Category / BU research

Latest Funding Opportunities

BU research, Funding opportunities, Research news

money and cogs

The following is a snap-shot of funding opportunities that have been announced. Please follow the links for more information:

ESRC

New & Emerging Forms of Data – Policy Demonstrator Projects

The ESRC is pleased to invite Expressions of Interest for New and Emerging Forms of Data – Policy Demonstrator Projects under Phase 3 of the Big Data Network.

Maximum Award: £25,,000 Deadline: 14 October 2016

Royal Society of Chemistry

Researcher Mobility Grants

Researcher Mobility Grants support PhD students and early career researchers to undertake short to mid-term scientific visits to overseas or UK organisations.

Maximum Award: £7,500 Deadline: 31 October 2016

NERC

Engaging the UK public with big issues of environmental science

NERC is inviting proposals under this programme for public engagement projects costing up to £20k that must be delivered between January and end of March 2017.

Maximum Award: £220,000 Deadline: 3 November 2016

BBSRC

Brazil partnering awards

Funds can only be used for travel, subsistence and other activities, such as workshops or exchanges. They are not to fund salary costs, consumables, items of equipment or other research costs, nor to link ongoing single collaborative projects

Maximum Award: £50,000 over 4 years Deadline: 17 November 2016

China partnering awards

As above, for China.

Maximum Award: £30,000 over 4 years Deadline: 17 November 2016

European partnering awards

As above, for Europe.

Maximum Award: £20,000 over 12 – 18 months Deadline: 17 November 2016

If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact your  RKEO Funding Development Officer with adequate notice before the deadline.

For more funding opportunities that are most relevant to you, you can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in  RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

If thinking of applying, why not add notification of your interest on Research Professional’s record of the bid so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

Delegation from Yanshan University China visits Bournemouth University

BU research, international, Research news

An academic delegation from Yanshan University in China visited Professor Hongnian Yu from the Department of Computing in the Faculty of Science & Technology at Bournemouth University last week. The Chinese delegation met a range of international research exchange partners and participants from Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh and their own country, China, as well as a guest partner Professor Qyyum, from Pakistan who as Erasmus Mundus project coordinator has just been on an exchange mobility to BU himself.

The Faculty of Science & Technology is involved in an academic exchange project framework of the EU’s Erasmus Mundus (EM) Initiative (Fusion, c-LINK and RABOT). This collaborative network coordinates reciprocal academic mobility at all levels of higher education and research exchange for a defined range of academic subjects via a network of hosting and sending Universities in South East Asia and the EU.

Over the course of three years, around 250 exchanges have been facilitated through a number of projects.  A number of people are currently studying and researching at continental and UK universities as a result.  Here at BU we are currently hosting 9 Erasmus Mundus grantees completing their postgraduate and PhD studies, while quite a few more have already completed their stay.  Meanwhile, the RABOT project has seen more than 20 people over the last couple of years coming study at BU, mainly from Yanshan University in China.

1.1st Row (from left): Prof Yin Yao, (Yanshan University, China), Prof YU (EM Project Coordinator, BU), Prof Xiangdong Kong (Vice President of Yanshan University, China), Prof Amir Qayyum (Fusion and c-LINK partner, Pakistan), Dr Cang (Rabot and Fusion local host at BU) 2. 2nd row: Assistant Professors and students from the Chinese delegation, BU Erasmus Mundus PhD researchers

1. 1st Row (from left): Prof Yin Yao, (Yanshan University, China), Prof YU (EM Project Coordinator, BU), Prof Xiangdong Kong (Vice President of Yanshan University, China), Prof Amir Qayyum (Fusion and c-LINK partner, Pakistan), Dr Cang (Rabot and Fusion local host at BU)
2. 2nd row: Assistant Professors and students from the Chinese delegation, BU Erasmus Mundus PhD researchers

The visit from the Yanshan delegation has been a productive reflection of this collaborative work between different universities and has been beneficial for the involved academics. Visitors and partners have been exploring further collaboration, exchanging an overview of their research environments and current research topics.

The Bournemouth University team was led by Professor Hongnian Yu, and Dr Shuang Cang. Other participants from the Bournemouth University included the PhD researchers Yan Wang (Fusion, from Yanshan University), Pengcheng Liu (RABOT), Pree Thiengburanathum (PhD BU, Thailand), Sajjad Akbar (c-LINK, Pakistan), Ikram Asghar (c-LINK, Pakistan), Arif Reza Anwary (Fusion, Bangladesh) and XI WU (Fusion, China).

The two teams had a workshop at FB103 (Fusion Building) Bournemouth University on 9th September 2016 from 14:00 to 17:30. The participants from both teams presented their latest research works for exchanging ideas and knowledge, and discussed further collaboration.

The two teams had a workshop at FB103 (Fusion Building) Bournemouth University on 9th September 2016 from 14:00 to 17:30. The participants from both teams presented their latest research works for exchanging ideas and knowledge, and discussed further collaboration.

The workshop environment in the excellent new Fusion Building was received as very friendly and informative. The participants from different countries and cultures shared their ideas, work ethics and expectations. This involved a discussion of the variances and differences of workload expectation, supervisory expectations and the levels of academic roles and functions during the graduation and research process for the respective degrees in each country present at the workshop.

There were also informal discussions amongst the participants regards their personal mobility experiences during the coffee break. The Vice President of Yanshan University invited PhD researchers to pay a visit to their University in China and offered his full support for subsequent visits and research activities.

For more information, contact Karin Ermert.

University of Toyo visits BU to learn more about the UK’s Olympic volunteering legacy

BU research, international, Research communication, Research news

Researchers from the University of Toyo in Tokyo have visited Bournemouth University Lecturer, Dr Debbie Sadd, an expert in events management and community involvement in mega sporting events.

Debbie has been heavily involved in developing volunteer programmes including the setting up of Bournemouth’s Festival Maker programme and the Farnborough Flyers for the Farnborough Air Show.

The team from Japan travelled to Bournemouth to find out more about volunteering at London 2012 and how Tokyo can recruit and train its own volunteers in time for the Games in 2020.

“Volunteering was a really key part of London 2012.  Around 70,000 ‘Games Makers’ volunteered during the Olympics and Paralympics, including myself, and were arguably one of the highlights of London 2012 – you only need to read the headlines at the time to see how well received they were,” explains Dr Sadd.

“BU staff and students were involved in volunteering at the medal ceremonies for the sailing events at Weymouth and Portland as well as helping at other venues such as Eton Dorney Rowing Centre and even working as part of the Olympic Broadcasting Network.  Colleagues from BU went to great lengths to support our students to take part in the Games at Weymouth and Portland.  It was a great opportunity for them and inspired us to set up Bournemouth’s Festival Makers Programme.”

“Based on the highly successful Games Makers, the scheme aims to make local people ambassadors for Bournemouth and get them involved in events such as the Air Show and help visitors to get the most out of their trip,” says Dr Sadd, “Our Events Management students are very much involved in the scheme and get to see how an event is run and how we recruit, train and manage volunteers.”

In December 2015, Dr Sadd was invited by the British Council to travel to Tokyo to give a keynote speech at a conference focused on sharing experiences from London 2012.  It was here that Dr Sadd was able to share BU’s experiences with universities from all over Japan and with members of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee.

“This week’s visit is a chance to share our experiences of volunteering as part of London 2012 and beyond and begin to shape a volunteering programme for Tokyo 2020,” says Dr Sadd, “It was great to be involved in the 2012 Olympics and I’m really pleased to be able to use what we learned to help design a volunteering scheme for 2020.”

Human Henge: Historic landscapes & mental health at Stonehenge

BU research, Research news

Stonehenge in the sunshineCongratulations to colleagues on the recently funded project “Human Henge: Historic landscapes and mental health at Stonehenge”.  This research led by the Restoration Trust. The project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage Trust and Wiltshire County Council and has multiple partners and contributors including Wiltshire County Council, Richmond Fellowship, English Heritage Trust and Bournemouth University. From BU, Prof Tim Darvill (Director Centre of Archaeology, Faculty of Science & Technology) and Dr Vanessa Heaslip (Faculty of Health & Social Sciences) are engaged in this project.

The Human Henge research project is a therapeutic sensory experience of Stonehenge for two facilitated groups, each of up to 16 local people with mental health problems, plus carers, support workers, volunteers and staff. Over ten weekly three-hour sessions, one at night, each group walks the landscape, reaching through time to other humans whose traces are illuminated by accompanying pre-historians, curators and artists. Individual experiences cohere in a shared spoken epic which is augmented from session to session. The groups arrive inside the Stone Circle near the winter solstice and spring equinox; collaborating with their chosen artist, they decide what they do there.

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

 

Understanding disabled women’s experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and parenting

BU research

Birthrights, a national charity for the rights of women during pregnancy and childbirth has today launched the interim report of a study undertaken by staff from Bournemouth University and the University of Liverpool, about the experiences of disabled women during pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting.

The current work arises following their 2013 Dignity in Childbirth survey which highlighted less positive experiences of women who identified themselves as disabled (Birthrights 2013). In response, Birthrights commissioned research to explore the experiences of disabled women throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the first few post-natal weeks (the pregnancy continuum). A multidisciplinary team, comprising of Dr Jenny Hall, Jilly Ireland and Professor Vanora Hundley from CMMPH and Dr Bethan Collins from the University of Liverpool, have just completed the first phase of the study, which has been released by Birthrights as an interim report today. This first phase of the study used an online survey to identify experiences of women in the UK and Ireland with physical or sensory impairment or long term health conditions during the pregnancy continuum.

Although overall satisfaction with services in general was scored highly by most women, challenges were described in women’s experiences. These included lack of continuity of carer, meaning that women needed to repeat their information again and again; women feeling that they were not being listened to, which reduced their feeling of choice and control; feeling they were treated less favourably because of their disability. More than half of the women (56%) felt that maternity care providers did not have appropriate attitudes to disability. Accessibility of services was also highlighted as poor, in some situations.

These findings resonate with recommendations from the recent maternity services review (National Maternity review 2016), which highlights the importance of personalised care, that is woman-centred, with opportunity for choice and control, and continuity of carer for everyone. The current study highlights how imperative this approach is for disabled women.

A follow-up qualitative study is underway to establish in-depth views and experiences of human rights and dignity of disabled women during the pregnancy continuum to develop our understanding of how best to enable this group. This second phase is due to be completed in Spring 2017.

The Interim report outlining the results from phase 1 is released today by Birthrights and may be found on the CMMPH web site.
https://research.bournemouth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Interim-Report-Sept16.pdf

FHSS seminar Prof McKie

BU research, Publishing, REF Subjects, Research assessment, Research Training, Women's Academic Network, writing

linda-mckie-2016Prof. Linda McKie who is professor of Sociology at Durham University gave an excellent paper today in FHSS on Revitalising Spatial and Temporal Frameworks in the Analysis of Unpaid Care and Paid Work.  Her paper highlighted that published data have documented the persistence of the gender pay gap for all women with evidence of a deepening gap following maternity leave. These data generated numerous analyses on segregation and discrimination in education and working life and the many ways in which unpaid care for children, family members and elders remains a dominant factor in everyday gendered inequalities. Often little comment was made on women’s crucial role in reproducing generations many of whom will fund future pensions and services through their taxation. These intergenerational reciprocities are generally ignored in favour of the immediate time considerations for employers, workers and families with the need to generate profit, or income and resources for household or business survival.

In her seminar Prof. McKie revisited the analytical frameworks of ‘caringscapes’ and ‘carescapes’. In earlier work, it was asserted that both offer analytical potential to enhance analyses of the temporal and spatial dynamics of caring and working over the lifecourse in different places. Caring, critical to human flourishing and evident in many aspects of women’s lives, is captured in ‘caringscapes’. The framework of ‘carescapes’ explores the relationship between policies and services as determined by employers, the state and capital. Both frameworks are informed by feminist theorising and spatial and temporal perspectives on identifying and analysing how women perceive, engage with, and reflect on, the demands and pleasures of combining informal caring and paid work. ref-world

Yesterday Prof. McKie led a well-attended workshop for FHSS staff on preparing for the REF.  She offered insight into various REF processes as well advise on strategic planning and the importance of networking.   Prof. McKie has been a sub-panel member of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF) Sub-panel 23: Sociology for the period 2010-2014.

 

Prof.  Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

Student Engagement Opportunity

BU research, Impact, Research communication, Student Engagement

Call for academics! Do you want to engage more students with your research? Then 14:Live is an excellent opportunity to interact with more students, in a relaxed setting and get them involved with what you do. Previous talks including Dr Dan Jackson and Dr Lauren Kita have proved successful and beneficial for both academics and students alike. The talks occur once a month, taking place on the 5th floor of the student centre and we’re looking for academics to lead a session after Christmas. This a great way to get students engaged in your research!

Interested? Get in touch if you’d like to take part and contact Hannah Jones/61214

Learning together: widening participation with you

BU research, Centre for Excellence in Learning, Research news

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We’ve been finding out how people working in higher education learn, think and feel about and put into practice widening participation.

Exploring the idea of widening participation as a process of organisational learning aligns with the core strategy of BU’s innovative Fair Access Research project — through working and learning together we can make a difference for students, where we work, how we work, yourselves and society.

At a time of uncertainty and inequality  in society and great changes in the sector, finding ways for us all to learn together in kinder and more effective ways matters.

Over the summer we have been doing some fieldwork and collecting sector-wide survey data to establish how different people in different organisations learn about widening participation.

We want to know how you, here at BU, understand, learn about and practice widening participation. We’ve designed a survey to capture your voices and experiences. 

In July we had the privilege of meeting with colleagues from across the university to explore some of these issues – we want to open that invitation to more of you through this survey.

For more information about the organisational learning project, email Dr Maggie Hutchings on mhutchings@bournemouth.ac.uk

For more information about BU’s innovative Fair Access Research, email the Principal Investigators, Dr Vanessa Heaslip (vheaslip@bournemouth.ac.uk) and Dr Clive Hunt (chunt@bournemouth.ac.uk)

To complete and share the survey follow this link.

Public Health England Physical Activity Tool

BU research, Research communication

downloadPublic Health England has launched a Physical Activity Tool which brings together data at the local level for the whole of England on physical activity, including walking and cycling, as well as data on related risk factors and conditions such as obesity and diabetes. The tool also presents trend data and enables easy comparison of local authority data, allowing users to compare regional neighbours and local authorities with similar characteristics. The tool aims to help promote physical activity, develop understanding, and support benchmarking, commissioning and service improvement.

The data is grouped into three domains:

  • Key indicators – a summary overview of physical activity including a number of key outcomes from the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF).
  • Related conditions – such as cancers, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and depression. Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of these.
  • Supporting information – population demographics, life expectancy and deprivation.

In addition PHE has also published a data spreadsheet: Physical activity levels among adults in England 2015, available on the PHE Obesity website. It presents physical activity measures (inactive, low activity, some activity and active) and key demographics from the Active People Survey at national, regional, upper and lower tier local authority and County Sports Partnership level.

Read more at: http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/physical-activity

FHSS Seminar Series in Conjunction with Social and Cultural Research Cluster, Bournemouth University

BU research, Research news

We are incredibly fortunate to have Professor Linda McKie visiting with the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences next week.  As part of her time with us she will present a lunchtime seminar on Wednesday 14th September. Please feel free to bring your lunch and hear from a fantastic speaker. Details for her seminar are outlined below.

Revitalising Spatial and Temporal Frameworks in the Analysis of Unpaid Care and Paid Work Professor Linda McKie Applied Social Sciences from Durham University

Taking place: at 1-2pm in Bournemouth House, Rm B407

 

From Professor Linda McKie,

As the summer of 2016 draws to a close published data has documented the persistence of the gender pay gap for all women with evidence of a deepening gap following maternity leave (Costa Dias et al., 2016). These data generated numerous analyses on segregation and discrimination in education and working life and the many ways in which unpaid care for children, family members and elders remains a dominant factor in everyday gendered inequalities. Little comment was made on women’s crucial role in reproducing generations many of whom will fund future pensions and services through their taxation. These intergenerational reciprocities are generally ignored in favour of the immediate time considerations for employers, workers and families with the need to generate profit, or income and resources for household or business survival.

In this seminar I revisit the analytical frameworks of caringscapes and carescapes. In earlier work, it was asserted that both offer analytical potential to enhance analyses of the temporal and spatial dynamics of caring and working over the lifecourse in different places. Caring, critical to human flourishing and evident in many aspects of women’s lives, is captured in caringscapes. The framework of carescapes explores the relationship between policies and services as determined by employers, the state and capital. Both frameworks are informed by feminist theorising and spatial and temporal perspectives on identifying and analysing how women perceive, engage with, and reflect on, the demands and pleasures of combining informal caring and paid work.

Following the financial crisis of 2008 we are in a long term period of austerity. In this context do these analytical frameworks stand up to further evaluation? As inequalities between regions, social classes, communities and workers deepen, can care ever be centre stage? Given the aims of the centre are to develop social and cultural research my goal is to offer frameworks and issues which colleagues are engaged with in varied ways and likely to develop.

Biography

Linda McKie is Professor of Sociology and Head of the School of Applied Social Sciences at Durham University. She graduated from Durham with a Ph.D. in sociology in 1989 and returned in 2012. In the intervening years she has held academic posts at the universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian, researching and teaching in the sociologies of health and illness, gender and work, and research methods and management. In 2004 she was elected to the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS) and in 2010 appointed a member of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF), Sub-panel 23: Sociology. From 2001 she has been an Associate Director at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships and between 2004-2010 Senior Visiting Fellow, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki. She has undertaken grant assessment panel work for the Academy of Finland, Greek Government, Irish Research Council and Norwegian Research Council. Peer review work has also been undertaken for various EU panels; COST, Horizon 2020 and Marie Curie. Editorial board membership has included the journals Sociology, Sociology of Health and Illness, and Work, Employment and Society.