BU Research Blog

21 November 2025

Final day of the ESRC Festival of Social Science

Festival of Learning, Fusion themes, international, PG research, Public engagement, REF Subjects, Student Engagement Edwin van Teijlingen

Saturday 8th November was the final day of the national Festival of Social Sciences (FoSS), which was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Many universities across the Uk organised a wide-ranging set of events. Bournemouth University (BU) organised six events, and on the last day it put up a public-engagement event around its Sonamoni research project at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) building in Poole. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged 6-24 months in Bangladesh, yet it rarely receives the same attention as other global health issues. The Sonamoni project, led by Bournemouth University and the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), is an interdisciplinary collaboration with the University of Southampton, the University of the West of England (UWE), the RNLI, and Design Without Borders (DWB) in Uganda.

This £1.6m project has been made possible thanks to a grant from the UK’s National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme. Sonamoni is in the process of developing practical, community-based solutions to reduce drowning among 6-24 months’ old children.

The FoSS event at the RNLI earlier this month was presented by BU academics John Powell and Edwin van Teijlingen with a major contribution from BU’s PhD student Md. Shafkat Hossain, whose doctoral studies focuses on the local community’s understanding of, and engagement with, the Human-Centred Design element of the Sonamoni project. Prof. van Teijlingen, from BU’s School of Health & Care, introduced the project and he highligthed the harmony between the different social science disciplines of the members of the international research team as well as the interdisciplinary nature of this collaboration. The FoSS event was prepared and supported by BU’s Yasemin Oksel Ferraris and Claire Fenton.

One of the ideas generated by the Sonamoni project, which involves local community involvement at all stages of the study, is a low cost playpen to keep young children save. John Powell MBE outlined the Human-Centred Design process and the eight potential solutions it generated. The FoSS event on the Saturday morning focused particulary on the design stages of the playpen, from concept to a model that could be tested in the field in rural Bangladesh. The colourful first batch of playpens in the photo are ready to be taken to families to be tested in the two field sites. The audience of the FoSS event was particularly interested ways the researchers in Bangladesh managed to get and keep the community involved in this very applied research.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health

20 November 2025

ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Application Deadline Friday 12 December

Funding opportunities ballen

Research Culture & Community Grant – Relaunch with dedicated ECR Funding

Following the success of the Doctoral College Research Culture & Community Grant for our PGR community, we are excited to announce a new funding strand specifically for Early Career Researchers.

This is your opportunity to secure dedicated funding to develop your ideas, build essential collaborations, and grow professionally within BU’s research environment.

We have set aside grants to support ECR-led social and/or academic events. Whether it is a social mixer, a focused training workshop, or a creative new initiative, we want to empower you to enhance the BU research culture and community.

Which stream is right for your idea?

We have two dedicated streams to support a diverse range of activities:

Stream 1: Researcher Development

This stream supports the organisation of skills-focused workshops, events, or initiatives designed to build research capacity.

Grants Available: Up to £500 per activity
Examples: Specialised research methods workshops, inviting an external guest speaker, or dedicated academic writing sessions.

Stream 2: Research Culture & Community

This stream supports initiatives focused on community building, well-being, or social activities that enhance the overall research culture at BU.

Grants Available: Up to £300 per activity.
Examples: Cultural and social events, or activities specifically designed to enhance researcher well-being.

Key Terms & Conditions

Please review the following terms before submitting your application:

One Activity Limit: No ECR should be the primary organiser of more than one activity.

Community Reach: Activities should be engaging and made available to the full PGR community.

Commitment: Organisers must be committed to promoting, delivering, and evaluating their activity.

Timeline: Activities must take place and be invoiced before 31 July 2026.

Originality: Activities should not duplicate those already on offer elsewhere within the Doctoral College or wider University.

Match Funding: Contributions from other sources are welcome to complement the Doctoral College grant.

Non-Retrospective: Funding will not be offered for activities that have already taken place.

Ready to apply?

If you would like to discuss your ideas before submitting your application, we encourage you to get in touch. Please contact Enrica Conrotto, Researcher Development Manager at researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

The closing date for all applications is 4pm, Friday 12 December 2025

Apply here

We look forward to seeing your ideas and supporting you in shaping the future of community and development at BU.

The Researcher Development and Culture Team

17 November 2025

Register now to attend the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Wednesday 3 December 2025

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Register now to attend the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Join us for a day of showcasing some of the excellent research taking place across BU by our postgraduate research community. This event provides a platform for our postgraduate researchers to present their research, share insights, and engage in meaningful discussions with peers, university colleagues, and external partners.

Date & Time: Wednesday 3 December, 9am-4:30pm

Location: Fusion Building, Talbot Campus

This year, the Poster Exhibition will take place in FG04 & FG06, Fusion Building, with viewings taking place in the morning and during the lunch break. Oral presentations hosted in Share Lecture Theatre in the Fusion Building.

Read the full brochure here

Whether you’re a researcher, academic, colleague, or just interested in the cutting-edge work happening at BU find out more and book your place here

14 November 2025

SPROUT: Embedding Sustainability in Doctoral Research Practice

PG research ballen

Join us for the first SPROUT network event of 2025/26 – a collaborative session between Bournemouth, Cardiff, and Durham Universities exploring how sustainability and impact can be embedded in doctoral research practice.

We’re delighted to invite postgraduate researchers and early career researcher to the first SPROUT event of the 2025/26 academic year.

SPROUT the Sustainability and Postgraduate Research Network is a collaboration between Bournemouth University, Cardiff University, and Durham University. The network aims to explore how sustainability and impact can be embedded within our research practices, collaborations, and everyday academic lives.

Event Overview

Date: Wednesday 19 November 2025
Time: 1-2pm
Format: Online (via Microsoft Teams) and in person at INSPIRE, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole BH12 5BB
Host University: Bournemouth University
Organisers: BU academic and PGR leads, in collaboration with Cardiff & Durham Universities
Theme: Personal and Institutional Sustainability: Embedding Sustainable Practice in Doctoral Research
Open to: Doctoral and early career researchers across all disciplines

About the Event

Join the SPROUT hybrid event, a new network uniting BU, Durham, and Cardiff Universities to embed sustainability and impact in research collaboration.

This interactive one-hour session explores how sustainability can shape both our research and our daily practices as postgraduate and early career researchers. Together, we’ll consider:

What does sustainability mean personally, institutionally, and academically?
How can we make our research processes more sustainable and ethical?
What practical steps can we take as a community?

Meeting Objectives

Reintroduce the SPROUT network for the 2025/26 academic year
Explore how sustainability can be understood and practised at personal, institutional, and research levels
Create space for doctoral and early career researchers to share experiences and connect
Promote opportunities for participation and leadership in future SPROUT events

Why Attend?

If you’re a doctoral or early career researcher interested in embedding sustainability and ethical practice into your research, this session offers:

A chance to connect with peers across three UK universities
Inspiration on integrating sustainability into your research and everyday academic activities
A collaborative space to share experiences, challenges, and ambitions for more sustainable research cultures

How to Join

Participation is free, but registration is required – please sign up via [SPROUT: Embedding Sustainability in Doctoral Research Practice Tickets, Wed 19 Nov 2025 at 13:00 | Eventbrite].
After registering, online attendees will receive a Teams link by email.

For further information, please contact Dr Tahani Mohamed at tmohamed@bournemouth.ac.uk.

We look forward to seeing you at the first SPROUT event of the new academic year and to working together to embed sustainability in doctoral research practice.

7 November 2025

Join the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Wednesday 3 December 2025

Knowledge Exchange, PG research ballen

17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference: Register now

Register now to attend the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Join us for a day of showcasing some of the excellent research taking place across BU by our postgraduate research community. This event provides a platform for our postgraduate researchers to present their research, share insights, and engage in meaningful discussions with peers, university colleagues, and external partners.

Date & Time: Wednesday 3 December, 9am-4:30pm

Location: Fusion Building, Talbot Campus

This year, the Poster Exhibition will take place in FG04 & FG06, Fusion Building, with viewings taking place in the morning and during the lunch break. Oral presentations hosted in Share Lecture Theatre in the Fusion Building.

Whether you’re a researcher, academic, colleague, or just interested in the cutting-edge work happening at BU find out more and book your place here

The detailed programme will be available soon.

4 November 2025

Exciting Opportunities for Early Career Researchers

Knowledge Exchange, Training ballen

We are delighted to share upcoming events from the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (BA ECRN) Southwest & South Wales cluster. These are fantastic opportunities for networking, skill development, and engaging with key topics relevant to ECRs in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

SWSW Connect Online Community Meeting: Research Culture and Excellence Frameworks

Date & Time: Tuesday 11 November, 12-1pm

This is a monthly online meeting for ECRs in the humanities and social sciences. It is a space to network, share knowledge, and support each other across the region. November’s session will focus on how ECR research can contribute to the research culture environment and to key UK frameworks: Research Excellence (REF), Knowledge Exchange (KEF), and Teaching Excellence (TEF).

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

Reaching Out: Forming Interdisciplinary Connections

Date: Tuesday 18 November, 10am-4pm

Location: University of Exeter

This in-person workshop is for ECRs who want to work together on research projects that cross different disciplines. The goal is to teach ECRs how to find partners, start these interdisciplinary projects, and gain better insights and funding advice from experienced researchers.

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

Development Fund Workshop: The Impact of the ‘Impact Agenda’

Date & Time: Thursday 27 November, 10:30am-5:30pm

Location: The British Academy, London

This workshop will examine the effect of the ‘impact agenda’ on the professional development and career paths of ECRs in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. It will bring together ECRs, senior academics, and policy actors to develop practical recommendations for improving impact training and career progression.

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

SWSW Webinar Series

The SWSW Webinar Series brings monthly knowledge and skill-based content from engaging expert speakers.

Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation

Date & Time: Thursday 4 December, 11am-12pm

Directors of the University of Exeter’s SHArD 3D Lab will present an overview of successful Knowledge Exchange initiatives. They provide specialised training, workshops, and research solutions for the heritage and emergency services sectors. The presentation highlights insights from their experience in departmental business engagement and impact leadership.

Register on the BA ECRN Portal to find out more and book

Research Impact Culture: AHRC and ESRC Impact Accelerator Accounts

Date & Time: Friday 5 December, 10am-12pm

This workshop introduces Impact Accelerator Accounts (IAA): research council funds provided to universities to develop a research impact culture. The session will cover the concept of research impact, examples of IAA-supported projects, and the aims of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) IAA programmes. Participants will learn about available internal IAA support and funding to help researchers translate their work into real-world impact.

Find out more and book here

Stay Connected

We encourage all Early Career Researchers to join the BA ECRN Portal and ECRN platform for continuous updates on events, funding opportunities, and other resources relevant to your career development.

Our Researcher Development Hub is now available as your dedicated space to easily find resources and development opportunities for your research career stage.

24 October 2025

Don’t miss our Researcher Social – 3C Event: Research Culture, Community & Cake Wednesday 12 November 3-4 pm

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Don’t miss our researcher social taking place on Wednesday 12 November from 3-4 pm.

The Doctoral College is excited to invite all members of BU’s Research Community for this informal social. If you are looking for a relaxed, easy way to meet new people and chat about your work, this is it.

This is a fantastic opportunity for all researchers to connect, exchange ideas, or even start a new collaboration.

Why you should join us:

This informal forum is the perfect place to:

Meet fellow researchers from across the university.
Share your own research and hear what exciting projects others are working on.
Develop new connections and expand your network.
Ask any questions you might have, especially if you are new to the BU research environment.

Event details

Wednesday 12 November, 3–4 pm
F202, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Complimentary Refreshments

Find out more and register here

We look forward to seeing you there.

If you have any questions about the event, please do get in touch with the Research Development & Culture Team: researcherdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

24 October 2025

BU PhD student attending HIV conference on scholarship

conferences, PG research, student research Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Tom Weeks, PhD student in the Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Sciences at Bournemouth University, who has been awarded a scholarship from Gilead Sciences to attend the 2025 British HIV Association (BHIVA) Conference. His PhD research focuses on HIV stigma in the UK. Tom is supervised by Dr. Pramod Regmi (Principal Academic in International Health) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. The BHIVA conference features key sessions including:

What’s happening in HIV in 2025: New guidelines, new data, and new plans
Towards zero HIV transmission by 2030: Where are we now and where do we go next?

Tom is eager to engage with the latest developments in HIV care and contribute to the ongoing dialogue around stigma reduction and equitable access to treatment.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen & Dr. Pramod Regmi

17 October 2025

Launch your Research into a Deeptech Startup: Conception X Applications are open

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Are you a PhD student, postdoc, or early-career researcher with ground-breaking research you believe could change the world? Now is your chance to turn that vision into a reality. Applications for Conception X are open, offering you a unique opportunity to join Europe’s largest community for entrepreneurial researchers.

The deadline to apply is Tuesday 16 December 2025.

What is Conception X?

Conception X is a UK-based not-for-profit that runs the largest cross-university deeptech venture programme for researchers across Europe. Its core mission is to turn more scientists and engineers into founders, accelerating breakthroughs and building new career pathways for researchers.

Since launching in 2018, Conception X has recruited eight cohorts from 80+ universities across 11 countries, and accelerated success in the deeptech ecosystem:

191 deeptech companies have been built.
The portfolio is valued at £500 million.
Startups have developed everything from vaccines for cancer metastasis to living building materials that absorb carbon.
Successful ventures include quantum drug discovery company Rahko, energy optimisation startup Kapacity.io, and LLM evaluation platform Humanloop.

Research to Real-World Impact

Conception X is designed to fit around your research timeline, helping you translate cutting-edge work into real-world impact. They recognise that not all research is at the same stage, so they offer a two-track approach. This flexible model ensures you can move at a pace that works best for you and your project.

Move Fast: For researchers ready to quickly move toward their first investment raise.
Explore: For those who want to explore research commercialisation at a more measured pace.

BU Success Story: Green Hydrogen Pioneer

Earlier this year, Conception X welcomed Cohort 8, which included BU PhD researcher Shadeepa Karunarathne and his startup, OcenGen.

OcenGen is pioneering green hydrogen production by developing next-generation, low-cost electrocatalysts that can generate hydrogen directly from seawater without costly desalination. This ground-breaking BU research aligns closely with the UK’s Net Zero goals, demonstrating how fundamental science can be quickly translated into practical solutions for global energy challenges.

Find out more

What Conception X Offers

From the moment you join, Conception X provides critical support and unparalleled access:

Connections: You will be connected directly with industry decision-makers and investors.
Funding Opportunities: They help you become eligible for innovation grants, awards, and equity investment.
Support: Gain access to tailored coaching and networking opportunities to build your startup foundation.

For the top-performing founders, there is the chance to pitch directly to the Conception X Angel Syndicate and XTX Ventures, with the potential to receive up to £250k in investment.

A Proven Track Record

Since its launch in 2018, Conception X has championed success in the deeptech ecosystem:

600+ researchers have been supported in launching deeptech startups based on their research.
190+ companies have been created.
These companies have collectively raised £147+ million in early-stage investments and grants.

Your Next Step: Join a Discovery Session

Want to hear directly from people who have gone through the process?

Register for a Discovery Session. It is the perfect opportunity to:

Hear inspiring stories from Conception X alumni.
Learn more about the available pathways.
Get all your questions answered.

Please visit the Conception X website to learn more about the programme, register for a session, and apply when you are ready.

14 October 2025

ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Apply Now

Funding opportunities ballen

Research Culture & Community Grant – Relaunch with dedicated ECR Funding

Following the success of the Doctoral College Research Culture & Community Grant for our PGR community, we are excited to announce a new funding strand specifically for Early Career Researchers.

This is your opportunity to secure dedicated funding to develop your ideas, build essential collaborations, and grow professionally within BU’s research environment.

We have set aside grants to support ECR-led social and/or academic events. Whether it is a social mixer, a focused training workshop, or a creative new initiative, we want to empower you to enhance the BU research culture and community.