Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
The Innovate UK KTP Advisor for our region (Dorset/Hampshire) will be on campus next Friday, 19th February from 10am-12pm.
If you would like to make an appointment with Stephen to talk through any KTP ideas/potential projects or existing KTP, please contact Rachel Clarke, KE Advisor (KTP) on 61347 or email clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk. Each appointment will be 20 minutes long.
If you miss this surgery, the next one is scheduled for Friday 18th March – 10am-12pm.
Creative England would like to hear from creative digital companies who need anything from £50k – £200k in order to grow their business.
Eligible companies include those across content creation, games, tech and digital based in any of the English regions outside of Greater London. The interest-free loan is repaid over 3 years, and must be matched 50:50 with an alternative source of finance.
For more information please read the FAQ’s and application guidelines.
You can also get in touch with kate.adam@creativeengland.co.uk for any further questions.
If you’re not sure if a Business Loan is quite right for the stage your company is at, then take a look at the Equity Investment Programme, offering £40k – £100k of equity investment for digital SME’s.
Innovate UK’s 5 tips to secure funding for start-ups and small businesses
Innovate UK have just launched their essential advice and tips on securing funding. Whether a start-up, small business or SME this video is worth watching. This can be found on you tube and worth bookmarking this for further advice on funding coming soon. Stay tuned, more essential selections videos will be published soon including networking, grants, pitching, business planning and more.
Click here for the video.
Academics are now invited to submit applications for the summer round of the Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) programme.
The programme is funded by the Fusion Investment Fund and aims to support undergraduates to undertake paid work under the guidance of an experienced academic in a research position that is directly related to their career path and/or academic discipline.
The summer programme is for students to work full-time (37.5 hours per week) for six weeks over the summer. This programme will have the capacity for approximately 20 placements.
Further information of the URA programme as a whole can be found here.
To apply for a URA over the summer, please complete the following application form. Please note the closing date for applications is midnight Sunday 21st February.
If you have any questions relating to the programme, please contact Rachel Clarke, KE Adviser (KTP) on 01202 961347 or email clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk
With the Global BUzz China event taking place on 10th February 2016, here is a quick round-up of research opportunities and sources of information regarding collaborative working with Chinese partners.
The first port of call for BU staff to locate current funding opportunities is via our subscription to Research Professional. A search has been set up in the Bournemouth University groups. To access these, just log in and click on ‘Bournemouth University’ on the top right of your screen. You will then be able to select ‘Country – China’ from the list and use the search which has been set up to locate current and future calls. If you are not sure how to use Research Professional, please refer to the recent blog post.
From these opportunities, the following are highlighted for you to consider:
Other useful sources of information include:
Keep an eye on this blog for futher international funding opportunities!
The Newton Fund aims to promote the economic development and welfare of either the 15 partner countries or, through working with the partner country, to address the problems of poor people around the world. It will do so through strengthening their science and innovation capacity and unlocking further funding to support poverty alleviation. It is part of the UK’s official development assistance (ODA).
The fund is managed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Fund consists of £75 million each year from 2014 for 5 years and covers three broad areas:
Find out more about the Newton Fund – how it works, funding opportutnies and its partners.
You can get involved with the Newton Fund. Hosted by the UK HE International Unit, the 2nd Newton Fund Network meeting is taking place on 3rd March 2016.
Confirmed speakers include:
You may also consider attending one of the British Council International Researcher Workshops. Early Career Researchers can apply for funding to attend.
To keep up to date with all the latest Newton Fund news, direct to your inbox, why not subcribe to their newsletter.
Although the call does not formally open until 14/4/16, now is the time to start working with your potential fellow to ensure that your application is ready in good time. This is a popular scheme for applications from BU and, as it has a deadline of 14/9/16, this puts pressure on your fellow academics undertaking quality reviews at an already busy time. You may also wish to avoid writing your application in August when you are preparing for the new academic year.
To this end, RKEO are providing two-day workshops with Dr Martin Pickard (our external bidding consultant) on 16th and 17th March 2016 for BU academics and we have now confirmed additional workshop dates on the 24th and 25th of May 2016 – however we will be gauging demand for this. These workshop will take you through all aspects of exploring the call requirements and writing your bid, plus the opportunity to discuss your developing application with academics on the same journey.
You are encouraged to attend with your potential fellow but they will need to make their own travel arrangements and cover any financial outlay.
Booking are now open for these two-day workshop. Please note that you will need to attend both days. Please send your request to attend to Dianne Goodman, RKEO Funding Development Team Co-ordinator by asap. Please let us know if you will be bringing your potential fellow.
In the meantime, to find out more about this call, please refer to the funding opportunity page on the Horizon 2020 Participant Portal and the Work Programme for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, which gives vital information on the Horizon 2020 context for this call. If you have any questions before the workshop, please contact Emily Cieciura, RKEO Research Facilitator: EU & International.
The Valuing Nature Programme is running a three-day Business Impact School to provide early career researchers with an opportunity to gain insight into producing research with business impact. There will be a number of business speakers, which include Willis Towers Watson, Nestle, United Utilities, National Grid, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Aldersgate Group, Intelligent Health and Satellite Communications Catapult. There will be plenty of opportunity for participants to interact with speakers, including a ‘hands-on’ session on designing research for business impact.
The programme will offer around 25 fully-funded places (school, travel, accommodation, meals and a field trip). Participants must be registered for a PhD at the closing date, or employed as a post-doc researcher and awarded a PhD on or after 1 January 2014.
Deadline: 05/02/16
The UK HE International Unit has advised us of the following Newton Fund international opportunities:
If you are interested in applying for any of these calls, please contact Emily Cieciura, RKEO Research facilitator: EU & International or your Faculty Funding Development Officer.
To keep up to date with Newton Funding and share experiences with other academics, why not join the Newton Fund Network or sign up for their Newton Newsletter? For more general news on international HE activities, take a look at the UK HE International Unit’s International Focus Newsletter. Another way to participate is to attend the international research workshops delivered by The British Council.
Every BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. To really make the most of your Research Professional account, you should tailor it further by establishing additional alerts based on your specific area of expertise. The Funding Development Team Officers can assist you with this, if required.
Research Professional have created several guides to help introduce users to ResearchProfessional. These can be downloaded here.
Quick Start Guide: Explains to users their first steps with the website, from creating an account to searching for content and setting up email alerts, all in the space of a single page.
User Guide: More detailed information covering all the key aspects of using ResearchProfessional.
Administrator Guide: A detailed description of the administrator functionality.
In addition to the above, there are a set of 2-3 minute videos online, designed to take a user through all the key features of ResearchProfessional. To access the videos, please use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/researchprofessional
Research Professional are running a series of online training broadcasts aimed at introducing users to the basics of creating and configuring their accounts on ResearchProfessional. They are holding monthly sessions, covering everything you need to get started with ResearchProfessional. The broadcast sessions will run for no more than 60 minutes, with the opportunity to ask questions via text chat. Each session will cover:
Each session will run between 10.00am and 11.00am (UK) on the fuorth Tuesday of each month. You can register here for your preferred date:
These are free and comprehensive training sessions and so this is a good opportunity to get to grips with how Research Professional can work for you.
Interdisciplinary Research Week funder visit:
Who: Harriet Martin and Chris Hassan, The Wellcome Trust
Where and when: Executive Business Centre, Monday, 25th January – 12-14:30
What: Harriet and Chris will be joining us to talk about The Wellcome Trust’s most recent collaborative project ‘Hubbub’ and why working across various disciplines, sectors and organisations is important to them as funders. The Wellcome Trust’s philosophy is ‘good health makes life better’. We want to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive.
Book your place
Interdisciplinary Research Week Funder visit:
Who: British Academy Interdisciplinary Policy, The British Academy
Where and when: Talbot Campus, Wednesday, 27th January – 14.30 -15.30
What: The British Academy will be joining us to share emerging findings from a project they are carrying out on interdisciplinary research.
They are looking at how the whole higher education and research systems supports such research in terms of publishing, research funding, academic careers, teaching and beyond.
Book your place
2016 BU PhD Studentship Competition
Call for submission of up to 20 matched funded Postgraduate Research Projects now OPEN
The Graduate School is delighted to announce the launch of the 2016 BU PhD Studentship Competition, with up to 20 matched funded projects available.
At this stage, Academic Staff are invited to submit proposals for studentship projects which, if successful, will be advertised to recruit PhD candidates for a September 2016 start.
Full details can be found on the Graduate School Staff Intranet where the following information can be found:
Submission Deadline:
Applications should be submitted on the Studentship Proposal Form to the Graduate School via email to phdstudentshipcompetition@bournemouth.ac.uk no later than 9am on Monday 22 February 2016.
The Graduate School will manage the recruitment process along the following timetable:
| Date | Action |
| Wednesday 13 January 2016 | Launch PhD Studentships Internal Competition – development of proposals |
| Monday 22 February 2016 | Closing date for submission of proposals |
| Tuesday 15 March 2016 | Panel meeting |
| Late March 2016 | Feedback to supervisors and preparation of adverts |
| March – June 2016 | Launch PhD Studentships External Competition – recruitment of candidates |
| September 2016 | Successful Candidates start |
Competition offering cash prizes for the most innovative ideas that can be turned into a commercial success. The 2016 Geovation Challenge question is ‘How can we better manage water in Britain, sustainably?’
Funding body: Ordnance Survey
Maximum value: £ 20,000
Application deadline: 27/01/2016
Location: United Kingdom
Background
The Geovation Challenge was initiated, funded and managed by Ordnance Survey. Its current collaborators include Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Environment Agency, OCG, Springwise and United Utilities.
Objectives of Fund
The GeoVation Challenge aims to encourage open collaboration in addressing communities’ needs where geography is a key enabler. Open innovation, data, tools and information can be combined to create new ventures which generate social and environmental value.
The current GeoVation Challenge is focused on tackling the global issues around water. The Geovation Challenge question is ‘How can we improve water use in Britain sustainably?
Value Notes
The Programme is divided into two parts:
Funding will be given during each of the phases to progress the idea to the next level.
Those who are successful at phase four will receive help in seeking extra funding so that they have more than one source of investment and can move toward product launch.
Match Funding Restrictions
Match funding is not a specified requirement.
Who Can Apply
The Challenge is open to UK based organisations and residents over 18 years of age. This includes community groups, entrepreneurs, developers, innovators and local authorities.
Those who join the Programme will be expected to spend a minimum of 20 hours per week working on their project and attending core workshops at the Geovation Hub in London.
Restrictions
The following cannot enter the competition:
Eligible Expenditure
This year’s GeoVation Challenge is focused on tackling the global issues around water.
Ideas must help address the GeoVation Challenge question: ‘How can we better manage water in Britain, sustainably?’
The Geovation Water Challenge is focusing on five themes:
How To Apply
Deadline(s):
The deadine for submission is 27 January 2016.
Frequency: Biannual
Link to guidelines: https://geovation.uk/challenge/#challenge
Useful Links
GeoVation
http://www.geovation.org.uk/
Geovation Challenge 2015: Water
https://geovation.uk/challenge/#difference
Useful Contacts
GeoVation
Ordnance Survey
Urban Innovation Centre
1 Sekforde Street
Clerkenwell Green
London
EC1R 0BE
E-Mail: challenge@geovation.uk
If you are interested please contact the funding development team within RKEO.
Here’s some more information…
Which means…?
We’re seeking to come up with novel research which addresses one of the ‘grand challenges’ – how do we realise the transformational impact of digital technologies on aspects of community life, cultural experiences, future society and the economy?
So, who should attend?
The sandpit is open to everyone, and we do mean all BU staff and PhD students. You don’t need a track record in digital research, though we’d like yo
u to consider attending if you do have. It doesn’t matter whether you have a research track record or not. We want anyone who thinks they might have something to contribute (and even those who think they don’t), and who is available all day on 26 January and during the morning of 27 January to come along.
What do I need to prepare in advance? What will the sandpit entail?
Absolutely nothing in advance. During the sandpit, you’ll be guided through a process which results in the development of research ideas. The process facilitates creativity, leading to innovative and interdisciplinary research ideas. These ideas will be explored with other attendees, and further developed based on the feedback received.
What if I don’t have time to think about ideas in advance?
You don’t need to. Some inspiring speakers with a range of backgrounds will be coming along to give you ideas…
What about afterwards? Do I need to go away and do loads of work?
Well… that depends! Tthe sandpit will result in some novel research ideas. Some of these may be progressed immediately, others might need more time to think about. You may find common ground with other attendees which you choose to take forward in other ways, such as writing a paper.
What if my topic area is really specific, such as health?
Your contribution will be very welcome! One of the main benefits of a sandpit event such as this, is to bring in individuals with a range of backgrounds and specialisms who are able to see things just that bit differently to one another.
So, is this just networking?
Definitely not, it is a facilitated session with the primary intention of developing innovative research ideas, which also enables the development of networks. It gives you the opportunity to come up with research ideas which you may develop over time, together with the chance to find common ground with academics from across BU.
So, how do I book onto this event?
To take part in this exciting opportunity, BU academic staff and PhD students should complete the Sandpit Application Form and return this to Dianne Goodman by Tuesday 12th of January – please note the deadline has been extended due to the festive break. Places are strictly limited.
By applying, you agree to attend for the full duration of the event – full day 26th January and half day 27th January.
This event is part of BU’s Interdisciplinary Research Week.
8-9 March 2016 (Tuesday – Wednesday)
Park Inn, Nottingham
The Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and NERC invite you to participate in a two-day interactive strategic workshop (sandpit) with the ultimate aim of funding up to six multidisciplinary research translation projects within the remit of the Sustainable Agriculture Research Club (SARIC).
For more information, please see the document below.
Sandpit call for participants (PDF, 185KB)
Please complete the online registration form to attend the meeting. Registration for this event will close on 26 February 2016.
For further details please contact:
Anne Priest
01793 411723
annpri@nerc.ac.uk
Jodie Mitchell
01793 418004
jodark@nerc.ac.uk
Or, to put it another way, how do we realise the transformational impact of digital technologies on aspects of community life, cultural experiences, future society and the economy’?
On 26th and 27th January 2016, RKEO will be hosting a sandpit workshop to facilitate exploration of this topic to: 
The Research Sandpit process comprises:
To take part in this exciting opportunity, BU academic staff should complete the Sandpit Application Form and return this to Dianne Goodman by Tuesday 12th of January – please note the deadline has been extended due to the festive break. Places are strictly limited.
By applying, you agree to attend for the full duration of the event – full day 26th January and half day 27th January.
This event is part of BU’s Interdisciplinary Research Week.
Every BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. To really make the most of your Research Professional account, you should tailor it further by establishing additional alerts based on your specific area of expertise. The Funding Development Team Officers can assist you with this, if required.
Research Professional have created several guides to help introduce users to ResearchProfessional. These can be downloaded here.
Quick Start Guide: Explains to users their first steps with the website, from creating an account to searching for content and setting up email alerts, all in the space of a single page.
User Guide: More detailed information covering all the key aspects of using ResearchProfessional.
Administrator Guide: A detailed description of the administrator functionality.
In addition to the above, there are a set of 2-3 minute videos online, designed to take a user through all the key features of ResearchProfessional. To access the videos, please use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/researchprofessional
Research Professional are running a series of online training broadcasts aimed at introducing users to the basics of creating and configuring their accounts on ResearchProfessional. They are holding monthly sessions, covering everything you need to get started with ResearchProfessional. The broadcast sessions will run for no more than 60 minutes, with the opportunity to ask questions via text chat. Each session will cover:
Each session will run between 10.00am and 11.00am (UK) on the fuorth Tuesday of each month. You can register here for your preferred date:
These are free and comprehensive training sessions and so this is a good opportunity to get to grips with how Research Professional can work for you.
BU staff can login below:
BU Professor has been invited to a series of plenary and invited lectures.
Research reaching non-academic audiences
April’s Café Scientifique – Should we help machines understand and respond to our emotions?
Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2024 – 2 WEEKS LEFT
Working with The Conversation: online training session – Wednesday 8th May
Apply for up to £1,000 to deliver an event and take part in a national festival of public engagement with research
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024
Research Information Network
Horizon Europe News – December 2023