Join UKRIO for their latest free webinar “Correcting the scholarly record, and dispelling myths around corrections” on Wednesday 20th September from 10:00 – 11:00 BST.
A core part of publication ethics is the correction of published research affected by errors or misconduct.
This webinar aims to explain both the process of fixing errors and misconceptions about corrections, focusing on journal articles, and to answer the questions:
Who decides what needs to be corrected?
What are the responsibilities of editors, journals, research institutions, and authors?
How are corrections done and what form do they take?
How do readers know when work has been corrected?
What are the barriers to correcting the scholarly literature – and, hopefully, the solutions to these problems?
Lead by expert speakers, this session will draw on their experience in handling corrections and developing editorial policies.
Gráinne McNamara, Research Integrity/Publication Ethics Manager, Karger Publishers
As BU subscribes to UKRIO services, UKRIO webinars are free and open to anyone who may be interested in research integrity and ethics, good research practice and improving research culture and misconduct.
To register – please click here (takes you to external website).
England goalkeeper Mary Earps was named player of the match in England’s victory over Nigeria in the Fifa Women’s World Cup. She has played a key role in England’s recent successes, not just at the World Cup but in previous tournaments. Her performances have made her a hero to her fans.
But Earps’ fans are unable to emulate her by wearing a replica of her goalkeeper shirt: it is not being put up for sale by team kit manufacturer Nike. Earps has said that her goalkeeping shirt not being available to buy is “hurtful”, and a petition by fans calling for the shirt to be produced has reached over 35,000 signatures.
We are currently researching the availability of kits for women’s football fans, together with colleague Jess Richards. The merchandise and clothing available to female fans and male fans of women’s teams is often limited, undesirable or just not available.
Or women may feel obliged to buy a shirt that doesn’t fit them if women’s cuts (shirts made to fit the shape of a female torso) of men’s team shirts are unavailable.
Here, we’ve looked at the kits women can buy on the official online stores for six teams to explore some of these issues.
World Cup clothing
The official online store for England football kits currently highlights the women’s home kit on their home page. Fans can buy a men’s cut – a shirt fitted to the shape of a male torso – of the Lionesses’ shirt, including personalised versions with player names on.
But female fans have fewer items available specifically for them in the store. There are no women’s fit versions of the men’s national team jersey.
The same is true for France – men can buy a men’s fit of the women’s team kit, but there is no women’s fit of the men’s team jersey currently available.
In their official online shop the Republic of Ireland offer women the women’s national team jersey in two different fits. They do also have the women’s national team goalkeeper kit for sale. However, the men’s team shirts are available in both long and short sleeved versions, but the women’s team shirts only come with short sleeves.
The online store for Canada Soccer also features the women’s kit prominently, but the high-end “authentic jersey” is only available for the men’s team, and only in men’s sizes. A women’s fit of the men’s jersey is not available at all.
US soccer fans hoping to emulate women’s team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher are currently only able to buy outfield shirts with her name on it on the official kit website. The only goalkeeper jersey on offer is for the men’s national team and it is only available in a men’s fit. The store has many more items for men than for women, even for products replicating the women’s national team kit.
In 2020 in Australia the away version of the Matildas’ kit, produced by Nike, was not initially available in a women’s cut. Football Australia now has equal availability in terms of the replica jerseys and there are more items for women than for men. But the replica shirts that are currently available for the men’s team are only offered in men’s sizes.
Buying merchandise and especially replica shirts is important to fans. It is a way to show loyalty to a team and helps to develop a sense of identity.
The fan clothing worn by women can affect whether they feel they are considered as “authentic” fans. Sporting culture continues to be dominated by men.
Subtle differences in how women’s sport is treated, such as those we have found here, show that women are still disadvantaged. It is important that fans continue to push for equal opportunities on and off the pitch.
Congratulation to Dr. Rachel Arnold and her Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health research team on the publication yesterday of their paper ‘I might have cried in the changing room, but I still went to work’. Maternity staff balancing roles, responsibilities, and emotions of work and home during COVID-19: An appreciative inquiry [1]. This paper focuses on how to support staff and enhance their well-being in a small UK maternity service. The underpinning methodological approach is appreciative inquiry using interviews with 39 maternity staff and four group discussions exploring meaningful experiences, values and factors that helped their well-being.
The key findings are that maternity staff members were highly motivated, managing a complex melee of emotions and responsibilities including challenges to professional confidence, mental health, family situation, and conflict between work-life roles. Despite staff shortages, a demanding workload, professional and personal turmoil, and the pandemic participants still found meaning in their work and relationships. The authors go on to argue for a ‘whole person’ approach, since this approach provided insight into the multiple stressors and emotional demands staff faced. It also revealed staff resourcefulness in managing their professional and personal roles. They invested in relationships with women but were also aware of their limits – the need to be self-caring, employ strategies to switch-off, set boundaries or keep a protective distance. Overall, the paper concludes hat staff’s well-being initiatives, and research into well-being, would benefit from adopting a holistic approach that incorporates home and family with work. Research on emotion regulation strategies could provide insights into managing roles, responsibilities, and the emotional demands of working in maternity services. Emotion regulation strategies could be included in midwifery and obstetric training.
This paper was proceeded by a more methodological paper on the application of Appreciative Inquiry in this study [2].
Dorset Community Action has been commissioned by the Home Office to carry out interviews in support of their Serious Crime Project.
The aim is that this project will add valuable insight and context to wider research and analysis being undertaken to inform a local strategic needs assessment, and ultimately the Dorset Serious Violence Strategy.
The intended outcome from these case studies of victim/survivors of serious violence is to gain a greater understanding of their individual situations:
· Were there certain conditions in place at the time the serious violence happened.
· Was the serious violence a pattern of behaviour, possibly an escalation of behaviour and offending.
· How had being a victim of serious violence impacted on the individual emotionally and physically.
· What pre- and post-offence interventions from services were available, accepted, required;
(or what wasn’t available but needed/wanted)
· How has the overall experience influenced both current and future behaviour.
The participants need to be Dorset residents and over 18.
This latest publication investigates mothers’ perceptions of spatial-physical humanization, affective quality of place, and emotions during childbirth. To achieve this goal, the first part of our work was dedicated to selecting two birth environments (hospital and birth centre) with different degrees of humanization. The rectangular hospital layout is in the drawing above and the circular birth centre layout is shown below (both drawing are from the published paper [1]). The team’s research methods include observations and field survey which mainly concerned the environmental quality of the spaces and the layout of the birth unit, and self-report questionnaire about perceived environment, affective quality attributed to place, and delivery experience. Participants are 66 low-risk women, choosing to give birth in hospital or a birth centre. The findings indicate an enhanced perception of both the spatial-physical aspects and the social and functional aspects of the care unit among mothers who give birth at the birth centre. These same mothers also reported a more positive perception of the childbirth experience. The paper offer greater insight into the role of birth environments in shaping mothers’ emotional experiences during childbirth.
Well done
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMWH
Reference:
Migliorini, L., Setola, N., Naldi, E., Rompianesi, M.C., Iannuzzi, L., Cardinali, P. (2023) Exploring the Role of Birth Environment on Italian Mothers’ Emotional Experience during Childbirth. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,20(15):6529. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156529
Setola, N., Naldi, E., Cocina, G.G., Eide, L.B., Iannuzzi, L., Daly, D. (2019) The Impact of the Physical Environment on Intrapartum Maternity Care: Identification of Eight Crucial Building Spaces. Health Environments Research & Design Journal,12: 67–98.
Setola, N., Iannuzzi, L., Santini, M., Cocina, G. G., Naldi, E., Branchini, L., Morano, S., Escuriet Peiró, R., Downe, S. (2018). Optimal settings for childbirth. Minerva ginecologica, 70(6): 687–699. https://doi.org/10.23736/S0026-4784.18.04327-7
This session is aimed at any researcher who is, who plans to be, a Principal Investigator for an externally funded research or knowledge exchange project.
Topics covered include:
• What is post award?
• Roles and responsibilities
• Systems
• Key policies
• Starting your awarded project
• Making changes to your project and reporting
• Hints and tips
By the end of the session, attendees will have a strong foundation of what to expect when being responsible for their awarded projects.
The first session is on Talbot campus, on Wednesday 13th September, 14:00-15:00
You can find a suitable date and book your space here: Booking Form
For any queries regarding this workshop, please contact Alex Morrison, Post Award Programme Manager morrisona@bournemouth.ac.uk
The BU Research Staff Association (RSA) is a forum to promote research culture at BU. Research staff from across BU are encouraged to attend to network with others researchers, disseminate their work, discuss career opportunities, hear updates on how BU is implementing the Research Concordat, and give feedback or raise concerns that will help to develop and support the research community at BU.
The Association is run by three leaders, supported by at least two reps from each faculty.
Eligible research staff are those on research-only contracts – fixed-term or open-ended employment (not PTHP/casual contracts).
If you are interested in the FMC rep role, please supply a few words to demonstrate your suitability, interest, availability in relation to the position to Researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk by the 20/09/23.
Please contact your faculty RSA rep to chat about it if you have any queries.
This session is aimed at all academics to provide an overview of the Research & Enterprise Database, including how to access the system, the information available to view, budget management via RED, and how to use RED to identify your supporting pre and post award officers.
The first, online session is on Tuesday 12th September, 15:30-16:00 and it will be repeated on a monthly basis.
Recently, Dr. Lai Xu, the joint coordinator Dr. Paul de Vrieze of the EU H2020 FIRST (Virtual Factories: Interoperation supporting Business Innovation) project, was featured in an interview by Horizon, the EU Research & Innovation Magazine. The interview-related article and a concise video have been published.
The FIRST project, which concluded in December 2022 after a six-year duration, was a substantial undertaking with a budget of 1.2 million Euros and involved eight international partners. It aimed to address the challenges associated with constructing a virtual factory using existing Industry 4.0 frameworks and standards. The project not only explored potential business innovations for manufacturing products, such as integrating business and manufacturing processes for customized products, but also for manufacturing services, like virtual maintenance services.
The scope of the project extended beyond enhancing manufacturing efficiency and empowering SMEs. It also focused on safeguarding the future of European manufacturing by preventing the theft of advanced technologies. The consortium driving the FIRST project is comprised of partners with robust expertise in computer science and information systems, some of whom possess mechanical engineering proficiency. Additionally, the consortium includes two software vendors from Germany and China, along with a traditional manufacturing facility.
The number of people using food banks in the UK has increased from 26,000 in 2008-09 to more than 100 times that in 2023. Nearly one in five British households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in September 2022.
In the financial year to April 2023, Trussell Trust, the largest (but not the only) network of food banks in the UK, distributed emergency food parcels to nearly three million people.
Food banks provide free, pre-prepared parcels of food to those most in need. They have provided a great deal of support for low-income families, especially during the cost of living crisis.
However, they are not perfect. Food banks offer people little choice, are dependent on unreliable supply chains. Research has also shown that people who use food banks often experience shame and stigma when doing so.
My research, with colleague Heather Hartwell at Bournemouth University, has found a viable alternative. Community markets selling food and household items at subsidised rates to all could be a sustainable solution to the problems with existing food support programmes.
Food banks rely heavily on donations. But rising food prices means even would-be donors are struggling to buy that extra can of beans and other items. Beneficiaries of food banks also told us that parcels were mostly made up of dried, tinned and processed foods.
While it is important that parcels have a long shelf life, people experiencing food poverty want a choice of fresh and frozen food items, including meat. The constraints in the range and quality of food available are also associated with health problems such as diabetes, asthma and obesity.
Food banks also do not empower people who use them to become self-sufficient. Rather, they often result in long-term reliance on food aid. Hence, food banks offer temporary relief from hunger without addressing the bigger issues that lead to food insecurity.
Community markets
Community markets operate differently to food banks. They are open to everyone in the local community, regardless of income level, and provide a range of food choices along with other items such as school uniforms and toiletries.
We interviewed 38 people who regularly used or were involved in the operation of these programmes in the UK. Through these discussions, we assessed how well community markets address the challenges of food security, and found that they are a possible solution to the limitations of food banks and parcel distribution.
Community markets do not solely rely on donations from the public or businesses. They pay a subscription to charity networks such as FareShare, which provide the market with items in bulk, which are sold to the community at a subsidised rate. All revenue from sales is reinvested to pay for future bulk purchases.
People with low incomes who shop at community markets told us they enjoyed having food at affordable food prices and felt a stronger sense of autonomy, and being part of the community. They did not feel their reliance on food support was a barrier to being part of society. As one person said:
I very much prefer being able to choose my food instead of being given parcels. … It just feels dignified to be able to pay for goods, even if it is at subsidised rates, and then being able to choose what I want based on what I would like to eat.
These markets can be used by people from across the community, including those on a higher income. People who were more well-off told us they wanted to shop at the markets because they felt they were giving back, spending their money to be reinvested in the programme:
I thought that people who would come to the market … would be very needy, not only financially but mentally as well but it isn’t like that … I like shopping here because the money I pay is invested back into the community.
Additionally, community markets serve as a hub, offering organised group activities and services for people, such as cooking and gardening classes, yoga and sewing. Through these activities, the community markets are tackling loneliness and other health issues – not just hunger.
Community markets are economically self-sufficient. They use revenue generated from selling products at subsidised rates to subscribe to charitable food surplus redistribution organisations. This financial independence sets them apart from food banks, which often rely on grants. They can also be environmentally sustainable, actively reducing food waste and their carbon footprint by redistributing surplus food to local emergency services and farms.
As more people rely on food aid, it’s important that local councils and national governments support alternatives to food banks. For the family struggling to fill the fridge or the student coping with higher rent, our findings show community markets could be of significant help, while allowing people to maintain their dignity and be part of their community.
We are collecting details of all events for external audiences that took place between 1 August 2022 – 31 July 2023
Thank you to everyone who has already provided information via the SharePoint site. The form will stay open for you to add your activities until Friday 29 September 2023.
This data forms part of BU’s annual Higher Education – Business & Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey and is used to calculate our Higher Education Innovation Funding grant. It also feeds into our submission to the Knowledge Exchange Framework so it is really important for us to provide a full and accurate picture of all our public engagement.
Which events do I need to report?
Public lectures & talks
Performance arts (music, dance, drama etc)
Exhibitions (galleries, museums etc)
Museum education
Media engagement (TV/radio interviews, podcasts etc)
If you’re not sure if your event is eligible for inclusion, the SharePoint site includes further details and guidance.
All events that were part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022, Online Public Lecture Series and Café Scientifique have been collated on your behalf centrally, so there is no need to add these.
What data is collected?
We collect a wider range of data than is required for HE-BCI, for additional external and internal reporting, e.g. HEIF Annual Monitoring Statement and Athena Swan. For the purposes of the HE-BCI survey, you must record the following:
Event dates – to ensure eligibility
Whether the event or activity was free or chargeable
Number of attendees (or views/visitors)
Amount of staff time in hours needed for delivery.
Without this specific data, we will not be able to include your event in the survey.
We are excited to announce that theDevelopment fund from the British Academy Early Career Research Network in the South West is now open.
Development fund (rolling call): This fund provides the opportunity for ECRs to hold an event, roundtable, meeting or training activity, which promotes networking, collaboration, knowledge sharing or develops skills throughout the region, and can be extended to the wider ECR network if appropriate.
ECRs can claim a total of £3000 towards their activities which will need to be paid for by their institution and then expensed back to the BA.
This year’s BA ECRN seed funding and development fund call is now live.
We are pleased to announce of the next round of seed funding for ECRs in the South West. The aim of this scheme will be to create and support new cross-sector research partnerships and offer the funding to support ECR career development.
These small awards (of up to £3K) will support the direct costs associated with activities that support new research, the development of new stakeholder relationships, broadening knowledge of a sector, future career options or accessing resources and facilities.
British Academy Seed Fund SW Hub bids will need a e-ITB to be completed 4 weeks before the deadline so the relevant FDO can open a RED ID, prep a costing and send off the approval request to the Faculty, before the PI can submit.
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
How can we shape a better future for ourselves and the planet? Join us on Tuesday 5 September 6:30-8pm for an evening of inspiring talks and discussions with postgraduate researchers from Bournemouth University, all currently working towards their PhDs, who will share their insights and perspectives.
From patient safety and experience, to medical device reprocessing and recycling, these speakers will challenge you to think critically and creatively about the future we want to create. This event is free and open to all, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage with the speakers and other attendees.
Patient feedback for improving NHS care by Sarah Chessell, PhD researcher in Health and Social Care. How can we ensure that patients receive the best possible care and experience in health and social care settings? Sarah will discuss how near-real time patient feedback can be used to create a culture of responsibility and challenge, with staff being able to respond and act positively to patients’ needs and preferences.
Reprocessing single use medical devices: a sustainable solution for the NHS? by Matthew Edge, PhD researcher in Bournemouth University Business School. How can we reduce the environmental impact of medical devices that are used once and then thrown away? Matthew will present research on reprocessing single use medical devices, a practice that involves re-sterilising, repairing and repackaging them for reuse.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talks start at 6:30pm, the café will be open early so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
If you have any questions about this event, or you’re interested in getting involved with a future Café Sci event, please email the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
The Institute of Medical Imaging and Visualisation (IMIV) has re-opened its call for applications for the IMIV MRI Research Project Scheme 2023.
Under the scheme, imaging research projects can apply for up to 100 hours of scanning time on the IMIV’s state-of-the-art 3T Siemens Lumina MRI scanner.
The focus of the scheme is on multi-disciplinary and cross-institutional projects, and priority will be given to projects with a clinical partnership.
All research projects must have a Bournemouth University researcher as lead or co-lead applicant.
Projects must be able to demonstrate how they will lead to peer-reviewed academic outputs and external funding applications for further MR imaging studies.
Please note: the award does not cover any additional expenses related to scanning, or other aspects of the project.
Against the backdrop of the Women’s World Cup, the Sport & Physical Activity Centre (SPARC) hosted the Women’s World Cup (WWC) Forum on July 17th.
Featuring presentations from Dr Beth Fielding-Lloyd (Sheffield Hallam University), Anika Leslie-Walker (Nottingham Trent University) and Dr Rafaelle Nicholson (Faculty of Media & Communication, BU), the forum set out to explore the contemporary nature of women’s football and how academic work aligns to the apparent pace of growth. Attendees were invited back the following day and spent a productive day unpacking issues raised at the Forum and explored potential areas for further academic exploration.
One week prior to the event, former England International Karen Carney, authored an Independent Report for DCMS, titled Raising the Bar: Re-Framing the Opportunity in Women’s Football. The report offers a comprehensive review of the growth opportunities for the game at professional and grassroots level, but also highlights the significant challenges facing the game. The report, and indeed the SPARC Forum, invited us to look behind the mask of the landmark event and how narratives of ‘progress’ at such landmark events (attendances, media interest, coverage, taglines: the WWC for example is branded ‘Beyond Greatness’) can present a false picture of progress, highlight myths of women’s empowerment and indeed mask new/existing expressions of power.
In particular, discussion at the Forum focussed on developing a sustainable and inclusive fan base for the game (beyond landmark fixtures, average Women’s Super League (WSL) attendance stands at 2,800), funding and diversity issues within the talent pathway, safe fan experience/spaces (marked by religion, gender and race), gender pay disparities, the lessons of prior mergers and governance structures, and broadcasting rights (the UK’s domestic broadcasters offered just 8% of that which they paid for the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar) and media representations (that oft tended to reinforce, as opposed to challenge, dominant gender power relations). Indeed, and even as the Forum was in full-swing, the Australian team (The Matildas) broadcast a video highlighting pay disparities, the England team expressed their disappointment over a lack of agreement over their bonuses, figures from the Carney report suggested that 71% of attendees at WSL games reported their experience was ‘short of expectation’, and highlighted that there exists a significant lack of understanding of minority ethnic fans.
As the women’s game grows and transitions from a Football Association-owned entity to a new independently owned management structure (currently named New Co.) this is indeed an exciting time for women’s football. However, the Forum & workshop reinforced the need to peek behind the shiny spectacle of the World Cup and address some of the challenges that continue to be faced in the development of a sustainable, equitable and inclusive ‘product’. After two long, yet productive, days participants left with a compelling commitment to engage with key stakeholders and undertake a programme of work that aims to address inequalities in the game and influence policy, practice and strategy.
ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence (AI) platform launched by research company Open AI, can write an essay in response to a short prompt. It can perform mathematical equations – and show its working.
ChatGPT is a generative AI system: an algorithm that can generate new content from existing bodies of documents, images or audio when prompted with a description or question. It’s unsurprising concerns have emerged that young people are using ChatGPT and similar technology as a shortcut when doing their homework.
But banning students from using ChatGPT, or expecting teachers to scour homework for its use, would be shortsighted. Education has adapted to – and embraced – online technology for decades. The approach to generative AI should be no different.
The UK government has launched a consultation on the use of generative AI in education, following the publication of initial guidance on how schools might make best use of this technology.
In general, the advice is progressive and acknowledged the potential benefits of using these tools. It suggests that AI tools may have value in reducing teacher workload when producing teaching resources, marking, and in administrative tasks. But the guidance also states:
Schools and colleges may wish to review homework policies, to consider the approach to homework and other forms of unsupervised study as necessary to account for the availability of generative AI.
While little practical advice is offered on how to do this, the suggestion is that schools and colleges should consider the potential for cheating when students are using these tools.
Nothing new
Past research on student cheating suggested that students’ techniques were sophisticated and that they felt remorseful only if caught. They cheated because it was easy, especially with new online technologies.
But this research wasn’t investigating students’ use of Chat GPT or any kind of generative AI. It was conducted over 20 years ago, part of a body of literature that emerged at the turn of the century around the potential harm newly emerging internet search engines could do to student writing, homework and assessment.
We can look at past research to track the entry of new technologies into the classroom – and to infer the varying concerns about their use. In the 1990s, research explored the impact word processors might have on child literacy. It found that students writing on computers were more collaborative and focused on the task. In the 1970s, there were questions on the effect electronic calculators might have on children’s maths abilities.
In 2023, it would seem ludicrous to state that a child could not use a calculator, word processor or search engine in a homework task or piece of coursework. But the suspicion of new technology remains. It clouds the reality that emerging digital tools can be effective in supporting learning and developing crucial critical thinking and life skills.
Get on board
Punitive approaches and threats of detection make the use of such tools covert. A far more progressive position would be for teachers to embrace these technologies, learn how they work, and make this part of teaching on digital literacy, misinformation and critical thinking. This, in my experience, is what young people want from education on digital technology.
Children should learn the difference between acknowledging the use of these tools and claiming the work as their own. They should also learn whether – or not – to trust the information provided to them on the internet.
The educational charity SWGfL, of which I am a trustee, has recently launched an AI hub which provides further guidance on how to use these new tools in school settings. The charity also runs Project Evolve, a toolkit containing a large number of teaching resources around managing online information, which will help in these classroom discussions.
I expect to see generative AI tools being merged, eventually, into mainstream learning. Saying “do not use search engines” for an assignment is now ridiculous. The same might be said in the future about prohibitions on using generative AI.
Perhaps the homework that teachers set will be different. But as with search engines, word processors and calculators, schools are not going to be able to ignore their rapid advance. It is far better to embrace and adapt to change, rather than resisting (and failing to stop) it.
An association run by BU researchers from all faculties who want to make BU a great place to work and do research. We aim to ensure that researchers are supported to realise their full potential and to develop and produce research of the highest quality. (There are Research Staff Associations throughout UK universities and one of our BU RSA representatives is also a member of the UK RSA).
Who is it for?
Almost everyone! Postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, research assistants as well as anyone else who is actively engaged in research (or planning to be): postgraduate researchers; staff on teaching and research, or teaching contracts; clinicians; professional support staff; technicians.
What are our aims?
To help make BU a great place for researchers to work and progress in their careers.
To support BU researchers to produce excellent research by enabling them to thrive, personally and professionally through informal peer support / friendship with other researchers and encouraging BU to provide
a well-designed induction
a caring and helpful mentor
support to develop research and professional skills
increased job security
a university culture of inclusion, kindness, care, and support
opportunities to network, collaborate, share, and learn
How do we do that?
We support researchers through:
Signposting you to the BU teams or individuals who can help you with issues such as: employment and contracts, work conditions, fairness and equity, discrimination, unions, professional development, careers advice, support for mental health and well-being.
Offering peer support – opportunities to meet, socialise, network, share ideas, and collaborate with researchers from different faculties. We run informal online get-togethers and coffee mornings in faculties. We are also developing a series of university-wide events (in partnership with the Early Career Network) on topics such as career progression, funding, wellbeing.
Representing you – raising concerns, lobbying, and advocating for researchers at the:
Research Concordat Steering Group. This group is responsible for helping BU translate the ideals of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers into improved researcher career development and effective policies. The steering group can then highlight responsibilities across university departments from line managers and HR to the Vice Chancellor and the Executive Team.
Faculty Research & Professional Practice Committees (FRPPC) – where we can highlight specific initiatives and the vital role that line managers and senior academics play in facilitating the development of researchers in their department.
University Research & Professional Practice Committee (URPPC) where we can share the combined voice and experiences of research staff to shape the development of University wide research-based policy and procedures.
What do we need to succeed?
You! We need to know what the important issues, concerns, challenges, and aspirations of BU researchers are. We can then try to provide informative sessions which address the issues that are important to you, advocate for change – as well as letting BU know when they are getting it right! We would also like to get to know you and learn from your experiences – doing research can be lonely and being in contact with other researchers enriches our day.
When does the RSA meet?
The RSA meets regularly throughout the year. Everyone is welcome to attend or share issues that you would like raised with your faculty rep
How do I get involved/get in touch with the RSA representative for my faculty?
Join UKRIO for their latest free webinar “Correcting the scholarly record, and dispelling myths around corrections” on Wednesday 20th September from 10:00 – 11:00 BST. 
The BU 
This session is aimed at all academics to provide an overview of the Research & Enterprise Database, including how to access the system, the information available to view, budget management via RED, and how to use RED to identify your supporting pre and post award officers.
We are excited to announce that the
This year’s BA ECRN seed funding and development fund call is now live.
How can we shape a better future for ourselves and the planet? Join us on Tuesday 5 September 6:30-8pm for an evening of inspiring talks and discussions with postgraduate researchers from Bournemouth University, all currently working towards their PhDs, who will share their insights and perspectives.
Postdoc Appreciation Week: Anastasia Vayona
Conversation article: Bidenomics – why it’s more likely to win the 2024 election than many people think
Time for Something New?
Association to Horizon Europe – Agreement in Principle Reached
Webinar – ERC grants 2024
Two papers based on ERASMUS+ exchange