Category / BU research

BBB Seminar: Bournemouth-Brasilia-Birmingham

BU research, Fusion

As part of the BBB project, funded by Bournemouth University Fusion Investment Fund SMN strand, and Software Systems Research Centre activities, we would like to invite you to our seminar series next week, the week of March 18th 2013, at the School of Design, Engineering and Computing.

Bournemouth Birmingham Brasilia BBB Project Fusion Investment Fund SMN Strand

BBB project creates a community of interest which involves the computing groups of University of Brasilia, University of Birmingham, and Bournemouth University. The three groups are focused on Software Engineering research and this project involves exchange visits and the establishment of joint work.  BBB is working together on a timely research project about adaptive software systems with particular focus on cloud and service computing. We are investigating core engineering foundations which are required to enable software to adapt and respond to the dynamic needs and environments of its users and, also, to respond to their runtime feedback aiming to enhance its service quality. The program consists of the following talks:

 Tuesday   19-03-2013

Speaker: Danilo Mendonça, University of Brasilia, Brazil
Title: Compositional Approach for Parametric Model Checking in Software Product Lines
Room and time:   P403 (Poole House, Talbot Campus) Start: 15:00 Finish: 15:40

Speaker: Funmilade Faniyi, University of Birmingham, UK
Title: A Self-Adaptive Architecture Approach to Service Level Agreement Compliance in Cloud-based systems
Room and Time:   P403 (Poole House, Talbot Campus) Start: 15:40 Finish: 16:20

Speaker: Raian Ali, Bournemouth University, UK
Title: Socially-Adaptive Software: The SOCIAD project Approach*
Room and time :   P403 (Poole House, Talbot Campus) Start: 16:20 Finish: 17:00

Thursday   21-03-2013

Speaker: Felipe Pontes, University of Brasilia, Brazil
Title: Enacting distributed and reliable service choreography using context-aware agents
Room and time:   P411 (Poole House, Talbot Campus). Start: 15:00 Finish: 15:40

Speaker: Lai Xu, Bournemouth University, UK
Title: Business process management as service & lightweight business process modelling.
Room and time:   P411 (Poole House, Talbot Campus). Start: 15:40 Finish: 16:20

Speaker: Huseyin Dogan, Bournemouth University, UK
Title: Systems of Systems (SoS) to Capability Management.
Room and time:   P411 (Poole House, Talbot Campus). Start: 16:20 Finish: 17:00

Friday   22-03-2013

Speaker: Malik Almaliki, Bournemouth University, UK
Title: Developing a Software Engineering Framework for Adaptive Acquisition of Users’ Feedback
Room and time:   P409 (Poole House, Talbot Campus). Start: 15:00 Finish: 15:20

Speaker: Rami Bahsoon, University of Birmingham, UK
Title: Self-Adaptive Cloud Software Engineering @ Birmingham
Room and time:   P409 (Poole House, Talbot Campus). Start: 15:20 Finish: 16:10

Speaker: Genaina Rodrigues, University of Brasilia, Brazil
Title: Variability Management of Reliability Models in Software Product Lines
Room and time:   P409 (Poole House, Talbot Campus). Start: 16:10 Finish: 17:00

We hope you will join us.

* SOCIAD (Social Adaptation: when Software Gives Users a Voice) project is  funded by EC Marie Curie CIG grant

UK-India Education & Research Initiative Funding Available

BU research

The next round of applications for the UKIERI Thematic Partnerships is now open. UKIERI Thematic Partnership funding is designed to support the collaborative costs of joint research projects, including exchanges between research teams in the two countries. The closing date for applications is 31 May 2013. This year there are two categories for funding:

1.     UGC UKIERI Thematic Partnerships (with the University Grants Commission), which covers research, faculty exchange and innovation across all subject areas.

2.     DST UKIERI Thematic Partnerships (with the Indian Department of Science and Technology), for the following specific areas:

a.     Sustainable energy supply

b.    Food production and security

c.     Water supply and security

d.    Health and Disease

e.     Innovation including social impact and intellectual property

f.     Research and Science Policy

Full guidance notes and application forms are available from the UKIERI website.  UKIERI will organise pre-bid workshops in March and April 2013 to help potential applicants understand the application process for the call and the dates of these will be released on their webpage.

Interested in eHealth? Join the Psychology Research Centre for an informal forum!

BU research

On Wednesday 27th March, 2013 the Psychology Research Centre will be holding an informal forum for anyone who is currently doing, or interested in doing, research related to eHealth (e.g. research interests may include understanding how people (e.g. potential patients, patients, health professionals) use the internet for health information and/or intervention). We are informally calling this forum CHIRP which stands for Centre for eHealth Internet Research and Practice and it is open to any staff or postgraduate students at BU who would like to meet up to discuss research plans, ideas and potential collaborations.

The topic of eHealth fits well into the BU research themes of ‘Health, Wellbeing & Ageing’ and ‘Technology & Design’ and we are currently aware of members in DEC and HSC who are currently conducting research in this area.

The aim of this meeting will be to get together and understand common research interests therefore we would ask you to come prepared to talk for around 3 minutes about the current work you are doing (feel free to send a powerpoint slide with details of you interest too).

The forum will be held at 3pm in room P405 at Poole House and Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. Please contact Sarah Williams in Psychology by early next week if you are interesting in attending.

Want to know more on the exciting R&D opportunities available in Electronic Systems?

BU research, Funding opportunities

Keen to find out more on the opportunities available for R&D?  Then do not miss this event:

‘Starting Small, Thinking Big: Entry-Level funded R&D opportunities in Electronic Systems’         

at:

The University of West England on Wednesday 10th April.

The purpose of this event is to inform organisations of the type of opportunity that is available from the Technology Strategy Board, through funding programmes such as: 

SMART and  KTPs.

In particular, detailed information will be given on the current

KTP Call opportunity in Resilient Energy.

Used properly, publicly funded R&D can be a valuable way for companies to develop products, ideas and people. Successful projects and programmes in electronic systems are often built from small, carefully planned beginnings.

To register for the event, and to find out further information please click here

Link to ETHICS on the Staff Intranet

BU research, Research Ethics

The Staff Intranet ribbon has a new ETHICS icon, which will direct you to the Research Ethics page on the blog. Go to the Staff Intranet, scroll to the bottom and click on the right arrow to find the ETHICS icon. This new icon on the Staff Intranet will make it easier for researchers to find information on BU’s research ethics policy and procedures.

BU is committed to promoting and upholding the highest quality academic and ethical standards in all its activities. BU’s research governance and ethics policies and procedures recognize the importance of addressing ethical matters, while supporting the achievement of its collective research objectives. To this end, robust research governance and ethics policies and procedures underpin all research at the University. Further information can be found on the Research Ethics page on the blog, accessible here, or via the ETHICS icon on the Staff Intranet.

CEMP Research & Innovation Bulletin 14.3.13

BU research, Funding opportunities

The CEMP Research & Innovation Cluster bulletin for the meeting on 14.3.13 is here: Cluster bulletin and agenda 14.3.13.

The focus of the cluster is pedagogic research and innovation. Any colleagues interested in collaborating with CEMP to pursue any of the funding opportunities in the bulletin – please email Julian McDougall.

Cluster meetings take place every other Thursday. In the Thursdays in between, the bulletin will be posted here.

Calling all Early Career Researchers!

BU research

R&KEO are keen to know your thoughts as to whether holding an event this summer for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) would be of interest.

The event would be intended to help you reflect and develop the skills you have and help you consider how you can apply your skills now and in the future and aim to help you make more informed choices about the next step of your career.

The event would include some training and then allow you to work in a range of situations such as a simulated business or academic environment with a facilitator. This will help you uncover more about your personal motivations and career. 

If you are an ECR please use the voting buttons below to register whether this would or would not be an event you would like to participate in.  

[polldaddy poll=6954398]

In Practice: Tourism and the public health agenda

BU research

The Perspectives in Public Health journal recently published an article on BU’s first Ideas Cafe: ‘Healthy Tourism: an oxymoron?’ 

Following on from discussion on the theme ‘Health Tourism – an oxymoron?’ at the Ideas Café hosted by Bournemouth University in December 2012, can public health be a part of the tourism agenda?

Statistics released by The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2012 estimate that the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide is expected to increase by an average of 3.3% a year from 2010 to 2030. With this growth and expansion of the tourism industry set to continue, there is a growing call from the academic world for tourism to be healthier and to become a part of the public health agenda. This is a timely change, as the return of public health to local government will allow for new levels of collaboration across areas that have not been strongly associated in the past, including public health and tourism.

In light of this, the School of Tourism at Bournemouth University hosted a Health, Wellbeing and Ageing Ideas Café in December 2012 with the theme of Health Tourism: an oxymoron? The event contained an hour of lively debate and discussion…

Click here to read the full text of this article.

Networking with microbes: BOSS – Biogeography of Organisms of Small Size

BU research, Funding opportunities, Fusion, Research news

Genoveva Esteban, Associate Professor at the School of Applied Sciences, has been awarded a Santander Staff Mobility and Networking Scholarship (strand of the Fusion Investment Fund) to develop a network with Prof Angel Baltanás at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). The network is called BOSS (Biogeography of Organisms of Small Size) – a research-educational network on freshwater aquatic ecology. The aim of BOSS is to investigate the geographical distribution of small-sized organisms and rare freshwater invertebrates involving students (supervised by the PI and CoI) at each university to exchange data collected from rare aquatic habitats in central Spain and in Dorset via the internet. The network will aim at developing a bilingual on-line learning and communications tool to facilitate exchange of students, masters, ecological information, and research between both institutions.  The project will also help promote BU’s PG research and MSc opportunities.

Carnival Futures: Notting Hill Carnival 2020

Awarded & submitted bids, BU research

Nicole Ferdinand, Senior Lecturer in Events Management in the School of Tourism has been awarded a research grant from the King’s Cultural Institute for a research project entitled “Carnival Futures: Notting Hill Carnival 2020” which seeks to engage cultural organizations along with other stakeholders in proactively planning for the future of the Notting Hill Carnival. Nicole will be working closely with Carnival Village and other organizations within the carnival community to engage stakeholders in the process of scenario planning. Using scenarios the carnival community will consider how their external relationship portfolio and internal capabilities need to be adapted to match future requirements. The project builds on research Nicole is conducting as part of her PhD. which she is currently completing at King’s College London. Her project is being funded by the Creative Futures Fund.  

Dr. Mary Beth Gouthro, Programme Leader Events Management, also from the School of Tourism has been engaged through the Research & Knowledge Exchange Office to conduct an external evaluation of the project.

 

 

RCUK publishes guidelines on the governance of good research conduct

BU research, Guidance, Research Integritiy

Research Councils UK (RCUK) has published its latest policy and guidelines to help researchers and research organisations achieve the highest standards possible when carrying out research. The policy and guidelines have been updated to reflect growing national and international experience in identifying and promoting good research conduct, and in addressing unsatisfactory conduct.

The RCUK Policy and Guidelines on Governance of Good Research Conduct:

  • sets standards of good research practice, with associated guidelines
  • specifies and describes unacceptable research conduct
  • provides guidelines for reporting and investigating allegations of research misconduct
  • clarifies the respective responsibilities of the Research Councils and Research Organisations in fostering and safeguarding the highest possible standards of research conduct.

This document replaces the RCUK Policy and Code of Conduct on the Governance of Good Research Conduct, published in July 2009, and was developed after a wide consultation with partners across the higher education and research sector. It covers the promotion of good research conduct, including good conduct in peer review, the need for appropriate training and development, what constitutes unacceptable research conduct, and the investigation and reporting of unacceptable research conduct.

Professor Rick Rylance, Chair of RCUK, said: “A commitment to good research conduct lies at the heart of an effective research system. High standards of integrity underpin the quality and reliability of research outcomes and of the decisions we make about funding.

“The Research Councils have long been committed to maintaining the highest standards. As a signatory of the Universities UK Concordat to support research integrity, RCUK expects all individuals engaged in research – including researchers themselves, support staff, managers and administrators – to abide by its principles and foster a supportive and open environment.”

The Policy and Guidelines are intended to apply across the full spectrum of research and training funded by the Research Councils and should be amplified in specific disciplines by the guidance issued by individual Research Councils, other funders, professional associations and learned societies.

PhD Studentship Competition 2013 – 2nd Call for Matched Funded Studentships – Submission Deadline 18th March 2013

BU research

Following the successful allocation of 39 PhD Studentships (fully and matched funded) under the 1st call, we are delighted to announce a 2nd call of the competition in which there are 5 matched funded studentships available for candidates starting in September 2013 as outlined below:

Matched-funding (50% equivalent to £24k over three years) may come from:

  • Industry/business partners,
  • Government and non-government organizations,
  • Academic Schools,
  • NHS,
  • Research Councils, or
  • Other external bodies.

Priority may be given to applications that involve supervisors from two or more Schools and/or those from early career researchers.

All proposals should match clearly to one of the eight BU Research Challenges:

  • Creative & Digital Economies
  • Culture & Society
  • Entrepreneurship & Economic Growth
  • Environmental Change & Biodiversity
  • Green Economy & Sustainability
  • Health, Wellbeing & Aging
  • Leisure & Recreation
  • Technology & Design.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss potential applications to this funding strand with their Deputy Dean Research or equivalent within their School.

As with the 1st call, the PhD Studentships will be awarded to Supervisory Teams on the basis of a competitive process across the whole of BU led by Professor Matthew Bennett (PVC Research, Enterprise & Internationalization) and managed by the Graduate School.

Applications will be assessed and awards made by a cross University Panel. In selecting proposals for funding, emphasis will be placed on the excellence of the research and quality of proposal in the first instance.  Strategic fit with the REF and Societal Impact will also be assessed. The panel will individually score each proposal and meet formally to select the successful projects.

Only the best projects will be funded and proceed to advert. Full details and criteria are set out in the BU-Studentship-Competition-2013-Final-Policy (Rd2).  Staff are asked to check the eligibility criteria carefully before applying.

Proposals should be submitted on the Studentship-Project-Proposal-2013 (Matched Funding) to the Graduate School (phdstudentshipcompetition@bournemouth.ac.uk) no later than 5pm on Monday 18th March 2013.

All proposals must be completed fully, include all appropriate signatures and be accompanied by a supporting document from the matched funder (letter, email, etc).

Good luck!

Fusion Investment Surgery Sessions – Gain some valuable advice and be inspired!

Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, Funding opportunities, Fusion

 As part of the Fusion in Action conference on Thursday 18 April, the Fusion Investment Surgery drop-in sessions will provide an excellent opportunity to talk about your potential applications to the Fusion Investment Fund (FIF). The FIF scheme reopens in April/May with an application deadline of 3 June, so why not take the opportunity to discuss your ideas and get advice about eligibility and assessment criteria now, as well as gaining inspiration from the showcase of the best of Fusion in Action at BU over the last 12 months!

The conference features a range of engaging presenters and two of these will be discussing their successful FIF bids so it’s a fantastic opportunity to find out more from those with the knowledge.

The following committee members will be on-hand with advice about the different funding schemes and how to ensure your applications have the best possible chance of being successful:

Study Leave – Debbie Sadd

Staff Mobility & Networking – Feng Tian

Co-Creation and Co-Production – Hong Bui and Richard Scullion

Book now to attend the conference (via the Staff Development Webpage) and come along for this great opportunity to learn more about how you can get involved and secure funding for activities that matter to you!

Fusion in Action Conference:

On Thursday 18 April, Kimmeridge House

Begins at 12pm with a networking lunch

Ends at 5pm with wine and nibbles

Presentations, posters, drop-in sessions and a Q&A Panel

Hosted by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Tim McIntyre-Bhatty and Chief Operating Officer Jim Andrews

Bookings are essential

Seminar on Autonomous Systems & Robotics for Future Cities

BU research

We would like to invite you to our next Software Systems Research Centre seminar given by Prof. Carsten Maple on “Autonomous Systems & Robotics for Future Cities”

Room: P410 (Poole House, Talbot Campus)

Time: 14:00 – 15:00

Date: Friday, 15-March-2013

Title: Autonomous Systems & Robotics for Future Cities

Abstract. Autonomous and robotic systems provide technical aids in the modern living environment. Considerable effort and investment have been made in blending sensing, control and feedback, user interfaces, information processing and hardware for such systems. This talk will present an overview of the current development. Examples will be demonstrated from research conducted at the University of Bedfordshire through EU funded projects (e.g. shadow robot systems to assist the elderly / disabled at home). Discussions will be made on future perspectives of these systems for modern city life.

Biography.  Professor Carsten Maple is Pro Vice Chancellor – Research and Enterprise, University of Bedfordshire, UK. He graduated with a BSc in mathematics and a PhD in numerical analysis from the University of Leicester. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS) and a Chartered IT Practitioner (CITP).  Professor Maple is editor / guest editor for several international journals such as International Journal of Grid Computing, International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control. He has been chairman for a number of international conferences such as IEEE International Conference on Parallel Computing, International Conference on Information Visualisation, and International Symposium on Applications of Graph Theory. He has been invited to present keynote speeches to various international conferences. He has published over 150 papers internationally. He has been invited to talk on security, syberstalking, robotics and applied computing on UK Parliament, radio and TVs.

 

EUNF award enables research with the University of Ljubljana

BU research, EU

An EU Networking Fund (EUNF) award made to Vanora Hundley will enable research collaboration between Bournemouth University and the University of Ljubljana. Established in 1918 the University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia.

University of LlubljanaThe EUNF award will enable Vanora to travel to Ljubljana to discuss research on the topic of intervention in childbirth; an issue that is challenging many high income countries. The University of Ljubljana has run a midwifery programme since 1996 and currently admits 30 students a year. Research is a core component of midwifery education, as it is in other European institutions including Bournemouth University. However, postgraduate research in midwifery is less common there and it is hoped that this collaboration can strengthen midwifery research in Slovenia.

SILVER – Active ageing: Open call for robotic based pre-commercial solutions

BU research, EU, Funding opportunities

In the European Union, countries are facing tough times in the health and elderly care sector: while populations age and require more care services, countries are under pressure to make these services more cost efficient and effective. The pan-European SILVER project (Supporting Independent LiVing for the Elderly through Robotics) aims to demonstrate how public services can be rejuvenated by procuring R&D services that will develop higher quality and more sustainable elderly care solutions.   

The SILVER project searches for new, innovative ways to acquire public sector health services by utilizing a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) process designed for optimally matching R&D with procurers’ needs. The goal is to find new technologies to assist elderly people’s ability to continue living independently at home. By the use of robotics or other related technologies, the elderly are able to enjoy homelife even if they have physical or cognitive disabilities.

 Registrations for the competition can be made via the SILVER webpage at www.silverpcp.eu/call-for-tender/registration

 SILVER (Supporting Independent LiVing for the Elderly through Robotics) is a research and development project to establish and to execute a Pre-Commercial Procurement process suitable for the conditions for cross-border project implementation across several EU countries. It is funded by the European Union under the ICT cooperation part of the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7). The project started in January 2012 and will run for 51 months. SILVER has partners in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and United Kingdom.

 Status: OPEN

Open Date: 1st March 2013

Registration Close Date: 5th June 2013

Close Date: 12th June 2013

Website: www.silverpcp.eu/

e-mail: competitions@silverpcp.eu

Phone number: +44(0) 300 321 4357

Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarships 2013 – now available

BU research, Funding opportunities, PG research

We are delighted to announce the launch of the 2013 Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarships which will offer support to up to 25 outstanding postgraduate research students.  The VC PhD Scholarships will provide a full fee waive for up to 36 months in the case of full-time students and exceptionally 48 months in the case of part-time students.  Stipends (to cover living expenses) are not included in the scholarships and these must be provided by the student themselves or by a sponsor. 

This Scholarship programme will open on 4 March 2013 and will roll until 31 July 2013.  There are up to 25 scholarships available, which are nominally split between the 6 Academic Schools and Schools can take up more or less than their allotted share.  There is no requirement for a School to accept candidates.

The focus of the VC PhD Scholarships is on the outstanding nature of the candidate who must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • All candidates must demonstrate truly outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in 3 years full-time or 4 years part-time.
  • All candidates must satisfy the University’s minimum doctoral entry criteria for studentships of an honors degree at Upper Second Class (2:1) and/or an appropriate Masters degree or equivalent.
  • An IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum (or equivalent) is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.

In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful and timely completion.  It is important to consider that in most cases the interpretation of ‘truly outstanding’ is likely to be those candidates with a First Class (Hons) degrees and/or a distinction at Masters, with clear documented evidence of drive, commitment and relevant skills.

Only the most outstanding candidates will be supported.  Full details and criteria are set out in the BU VC Scholarship 2013 Policy. Staff are asked to check the eligibility criteria carefully before nominating. 

The VC PhD Scholarship process will be managed and overseen by the Graduate School but administered through the Academic Schools.

The VC PhD Scholarships applications (available on the Graduate School website from Monday 4 March 2013) should be submitted to the relevant School Research Administrator at any time but no later than 31 July 2013.

Media School team wins US grant for CSR research

Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, Featured academics, REF Subjects, Research news, Research themes, Uncategorized

A three-member Media School research team has been awarded a grant for research into Corporate Social Responsibility communication amongst employees.

Dr Tasos Theofilou, Dr Georgiana Grigore and Prof Tom Watson (L-R) gained the grant from the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, a research center at the Penn State College of Communications.

They will be conducting a study in the UK and Romania to link with a previous study undertaken in Greece by Dr Theofilou. The study supports travel and the employment of research assistants for research in summer this year. Prof Watson, the project PI, has been named as a Page Legacy Scholar for 2013.

“Within the Media School’s Public Relations Research Group (the PRRes Gang), there is considerable expertise in CSR,” said Prof Watson.

“Dr Grigore is an organiser of an international CSR conference to be held at BU in the autumn, whilst Dr Theofilou is pioneering research into harnessing ‘scepticism’ as a factor in developing effective CSR communication within corporate organisations.

“This grant is very positive recognition of BU’s standing internationally within public relations and corporate communications research.”

# Arthur W. Page was a highly respected pioneer of public relations and corporate communications in the US from the late 1920s to the late 1940s at the telecoms giant, AT&T.

(L-R) Dr Tasos Theofilou, Dr Georgiana Grigore and Prof Tom Watson