Category / Funding opportunities

RBS EnterprisingU competition open to students and graduates

Funding opportunities

The RBS EnterprisingU competition has launched, with £40,000 worth of prizes!

The competition, created by Find Invest Grow and sponsored by RBS Group and LinkedIn, offers a unique online platform for students to “road-test” their business ideas, while building the framework for a professional business plan at the same time.

It is open to students and graduates of the past 5 years:  they don’t have to be economics grads with business experience – anyone can enter. The platform enables students to explore the viability of their business idea, by asking the right questions and building the appropriate framework.

Investors will be reviewing and judging entrants to decide on the 20 semi-finalists who will be selected to attend the training workshops.  The 10 finalists will be pitching their business ideas to a room full of investors,  with the chance of winning prizes of £25,000, £10,000, and £5,000.

The competition is now open, at: http://www.rbsenterprisingu.com

Encourage your students / recent graduates to apply!

The deadline for completed entrants is midnight on the 15th June 2012.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Titular Fellowships – 2012

Funding opportunities

The call for applications for the ACU Titular Fellowships is now open.

The ACU Titular Fellowships provide opportunities for staff from member universities and employees working in industry, commerce or public service in a Commonwealth country to spend periods of time in other member universities or relevant institutions outside their own country. Preference will be given to workers in the following priority subject areas: agriculture, forestry and food sciences, biotechnology, development strategies, earth and marine sciences, engineering, health and related social sciences, information technology, management for change, professional education and training, social and cultural development and university development and management.

A summary of the awards is as follows:

Swansea University Fulton Fellowship

Tenable at Swansea University. Awarded for any of the priority subjects listed above.

Country of Tenure: United Kingdom

 

The Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Fellowship

At least one Fellowship open either to professionally qualified accountants or to established members of university faculties or related fields. Tenable at a Commonwealth university which either provides courses approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, or provides courses in, or closely allied to, business education. Section A of the nomination form may be completed either by the head of the candidate’s firm/company, or by the Executive Head of the proposed host university.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

Wighton Titular Fellowship in Engineering

Open to full-time staff, academic or technical, of engineering departments in any of the developing country universities in membership of the ACU. Intended especially for the enhancement of laboratory teaching capacity.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

The University of Manitoba Fellowship

Tenable at the University of Manitoba. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.

Country of Tenure: Canada

 

The George Weston Limited, Canada, Fellowship

Awarded in agriculture, forestry, and food science/ food technology.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

The University of Oxford Fellowship

Tenable at the University of Oxford. Awarded in any of the priority subject areas listed above.

Country of Tenure: United Kingdom

 

The Jacky McAleer Memorial Fellowship

In memory of Jacky McAleer, a former member of staff of the ACU, and in recognition of her long and outstanding service to the ACU. Awarded in the field of information technology, with priority given to the computerisation of record systems or computer-assisted learning.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

The Gordon and Jean Southam Fellowship

Open to nominees of any of the Canadian universities in membership of the ACU. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

Applications will be considered ONLY if the applicant is approved by the Executive Head (Vice-Chancellor, President or Rector) of a university in ACU membership. The ACU will also consider applications approved by the chief executive officer of a Commonwealth inter-university organisation. Fellowships will be tenable for up to a maximum of six months.

The closing date for applications is 1st June 2012

For further information and details of how to apply, please visit the webpage at http://www.acu.ac.uk/member_services/fellowships_mobility/acu_titular_fellowships or email acuawards@acu.ac.uk

If you are interested in applying then you should discuss your interest with Matthew Bennett, Tim McIntyre-Bhatty or John Vinney in the first instance.

BBSRC – Raising awareness of commercialisation in postgraduate and postdoctoral scientists

Funding opportunities, PG research

 Closing Date for Applications: 25th May 2012

 This is  an exciting opportunity available to postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers* within the plant, microbial and environmental science disciplines, or those with an interest in these fields.

 Building on last year’s success, Syngenta, the world’s largest agribusiness company, are again hosting a Plant, Microbial and Environmental sciences workshop, at their world-class Jealott’s Hill research facility as part of the wider Biotechnology YES programme.

 We are particularly keen to attract teams from the plant, microbial and environmental sciences to this high profile workshop that will provide a unique opportunity for the participants to spend time at a world-class research facility, with the chance to have a look around and meet world-leading scientists. The workshop will have an emphasis on challenges such as:

  •  food security and production in a sustainable environment and using lower levels of inputs such as water, phosphorus and nitrogen;
  •  the effects of climate change on food production;
  •  the effects of global biodiversity collapse on ecosystem services;
  •  the production of liquid fuels without impacting on the environment, more effective strategies to control organisms such as crop pests, pathogenic bacteria and disease;
  •  making technology and marketing concepts to integrate crop protection with seeds more attractive to growers.

YES is an innovative competition aimed at raising awareness of the commercialisation of bioscience research. It is co-organised by the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise & Innovation (UNIEI). As part of the wider national YES programme, we are also currently encouraging applications from teams of bioscientists who wish to enter the 2012 Biotechnology YES and Environment YES competitions.

Entrants form imaginary companies and bid for funding to commercialise their ideas. Through 3-day workshops taking place across the UK this autumn, participants receive training from entrepreneurs, patent lawyers and industry representatives in the business skills necessary to recognise, protect and harness the commercial potential of scientific research outputs.

The culmination of the competition is the preparation and presentation, by each team, of a hypothetical business plan for a new start-up company.  The competition is therefore fully in line with the government’s objective of encouraging economic and social impact and the competition is endorsed by a number of bio-based industries through their sponsorship.  In addition, the winning team of the national Biotechnology YES competition will receive a prize of £1000 and an invitation to the Rice Business Plan Competition in the United States.

Since its launch seventeen years ago, Biotechnology YES has provided entrepreneurial business training for over 3000 researchers from across the UK. In 2010, an independent review of the scheme highlighted that many former participants found YES to be influential in developing their careers, with several starting their own companies and many more becoming business professionals within the bioscience sector. (Review of Biotechnology YES).

 The closing date for entries into this year’s competition is 25 May 2012.

 More information may be found at the website: www.biotechnologyYES.co.uk or those interested in participating may wish to contact Tracey Hassall-Jones (tracey@biotechnologyyes.co.uk). 

 

AHRC seeks applications in Environmental Change and Sustainability

Funding opportunities

Applications for up to £1.5m (full economic cost) are invited under a highlight notice in AHRC’s standard and early career research grants routes. The highlight notice addresses the ‘Environmental Change and Sustainability’ area within the Care for the Future theme and is open until 30th October 2012.

Aims and Scope of the Highlight Notice

The aim of the highlight notice is to encourage collaborative arts and humanities-led research which explores the potential of a temporally inflected lens to provide new insights on the challenges of environmental change and sustainability.

For the purposes of the highlight notice, ‘environmental change’ is defined broadly and includes climate change, environmental hazards, agriculture and food security, water, landscape and natural resources. The issues may be at any environmental scale and be focused geographically anywhere in the globe. ‘Sustainability’ is also defined broadly but with particular reference to inter-generational relationships, and the broader ways in which the past, the present and the future inter-relate, in respect to issues of environmental change. There is no limit to how far back in time (or how far forward in the future) the temporal horizon may reach, but proposals must demonstrate a significant temporal dimension which extends beyond contemporary or near contemporary themes.

More information on the call can be found on the AHRC website and in the call document.

Call for proposals – Places and Local Labour Markets

Funding opportunities

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has issued a call for proposals for a research project which aims to explore the relationship between living in particular places, poverty outcomes and ethnicity by gaining a more in-depth understanding of why it is the case that:

  • Some areas produce better outcomes for ethnic minority groups in general; 
  • Some areas produce poor outcomes for ethnic minority groups in general;
  • Some ethnic minority groups (and groups within them) have different outcomes in different places.

The research will unpick variations in the structure of opportunities within local labour markets, examine the role of local social networks and take a range of other factors into account, including: how local services are organised, the changing economic context, the migration history of different groups, local political structures and issues around housing and mobility.

There is up to £100,000 available for the project, which will last for 8 months.  The proposed start date is May 2012. 

 The submission deadline is 11 April 2012.

Planning on submitting a proposal?  Then you need to contact beth.hurrell@jrf.org.uk by 15 March 2012

Looking for more information?

Do you have a smart idea for using technology at BU?

Funding opportunities

If you’re looking for rapid project funding, pitch your idea on a new JISC website and receive feedback from your peers.

The JISC Elevator is a new beta platform for people to pitch ideas for projects up to £10,000 using video and short descriptions.

Once an idea has been submitted to the site, people working and studying in UK higher and further education will be able to vote if they like the idea.

When an idea receives the target number of votes then JISC will decide whether or not to fund the idea.

Andrew McGregor, who is managing the JISC Elevator, said: “JISC’s remit is to fund cutting edge innovation – so we hope that by creating a different platform for bidding we’ll be able to capture the brainwaves of many more people in colleges and universities, perhaps people who haven’t previously bid for JISC funds.  The voting mechanisms on the Elevator will also allow us to respond directly to what’s important for people in further and higher education.”

The JISC Elevator is open to all kinds of ideas, with suggestions including:

  • Innovate with e-books
  • Start a student led project
  • Open a can of worms – propose a technical project that starts a big conversation in your institution
  • Use gaming principles to improve research or teaching processes
  • Apply work previously funded by JISC to your own situation
  • Create online services to help students make decisions about university
  • Develop cloud solutions to account for and monitor cloud security

For details on what kinds of idea JISC are looking for please see the submission criteria.

Successful projects will be notified in April and expected to complete by the end of July 2012.

Visit the JISC Elevator

Find out about our other funding opportunities

Give your feedback on the JISC Elevator

 

Revised Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Award Criteria

Funding opportunities

KTP diagramThe Technology Strategy Board has made some revisions to the criteria a project has to meet in order to receive a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant. This has caused some confusion. In order to obtain clarification, Neil Grice, the local Adviser visited the University last week for a meeting with School representatives.

Listed below are the current key award criteria:

  • Project is for the development of a company capability, not a product.
  • On completion, the company is left with a legacy, e.g. a new capability or process.
  • Innovative – leading edge knowledge is transferred to the company. Can’t be done by employing consultants, needs research.
  • Impact – the project makes a significant difference to the company which would not have happened without the KTP. University also receives significant results.
  • Challenge – Stretching for University and company.
  • Fits in with company strategy.
  • Company is financially sound.
  • Science and technology focussed. Difficult to obtain awards for social care, marketing and business development projects.
  • Awards are most likely to be granted for projects with small/medium sized organisations.

 

If you require any further information on KTPs in general please contact Peter Delgado, Commercialisation and KTP Officer, e-mail – pdelgado@bournemouth.ac.uk

Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarship

Funding opportunities, PG research

We are delighted to announce the launch of the 2012 Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive Scholarships) which will offer support to up to 60 outstanding postgraduate research students.  The 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 1 March 2012 and will roll until 30 June 2012.  There are up to 60 scholarships available, which are nominally split evenly between the 6 Academic Schools.  However, individual schools may take up more or less than their allocated 10 scholarships as available.  There is no requirement for a School to accept candidates.

The focus of the Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) 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 First Class (1) and/or an appropriate Masters degree or equivalent .
  • An IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 minimum 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 2012 – Policy document. Staff and potential candidates are asked to check the eligibility criteria carefully before applying. 

The scholarships will be awarded, via the process set out below, to candidates who meet the eligibility criteria, have the support of their supervisory teams, are accepted by the relevant Academic School and must be approved by the School’s Dean and UET.  The process will be managed by the Graduate School.  The Vice-Chancellor Doctoral Scholarships applications (on the appropriate application form downloaded from the Graduate School website from Thursday 1 March 2012) should be submitted to Dr Fiona Knight (Graduate School Academic Manager) no later than 30 June 2012 who will circulate to each School for approval.

JISC offer advice on making your grant application stand out

Funding opportunities

JISC funds a wide range of infrastructure, services, innovative projects and studies.  As competition grows for funds, JISC have offered some advice on successful bidding that can help you make a strong application that stands out from the crowd.  Their advice is worth considering for all grant applications.

Sarah Porter, Director of Innovation at JISC, said:  “We want to attract bids from a wide range of universities and colleges, those that know JISC well and others that might be bidding for the first time or need additional help with their application. We know bidding for funds is a time-consuming process and we are therefore aiming to give organisations the best possible chance of being successful in their applications.”

JISC advice for successful bidding includes:

 

  • Describe how your proposed project meets the criteria set out in the call

 

  • Demonstrate how your idea  is aligned with the objectives of your college or institution, including what buy-in you have from senior management

 

  • Carry out an initial assessment of the risks of undertaking the project – and then mention this in your bid

 

  • Include an initial project plan and show how the project will be managed

 

  • Think ahead – include information about dissemination, embedding and evaluation mechanisms

 

  • Show that your project is sustainable once the funding has ceased – not just financially but also in terms of the skills sets of the people involved, and any data/software preservation

 

  • Go green – show that you have considered the environmental impact of your project, eg. server power and data storage space you need

 

  • Consider the wider benefits of the project  for UK education and research to show that your project is good value for money.  You might think about generating workshops, briefing papers or web pages to help disseminate the findings of your project more widely

 

  • Don’t let your bid fail on the easy stuff: make sure you stick to the page limit and get your bid in on time

 

More information on specifically what JISC are looking for and the funding available can be found on their website.

 

SMART Awards – University as Sub-contractor

Funding opportunities

Pre start-ups, start-ups, and small and medium-sized businesses, from all sectors, may apply to the Technology Strategy Board  for three types of grant :

– Proof of market grant

– Proof of concept grant

– Development of prototype grant

While universities may not apply directly, they may act as a sub-contractor to an applicant. Consequently this is a further source of  funding for business/university collaborations.

The purpose of these awards is to assist businesses engage in research & development projects in the strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology, from which successful new products, processes and services can emerge. 

 The maximum grants vary between £25k and £250K. The Government will fund up to 60% of the project costs.

 For an overview of the SMART programme click here:

For more detail click here:

 

 

NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC)

Funding opportunities

NETSCC is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and was established at the University of Southampton in 2008.

UK government support for medical research is channelled primarily through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). Broadly speaking, the NIHR funds later-phase health research, which has the potential to influence the delivery of healthcare to patients, while the MRC supports basic and early clinical research. (http://www.netscc.ac.uk/)

NETSCC manages four evaluation research programmes:-

EME   – Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme

 Upcoming dates for EME 

  1. Researcher-led workstream deadline for the next round: Friday 9 March 2012 (before 1pm)
  2. Commissioned workstream is now looking for research in Neurodegenerative disorders and       myopathies and also Point of care tests. The deadline for applications is 13 February 2012 (before 1pm)

To find out more about EME, visit http://www.eme.ac.uk/index.asp

HTA    –  NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme 

Upcoming dates for HTA

  1. Commissioned call for proposals now open: Deadline for application is Thursday 9 February 2012 by 1pm.

To find out more about HTA, visit http://www.hta.ac.uk/

PHR    –  NIHR Public Health Research programme

Upcoming dates for PHR

  1. Commissioned Research calls now open
  • Creative enterprises in open access settings, deadline is 23 April 2012 by 1pm
  • Newly licensed drivers, deadline is 23 April 2012 by 1pm

2.   Researcher-led outline call closing date is 2 April 2012 at 1pm. Highlight notices include:

  • Local Sustainable Transport Fund, deadline is 2 April 2012 at 1pm
  • Evidence Synthesis, deadline is 2 April 2012 at 1pm.

For more information about PHR, please visit http://www.phr.nihr.ac.uk/

HS&DR          –  NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme (a merger of the existing programmes HSR and SDO)

Upcoming dates for HS&DR

  1. Researcher-led calls now open, deadline is 15 March 2012 by 1pm; 19 July 2012; and 15 November 2012.
  2. Commissioned-led, open date is February 2012, deadline is 17 May 2012 by 1pm.

For more information about HS&DR, please visit http://www.netscc.ac.uk/hsdr/

If you are interested in applying for any of these funding schemes, please get in touch with the RKE Ops Senior Officers:-

 

UK-India Education & Research Initiative – funding opportunities

Funding opportunities

UKIERI (UK-India Education & Research Initiative) is now accepting proposals for the following strand activities:

Strand 2: Innovation Partnerships
a) UKIERI Thematic Partnerships:
The sub-strand will strengthen engagement and encourage future potential collaborations between the Indian and UK higher education institutions by facilitating collaborations along with promoting and assisting registered PhD students and post-docs in India and the UK to undertake short-term visits to work on research projects. All Indian HEIs which are recognised under the Section 2(f) and 12 B of the UGC Act) can apply.Click here to download the Application form, Guidelines, Financial Sheet and Work Plan.

Deadline: 15 March 2012
 b) DST-UKIERI Thematic Partnerships:
The sub-strand will strengthen engagement and encourage future potential collaborations between the Indian and UK higher education institutions by facilitating collaborations along with promoting and assisting registered PhD students and post-docs in India and the UK to undertake short-term visits to work on research projects. The partnerships will be for Science & Technology projects jointly funded by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and UKIERI under the 5 key subject areas of:

  1. Stem Cell Research and Animal Biotechnology
  2. Next Generation Networks in Telecommunication
  3. Advanced Materials including Nanotechnology
  4. Weather Science and Climate Change
  5. New Energy Technologies including Hydrogen

Click here to download the Application Form, Guidelines, Financial Sheet and Work Plan.
 
Deadline: 15 March 2012
 c) Trilateral Research In Partnership:
The sub-strand aims to support the development of mutually beneficial partnerships between higher education institutions in the UK, US and India. The funds will support the strengthening of PhD students and post-docs in all three countries in developing international team work, problem solving and innovation in research and increasing mobility of PhD students and post-docs between India, the UK and the US.Click here to download the Application Form, Guidelines and Financial Sheet.

Deadline: 13 April 2012

 

Strand 4: Enhancing Mobility
a) UKIERI India UK Staff Exchange Programme
The programme will promote staff exchanges between Higher Education Institutions /Schools/Further Education institutions across India and the UK. The exchanges are valid for up to 4 weeks and should aim to share and deliver best practices on curriculum and pedagogy and learn from each others systems.Click here to download the Application Form and Guidelines.

Deadline: 15 March 2012
 
b) UKIERI India UK Study Missions
This sub strand activity will enhance mobility of students in the two countries through collaborations between UK and Indian Higher Education/Further Education institutions. Joint partnerships will work towards developing, facilitating and managing study tours for students at undergraduate and post graduate level.Click here to download the Application Form, Guidelines, Financial Sheet and Work Plan.

Deadline: 15 March 2012
 
c) Study India Programme
The sub-strand aims to foster mobility of UK students to India to encourage them to undertake further study, work placements or pursue other opportunities in India. Through these student mobility programmes students would gain experience and a greater understanding of culture, education and economy of both countries. The strand also aims to strengthen cultural links between India and the UK by creating mutual opportunities for student mobility.The Study India Programme is supported by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The programme enables school leavers, students from UK universities and colleges to visit India for three / four weeks to gain experience of Indian culture, way of life, people, arts, politics, economy and language which sign post to and may open up opportunities for further study or work in India. The three / four week programme includes a one-week work placement or internship.

Click here to download the TORs

Deadline: 15 March 2012

 

For further details, see the UKIERI website – http://www.ukieri.com/call_for_bids.html

For support in submitting a proposal, contact the RKE Operations team – http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/contact/rke-operations/.

Santander Universities USA programmes 2012

Funding opportunities

For the second year, Santander Universities UK is pleased to be able to inform you of the details about 6 key summer programmes supported by Santander at Harvard, Brown, UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania, with the opportunity to participate being made available to all partner institutions within of our Santander Universities global network.

These initiatives are designed to attract a distinguished audience interested in issues such as global law, sustainability, leadership and research.

Students, alumni and academic staff from your university, as part of the Santander Universities network are eligible for these opportunities, and we believe, with an opportunity like this not to be missed, we would really like to see a strong contingent from UK students and staff benefiting from this support.

US PROGRAMS 2012 

US PROGRAMS 2012

1) BROWN BIARI – Brown – Updated Flyer

Brow International Advanced Research Institutes – BIARI Program Dates:

9th – 23rd June 2012 Deadline for applications: 17th February 2012

The Brown International Advanced Research Institutes (BIARI) is directed to young faculty and professionals from around the world to address pressing global issues through innovative research and pedagogy. The program takes place from June 9th-23rd, 2012.

2) HARVARD IGLP Workshop – Harvard – US PROGRAMS

Harvard Law School – Institute for Global Law&Policy IGLP Workshop

Program Dates: May 30th – June 8th 2012 Deadline for applications: Feb 15th

The Harvard Law School offers the IGLP program: The Workshop is designed for doctoral and post-doctoral scholars and aims to promote innovative ideas and alternative approaches to issues of global law,economic policy and social justice in the aftermath of the economic crisis. The program dates are from May 30th to June 8th 2012.

3) UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA  Trendlab on Sustainability – UPenn – US PROGRAMS

THE WHARTON SCHOOL Trendlab on Sustainability Program Dates: April 9th – 13th 2012 Deadline for applications: March 1st The Pen Lauder CIBER Summer Institute Program

Dates: June 10th – 15th 2012 Deadline for applications: April 16th 2012

Through the Lauder Institute, the University of Pennsylvania offers two programs. One is a workshop and conference from faculty and researchers designed to bring together a group of scholars and policy makers with backgrounds in science, engineering, management, and the social sciences. The program dates are: April 9th-13th, 2012

The other program is the CIBER Summer Institute, which trains educators in curriculum and lesson planning oriented toward professional content and contexts, focusing on a learner-centred approach to business language instruction. This workshop takes place from June 10th-15th, 2012. 

CIBER Summer Institute – UPenn – US PROGRAMS

4) ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT UCLA Negociations Program – UCLA – US PROGRAMS

Negotiation Program for Administration in University Program Dates:

May 9th – 11th 2012 Deadline for applications: March 26th 2012

W50 Leadership Program for Women W50 Program – UCLA – US PROGRAMS

Program Dates: June 10th – 15th 2012

Deadline for applications: March 26th 2012

Leverhulme session – slides available

Funding opportunities

Jean Cater, assistant director at the the Leverhulme Trust was at BU yesterday. 

At a well-attended event,  Jean talked about the range of funding opportunities available for academics, and outlined the Trust’s ethos and criteria.  She also fielded an hour’s worth of  questions.

Jean’s slides are now available – just click here to access them.

Please contact Caroline O’Kane if would like to find out more about the Leverhulme and their schemes, and to find out how we can support the development of your funding proposal.

Leverhulme Trust visit – 1st February – venue change

Funding opportunities

This is a reminder that Jean Cater from the Leverhulme Trust  is coming to BU on 1st February.

** Venue change!!  The event will now take place in the Allesbrook Lecture Theatre **

 

There are limited places available – if you would like book a place please click here.

What’s happening?

Jean Cater from the LT is coming to BU, and its a great opportunity to find out more about how the Leverhulme works,  what they are looking for in a proposal and what they fund.    

The Leverhulme Trust offers a range of funding opportunities – across all disciplines.   This includes research grants, international networks, early career fellowships, research fellowships and more. 

The session will cover:  

  • where the Leverhulme sits in the funding spectrum
  • schemes and application procedures
  • things to bear in mind if applying
  • plenty of time to ask questions too.  

This session is for you if:

  • you have a research idea and wonder if the Leverhulme Trust might be an appropriate funder
  • you are developing a funding proposal for the Leverhulme Trust
  • you don’t know much about the Leverhulme Trust and would like to find out more

Details:

  • Date:Wednesday, 1st February 2012
  • Time: 2-4pm
  • Place:  Allesbrook Lecture Theatre
  • Refreshments will be available.

** To book your place please click here. ** 

If you have any questions please contact Caroline O’Kane

Knowledge Exchange Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

The scheme provides the opportunity to apply for funding for knowledge exchange activities at any stage of the research lifecycle, and is aimed at maximising the impact of social science research outside academia.

The flexibility built into the scheme is intended to encourage applicants to think creatively about knowledge exchange, and applications are welcomed for either a single activity or a combination of activities; be it setting up a network to help inform the development of a research proposal, arranging an academic placement with a voluntary or business organisation, or developing tools such as podcasts and videos aimed at communicating the results of research to non-academic audiences.

The next call will open on 14 December 2011 and close at 16.00 on 7 February 2012. 

Applicants can apply for projects up to one year in duration. However, the proposed start date should be no earlier than 1 September 2012.

The aim is to inform applicants of a decision on all applications within 26 weeks of the closing date for the call.

Please note, from the next KE call the Knowledge Exchange Opportunities and Follow on Fund Schemes will be amalgamated into a single funding opportunity (funded at 80 per cent fEC). Applications can still follow on from previous research, however an important change will be the requirement for all applications to involve co-funding from user stakeholders.

Call documents, including the scheme guidance can be found at:

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/collaboration/knowledge-exchange/opportunities/index.aspx

Research within the Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU)

Funding opportunities

In previous blogs we have described how BUCRU can help in developing grant applications. In this blog we describe some of the funded projects we are involved in.

BUCRU led research

Fatigue management in multiple sclerosis (MS):  We have just completed a multi-centre randomised trial of a cognitive behavioural approach to fatigue management in people with multiple sclerosis1. This project was funded by the MS Society (http://www.mssociety.org.uk).

Improving activity and wellbeing in people with MS: We are just starting a MS Society funded pilot study to look at the Nintendo Wii home gaming system as a method of helping people with MS increase their activity levels and wellbeing.

Systematic review of psychological interventions for people with MS: A small grant to update our existing Cochrane review2

BUCRU collaborative projects

IDvIP: A National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) (http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/RfPB/Pages/home.aspx) funded project. This is a multi-centre trial comparing 2 methods of pain relief for women in labour; diamorphine and pethidine3. The Chief Investigator is a Consultant in one of the local hospitals and a member of the Bournemouth University Visiting Faculty. BUCRU staff were involved in the design of the study, applying for the grant, data management, statistical analysis and interpretation, and advice on project management.*

WEIGHTED: A small grant from the College of Emergency Medicine held by a local Consultant/ member of the Visiting Faculty. This study is about to start and aims to develop a robust method of estimating the weight of patients attending a hospital emergency department. Many patients require a weight dependent dose of potentially life saving medication, but are too ill to be actually weighed.  BUCRU were involved in designing the study and securing funding, and will be involved in ongoing advice on project and data management, statistical analysis and interpretation.

PEARLS: A large multi-centre trial of training maternity staff in assessing and repairing tears to the perineum acquired during labour and delievery4. This project is funded by the Health Foundation (http://www.health.org.uk) and run under the auspices of the Royal College of Midwives. BUCRU has been involved in data management, statistical analysis and interpretation.

PREVIEW: A pilot randomised trial comparing two methods of looking after tears to the perineum. The Chief Investigator is based in Birmingham, and the study is funded by the NIHR RfPB funding scheme. This study has recently started, and BUCRU was involved in the design of the study and the funding application. Further involvement will be in advising on project management, data management and statistical analysis.

Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship: (http://www.nihrtcc.nhs.uk). Award held by BU and won by a radiographer based at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic. The project involves tracking and measuring spinal motion. The research may have important implications in diagnosing people with chronic lower back pain. BUCRU were involved in the study design and funding application, and 2 members of staff are supervisors for her PhD.

Contact us:

In the first instance please contact

Louise Ward (administrator):

Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit

R505 Royal London House

Christchurch Road

Bournemouth BH1 3LT

BUCRU@bournemouth.ac.uk

Tel: 01202 961939

 http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/bucru/

1 Thomas, P.W., Thomas, S., Kersten, P., Jones, R., Nock, A., Slingsby, V., et al., 2010. Multi-centre parallel arm randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a group-based cognitive behavioural appoach to managing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis. BMC Neurology, 10:43

2 Thomas, P.W., Thomas, S., Hillier, C., Galvin, K., and Baker, R. (2006). Psychological interventions for multiple sclerosis. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Vol. Issue 1, pp. Issue 1. Art. No.: CD004431. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004431.pub2): John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.

3 Wee, M.Y.K., Tuckey, J.P., Thomas, P., Burnard, S. 2011. The IDvIP Trial: A two-centre randomized double-blind controlled trial comparing intramuscular diamorphine and intramuscular pethidine for labour analgesia. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 11: 51

4 Bick, D.E., Kettle, C., MacDonald, S., Thomas, P.W., Hill, R.K., Ismail, K.. 2010. PErineal Assessment and Repair Longitudinal Study (PEARLS): protocol for a matched pair cluster trial. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 10:10.