

And don’t forget, your local branch of the NIHR Research Design Service is based within the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU) on the 5th floor of Royal London House. Feel free to pop in and see us, call us on 61939 or send us an email.

Enhance your Impact in Preparation for the REF

BU research, Events, Impact, REF Subjects, RKE development framework

The Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO) through the Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework (RKEDF) has a number of workshops in the coming months to assist you in developing and enhancing the impact that you can make with your research, with particular reference to the REF.

Please follow the links above to find out more and to book. You will then receive a meeting request giving the room location. Many of these events have input from external presenters; please ensure that you are in the room and ready to commence at the given start time.

If you would like to discuss impact outside these workshops, please contact the RKEO Knowledge and Impact Team.

Research Professional – all you need to know

BU research, Funding opportunities

Every BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. To really make the most of your Research Professional account, you should tailor it further by establishing additional alerts based on your specific area of expertise. The Funding Development Team Officers can assist you with this, if required.

Research Professional have created several guides to help introduce users to ResearchProfessional. These can be downloaded here.

Quick Start Guide: Explains to users their first steps with the website, from creating an account to searching for content and setting up email alerts, all in the space of a single page.

User Guide: More detailed information covering all the key aspects of using ResearchProfessional.

Administrator Guide: A detailed description of the administrator functionality.

In addition to the above, there are a set of 2-3 minute videos online, designed to take a user through all the key features of ResearchProfessional. To access the videos, please use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/researchprofessional

Research Professional are running a series of online training broadcasts aimed at introducing users to the basics of creating and configuring their accounts on ResearchProfessional. They are holding monthly sessions, covering everything you need to get started with ResearchProfessional. The broadcast sessions will run for no more than 60 minutes, with the opportunity to ask questions via text chat. Each session will cover:

  • Self registration and logging in
  • Building searches
  • Setting personalised alerts
  • Saving and bookmarking items
  • Subscribing to news alerts
  • Configuring your personal profile

Each session will run between 10.00am and 11.00am (UK) on the fourth Tuesday of each month. You can register here for your preferred date:

22nd May 2018

26th June 2018

24th July 2018

28th August 2018

25th September 2018

These are free and comprehensive training sessions and so this is a good opportunity to get to grips with how Research Professional can work for you.

Have you noticed a new box appear on the BU Research Blog homepage?

By clicking on this box, on the left of the Research Blog home page just under the text ‘Funding Opportunities‘, you access a Research Professional real-time search of the calls announced by the Major UK Funders. Use this feature to stay up to date with funding calls. Please note that you will have to be on campus or connecting to your desktop via our VPN to fully access this service.

Responsible Project Management in Bangladesh

BU research, international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Uncategorized

A multi-disciplinary team led by academics from the Business School have been awarded part of BU’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) to conduct research on Responsible Project Management (RPM) in the context of the ‘Rohingya crisis’ in Bangladesh.

“New knowledge about project management will be developed by studying and sharing understandings in the context of a human and environmental crisis, with particular emphasis on the competencies required to successfully engage diverse stakeholders” explains Dr Karen Thompson, from the Department of Leadership, Strategy and Organisations (LSO).

Dr Nigel Williams, Senior Lecturer in the LSO Department, elaborates, “Project management is often presented as an instrumental sequence of activities with defined outcomes.  However, the reality of project practice involves uncertainty, ambiguity and complex human interactions with unpredictable outcomes.  These challenges vary by context and particularly in developing countries which may be recovering from natural or man-made disaster, the rational/instrumental perspective of project management may be of little value.”

Bangladesh faces a large scale human disaster and is a country already highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of natural disasters due to its geographical location, flat and low-lying landscape and population density.  Refugees arriving from neighbouring Myanmar are living in “an extremely precarious situation” (MSF 2018), and creating serious economic, social and environmental challenges.  The economic impact of Rohingya refugees on the Bangladesh economy was already the subject of investigation by Dr Mehdi Chowdhury, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Business School, who is a former resident of Bangladesh and joins the team.

Tilak Ginige, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, completes the team and has previously worked in the field of asylum immigration law.

The project will be funded for two years and will bring together the two disciplines of project management and responsible management.  Empirical research in Bangladesh will be complimented by a collective social learning process with stakeholders to jointly frame and define problems, determine boundaries and intra team interactions.  Outcomes are expected to improve the management of projects in Bangladesh and to develop new understandings, practices and sustainable relationships.  New knowledge will have the potential to improve the management of projects and stakeholder engagement in other developing countries and projects where sustainable development is a priority.

For further information please contact Dr Mehdi Chowdhury  mchowdhury@bournemouth.ac.uk

MSF 2018. Rohingya Refugee Crisis. Available online at: https://www.msf.org.uk/issues/rohingya-refugee-crisis?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrd6skYCP2gIVyZkbCh2BKAwZEAAYASAAEgLEOPD [Accessed 29 April 2018]

Photographs courtesy of Mohammad Romel

 

 

British Academy – Intention to bid forms due 2nd May 2018

BU research, Funding opportunities, Guidance, Research news

The call for the next round of BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants is open. The call closes at 5pm on Wednesday 6th June 2018. Due to the expected high demand, we ask that if you are interested in applying to this call then please send your intention to bid form to your Funding Development Officer by 2nd  May, after this date no new applications will be accepted.

The British Academy have provided updated guidance on the small grants – BA scheme notes for applicants and BA FAQs . They have asked that all applicants read the documentation carefully before starting their application.

Timeline

The call closes at 5pm on Wednesday 6th June 2018.

11th April 2018 Call Opens – start reading guidance
2nd May 2018 Intention to bid forms to be submitted to your faculty funding development officer.
31st May 2018 Nominated referee supporting statement to be completed via FlexiGrant
30th May 2018 Your final application must be submitted on FlexiGrant  by this date at the latest.
31st May -6th June 2018 Institutional checks to take place by RKEO