Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
The EPSRC are offering three prizes of £10,000 for RCUK Digital Economy (DE) grantholders to help capture and promote the impact the Digital Economy grant is having. Applicants will need to explain how they will use the prize to engage the public with their research and demonstrate what the benefits of the research have been. Applications must be received no later than 12:00 noon on Wednesday 06 December 2017.
To discuss this further please contact Ehren Milner (emilner@bournemouth.ac.uk).
This year’s theme is “LISTEN MAKE SHARE”. Each month two CQR members will present their experiences to the audience ‘in conversation’ with either Narrative Methods (listening to stories), Arts-based Research methods (making stories), or Dissemination methods (sharing stories).
Most seminars will involve two conversants and plenty of opportunity for audience participation in listening, making, and sharing. Not lectures, they are two presenters ‘In Conversation” about a topic or method. No PPT and plenty of time for audience interaction and feedback!
The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants scheme opens on the 6th of September 2017.
A workshop, the “Bid Writing retreat- British Academy small grant” will be held Thursday September 7th, 2017 (9:30-16:30). The workshop will offer helpful tips from past British Academy Small Grant winners as well as focused support from team members of the Research & Knowledge Exchange Office. Participants are asked to have a draft application for the British Academy Small Grant in preparation in advance of this workshop that they can develop during the day. Workshop places are limited so please book your place here. Attendees will have access to support from an external expert in support of their proposal after the event.
Members of BU interested in discussing this workshop opportunity please contact Alexandra Pekalski, Research Facilitator (apekalski@bournemouth.ac.uk).
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have launched the second call for feasibility studies to enable cross-disciplinary and risky early-stage research or the building of prototypes in relation to Industrial Systems in the Digital Age. Up to give projects will be funding to a maximum of £60,000 and can take 6 to 18 months to complete.
The key thematic areas are as follows:
Further information can be found here– if you wish to apply to this call please ensure that you contact your faculty Funding Development Officer as soon as possible. The closing date for completed applications is 29 September 2017 at 23:59.
On Friday there was an exciting update from the REF Team based at HEFCE – they published the initial decisions on REF 2021. Whilst this does not include decisions regarding submitting staff, output portability or the eligibility of institutions to participate in the REF, it does include key decisions regarding the UOA structure, institution-level assessment, and the assessment weightings.
The decisions published on Friday are summarised below:
OVERALL:
Assessment weightings:
The move of the impact template from the impact assessment to the environment assessment means impact will actually contribute to more than 25% of the weighting (see impact section).
Assessment will continue to use the five-point REF 2014 scale (1*-4* and Unclassified).
UOA structure:
HESA cost centres will not be used to allocate staff to UOAs. Responsibility for mapping staff into UOAs will therefore remain with institutions.
TIMETABLE:
Impact:
Environment:
Outputs:
The draft REF 2021 guidance will be published in summer/autumn 2018 and the final guidance will be published in winter 2018-19. The submission will be in autumn 2020.
OUTPUTS:
Interdisciplinary research:
Outputs due for publication after the submission date:
A reserve output may be submitted in these cases.
Assessment metrics:
Quantitative metrics may be used to inform output assessment. This will be determined by the sub-panels. Data will be provided by HEFCE.
IMPACT:
Institutional-level assessment (impact case studies):
ENVIRONMENT:
The UOA-level environment template will be more structured, including the use of more quantitative data to evidence narrative content:
Institutional-level assessment (environment):
PANEL RECRUITMENT:
OUTSTANDING DECISIONS:
The announcement does not include decisions regarding submitting staff, output portability or the eligibility of institutions to participate in the REF. There is ongoing dialogue between HEFCE (on behalf of the funding councils) and the sector regarding this. The letter (accessed via the link above) sets out HEFCE’s current thoughts on these points and invites the sector to feedback by 29 September 2017. BU will be providing feedback so if you have a view on this then please email me (jnortham@bournemouth.ac.uk).
SUMMARIES AVAILABLE:
The Funding Development Team will be delivering a number of Pre-award sessions as part of the Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) Development Framework on Thursday 28th September.
The RKE Development Framework offers a range of opportunities for academics at all career stages to develop their skills, knowledge and capabilities in relation to research and knowledge exchange. The Framework gives the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to take the next step in reaching your research goal and the professional development you need to get there. The pre-award pathway offers all of the starting information required by academics and researchers at BU to undertake research bidding.
The following Pre-Award sessions are on offer;
Getting started on applying for research funding
This session will explore how best to adapt research in response to the changing external environment. The workshop will provide information on the best routes to funding based upon career stages and also introduce how RKEO can help.
Thursday 28th September 2017 10.30 – 11.30 Lansdowne Campus
This session will introduce researchers to Full Economic Costs (fEC), transparent approaches to costing (TRAC) and the BU Financial Regulations. Guidance will be offered on how to cost projects in a way that funders will find acceptable. Training will be provided on producing the ‘Justification of Resources’ document required by many funders.
Thursday 28th September 2017 12.00 – 13.00 Lansdowne Campus
BU processes for applying for funding
This workshop will provide a short introduction/refresher on how to apply for external funding at BU. The latest update on the policies and processes will be introduced as part of this short session.
By the end of the session you will be familiar with the processes required to apply for funding at BU.
Thursday 28th September 2017 13.30 – 14.30 Lansdowne Campus
This course is aimed at those who are, or wish to be, a designated Faculty and UET Activity Quality/Peer reviewers. This session will provide an introduction/refresher of academic review policies at BU.
Thursday 28th September 2017 15.00 – 16.00 Lansdowne Campus
If you haven’t already booked and would like to attend, please click on the links above and book yourselves in. We look forward to seeing you there.
The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants scheme opens on the 6th of September 2017.
A workshop, the “Bid Writing retreat- British Academy small grant” will be held Thursday September 7th, 2017 (9:30-16:30). The workshop will offer helpful tips from past British Academy Small Grant winners as well as focused support from team members of the Research & Knowledge Exchange Office. Participants are asked to have a draft application for the British Academy Small Grant in preparation in advance of this workshop that they can develop during the day. Workshop places are limited so please book your place here.
Members of BU interested in discussing this workshop opportunity please contact Alexandra Pekalski, Research Facilitator (apekalski@bournemouth.ac.uk).
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:
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:
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.
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.
Many people see the ‘Justification of Resources’ document as another thing to quickly pull together and tick off the list, after having already completed a 70+ page funding application. As a result, it often doesn’t get the prior consideration needed to write a good one – even though applications are often rejected due to insufficient justification of resources.
As part of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework, RKEO are holding a session on ‘Writing a Justification of Resources’. The session will provide an overview of the Justification of Resources document, and will offer tips for writing this section of the application form. Examples of effective Justifications of Resources will be provided.
Date: Thursday 12th October
Time: 09:30-11:00
Venue: Lansdowne Campus
Book your space via the RKE Development Framework page for this event.
For further information, please contact Lisa Gale-Andrews, RKEO Research Facilitator.
Our BU briefing papers are designed to make our research outputs accessible and easily digestible so that our research findings can quickly be applied – whether to society, culture, public policy, services, the environment or to improve quality of life. They have been created to highlight research findings and their potential impact within their field.
Sports concussion has been the subject of much discourse in the scientific literature and mainstream media for many years. Major national and international sporting events are extensively covered by the media, with vast numbers of column inches and webpages dedicated to summarising these events. The frequency of concussion in some of the world’s biggest sports such as soccer, football, and rugby means that many of these concussive events which occur in high-profile competitions are also the focus of this reporting.
This paper analyses the descriptions of online sports concussion news on a global scale, using a search engine to retrieve news stories, and evaluates the media’s role in shaping public perception and misconception regarding concussion in sport. Further analysis sought to identify geographical patterns associated with different descriptions of sports concussion.
Click here to read the briefing paper.
The outcomes of this year’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and the direction for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) as set out in the 2017 consultation response are likely to have significant implications for the higher education sector. The links between research and teaching are likely to become ever more important, but set against the context of increasing emphasis on student experience, how should the sector respond and where should it focus?
REF & TEF: the connections will be hosted at Bournemouth University and will bring together some of the leading experts in higher education in both research and teaching policy. During the morning, attendees will have the opportunity hear from experts from across the higher education sector, as they share their insights into the importance of the links between teaching and research. The afternoon will feature a number of case studies with speakers from universities with a particularly good record of linking research and teaching.
Speakers confirmed to date include Kim Hackett, REF Manager and Head of Research Assessment, HEFCE and John Vinney Bournemouth University, William Locke University College London, Professor Sally Brown Higher Education Academy.
For more information or to book on visit: https://reftef.eventbrite.co.uk
The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants scheme opens on the 6th of September 2017.
A workshop, the “Bid Writing retreat- British Academy small grant” will be held Thursday September 7th, 2017 (9:30-16:30). The workshop will offer helpful tips from past British Academy Small Grant winners as well as focused support from team members of the Research & Knowledge Exchange Office. Participants are asked to have a draft application for the British Academy Small Grant in preparation in advance of this workshop that they can develop during the day. Workshop places are limited so please book your place here.
Members of BU interested in discussing this workshop opportunity please contact Ehren Milner, Research Facilitator (emilner@bournemouth.ac.uk).
We recently advertised that BU is introducing a new scheme which encourages submissions to externally-funded research projects. The below is a reminder of what the scheme entails with a few clarifications following on from queries received.
The aim is to:
The scheme has two pathways: i) PGR studentships; and ii) postdoctoral research staff. Each of these, and the relevant procedures and eligibility, are set out in the scheme document, which can be found here.
For the PGR studentship pathway, academics will need to make a case for a studentship to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (R&I), but with authorisation sought in advance from the Faculty Executive Dean. The second pathway for postdoctoral research staff will be automatically applied by RKEO to all eligible applications (following discussion with and consent by the PI).
Please read through the Scheme document (it is only two pages and answers most of your queries) and if any clarification is required then contact Jo Garrad, Funding Development Manager, RKEO.
Clarifications
The scheme notes have been amended to clarify that BU must be the lead institution and have a BU Principal Investigator.
The prestigious funders listed have been chosen as they carry added benefits, for example, provision of additional funds to BU, such as the RCUK open access fund; fellowships to academies, which open the door to greater peer review opportunities; and greater weighting in the REF submission and the HE-BCI report, which leads to HEFCE funding. Whilst our aim is to strongly encourage you to submit larger applications to these funders, this shouldn’t stop you from applying to other funders. BU is proud of all our academic successes.
There have been some comments that this scheme is only available to a few people. This is not true. The point of the scheme is to support you in applying for longer and larger applications to the prestigious funders so that this becomes the greater proportion of our submissions for funding.
Today the journal BMC Health Services Research accepted our scientific paper ‘The contribution of female community health volunteers (FCHVs) to maternity care in Nepal: a qualitative study’ [1]. FCHVs who form an integral part of community-based primary healthcare system of Nepal. Some 50,000 FCHVs working across the country distribute temporary contraception or refer for other methods of family planning in formal healthcare centres.
As the lowest level healthcare provider working in local communities, FCHVs deliver basic maternal healthcare services to pregnant women and mothers in rural communities. The paper concludes that no research to date has been able to demonstrate that the FCHVs roles themselves have an impact on maternal mortality or other health outcomes; quantitative studies are needed to do this.
The paper is based on Dr. Sarita Panday’s recently completed PhD at The University of Sheffield, Prof. Paul Bissell Dean of the School of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield, Prof. Padam Simkhada, BU Visiting Faculty and Associate Dean for Global Engagement at Liverpool John Moores University and BU’s Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health.
Reference:
On Wednesday, 25th October 2017, BU’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO) will be hosting a STEAMLab on Food Security.
Which means…?
We have renamed ‘Sandpits’ to the new name of ‘STEAMLab’. This demonstrates the purpose of the STEAMLabs as being open to all disciplines and encouraging truly interdisciplinary research ideas. The ‘Lab’ part demonstrates the working environment that leads to the creation of novel research ideas and partnerships. In a nutshell, the STEAMLabs offer the opportunity to meet new people from all disciplines and sectors, and to spend dedicated time developing novel ideas for research projects.
For this STEAMLab, we’re seeking to come up with novel research which addresses challenges in food security. With increasing pressure on food sources and the food industry, we need to consider how food security can be guaranteed for the future. Potential areas to address this challenge may include but are not limited to, malnutrition/nutrition, agriculture, logistics, robotics, supply chain, new forms of food, sustainability, political/economic problems, food policy, food waste & recycling, and climate & the environment.
So, who should attend?
STEAMLabs cover broad themes to ensure that they are open to everyone from all disciplines. So if you think you have something to contribute then come along. If you think that they don’t include you then please have a chat with your RKEO Facilitator who can explain how your research could make a vital contribution to new ideas and approaches. In order to encourage wider partnerships, each STEAMLab will include academics from other universities, as well as representatives from industry and other sectors.
What do I need to prepare in advance? What will the STEAMLab entail?
Absolutely nothing in advance. During the session, 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 but it will help. Attendees will come from a range of backgrounds so we expect that there will be lively conversations resulting from these different perspectives.
What about afterwards? Do I need to go away and do loads of work?
Well… that depends! The interactive day will result in some novel research ideas. Some of these may be progressed immediately; others might need more time to develop. 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. Your Research Facilitator will be on hand to support you as you develop bids for funding.
What if my topic area is really specific, and doesn’t really relate to food?
Your contribution will be very welcome! One of the main benefits of this type of 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.
How do I book onto this event?
To take part in this exciting opportunity, BU staff should complete the Food Security Application Form and return this to RKEDevFramework by Friday 13th October. As places are limited, this will be assessed to ensure good mix of attendees with different perspectives. Places will be confirmed w/c 16th October 2017.
By applying, you agree to attend for the full duration of the event on 25th October 2017 (c. 9:30 – 16:00). This event will be held on BU’s Talbot Campus.
If you have any queries prior to submitting your application, please contact Lisa Gale-Andrews, RKEO Research Facilitator.
This event is part of the Research Knowledge Exchange Development Framework.
The UK’s seven research councils have announced they will be working together to encourage and strengthen mental health research. Mental health is recognised as a major societal challenge that requires novel cross-disciplinary research approaches, that is, research that spans more than one branch of specialist knowledge. They have published a new research agenda, paving the way for cross-council collaboration on mental health in the years ahead. Following the publication of the research agenda, a cross council call will be launched in early September 2017.
In 2016 an expert group was set up to advise the research councils on the development of a new mental health research agenda to strengthen cross-disciplinary research. The group was made up of leading academics in the field of mental health. It considered specific research areas that could be tackled through cross-disciplinary work and across the individual remits of each research council. A wider group was also consulted, including academics, funders, mental health charities, representatives of end users of research and service user organisations.
It is estimated that 23% of the UK population is affected by mental health problems at some point each year. In spite of recent progress, more research is needed to better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illness. Only about a quarter of people with a mental health problem are deemed to receive ongoing treatment, leaving the majority grappling with mental health issues seeking help or information on their own, and depending on the informal support of family, friends or colleagues.
You can view the new mental health research agenda here .
RKEO will publish on the blog the calls related to this agenda; with the first expected in September. BU academics are well-placed to submit to upcoming calls. Watch this space!
The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences Research Seminar Series will be starting again in the coming academic year.
But first I’d like to say a big thank you again to all those who contributed to the seminars last year. We had a wonderful mixture of presentations and it was great to see the range of research going on in the faculty.
We noted that the best attended were those involving a range of presentations in a one hour slot. These bite-size selections of research topics were great in attracting an audience from across disciplines and created a fun, friendly atmosphere.
To build on this in the coming year we will be moving to monthly Research Seminars with 2-3 presenters at each session. These seminars are open to everyone, so whether this is your first venture into research or you are a veteran researcher please feel free to come along and share your experiences.
Seminars will be held on the first Wednesday of every month (second Wednesday in October) between 1 and 2pm at the Lansdowne Campus.
If you are interested in presenting please get in touch with Clare at: ckillingback@bournemouth.ac.uk
Congratulations to Dr. Steve Keen in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and BU PhD graduate Dr. Pratik Adhikary on the acceptance today of their paper ‘Risky work: Accidents among Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi ‘ by the journal Health Prospect [1]. This is a peer-reviewed public health journal, part of Nepal Journals Online, and the journal is Open Access. Nepal Journals OnLine (NepJOL) provides access to Nepalese published research, and increase worldwide knowledge of indigenous scholarship.
The Faculty of Health & Social Sciences has a growing number of publications on health and migration research, especially on the health and well-being of migrants from Nepal [2-5].
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
References:
BU staff can login below:
Café Scientifique Tuesday 4 June 2024 – How can we become more resilient in the face of multiple risks and hazards?
Dr Rachel Arnold on Appreciative Inquiry
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024
Research Information Network
Horizon Europe News – December 2023