BU Research Blog

25 April 2022

Last chance to book! Spotlight on NIHR – Information Session – 27 April 2022

Funding opportunities, Fusion, Knowledge Exchange, NHS, Public engagement Louise Ward

Last chance to book for the session this Wednesday.

Bournemouth University and the NIHR Research Design Service South West are jointly hosting an online NIHR Information Session, on Wednesday 27th April at 10am.

This NIHR Information Session will provide an overview of the NIHR as a funder, the NIHR funding programmes with specific focus on Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB), Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR), Invention for Innovation (i4i), and NIHR Fellowship opportunities.

The agenda is below.

10.00-10.15 Lisa Andrews, Research Facilitator, (Bournemouth University Research Development and Support) Introduction to the session

10.15-11.00 Professor Gordon Taylor, Director of the NIHR Research Design Service South West (RDS-SW)

Dr Sarah Thomas, Deputy Director of the Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit and NIHR RDS-SW Adviser Spotlight on the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and overview of funding streams

11.00-11.30 Professor Gordon Taylor About the NIHR Fellowship Programmes

11.30-11.45 BREAK

11.45-12.10 Dr Jo Welsman, Patient and Public Involvement Lead, NIHR RDS-SW Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research

12.10-12.30 Dr Lisa Austin, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead, NIHR RDS-SW Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and the new EDI toolkit

12.30-1.00 PANEL Questions

This session will be online, via Zoom. A link to join the meeting will be sent to you after registration.

This session will online, via Zoom. Please register via Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/300827682697

A link to join the meeting will be sent to you after registration.

This session is part of the Bournemouth University Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework.

Your local branch of the NIHR RDS (Research Design Service) is based within the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU)

We can help with your grant applications. We advise on all aspects of developing an application and can review application drafts as well as put them to a mock funding panel (run by RDS South West) known as Project Review Committee, which is a fantastic opportunity for researchers to obtain a critical review of a proposed grant application before this is sent to a funding body.

Contact us as early as possible to benefit fully from the advice

Feel free to call us on 01202 961939 or send us an email.

22 April 2022

Public Engagement Funding Opportunity: Engaging the public with environmental science 2022

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) second round of Growing Roots (annual funding opportunity) has launched.

Apply for funding to develop new ways to engage the public with environmental science. This opportunity aims to support public engagement with environmental science research.

Projects must be delivered between 25 July 2022 and 28 February 2023.

The full economic cost of your project can be between £5,000 and £10,000.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 18 May 2022, 4pm

A webinar and Q & A session for applicants will take place on Wednesday 27 April 2022 at 1:30pm If you are interested in attending the webinar, please register by emailing publicengagement@nerc.ukri.org

If you would like to discuss your application with the Public Engagement with Research team, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

22 April 2022

Take part in the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022: Deadline for applications – Friday 29 April

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

ESRC Festival Open Call: Deadline for applications Friday 29 April. Funding of up to £1,000 is available to deliver your event or activity

ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences, planned to take place from 22 October – 13 November 2022. BU have been involved in the festival for over a decade, running our own internal selection process and delivering up to ten activities per year.

ESRC Festival 2022 Theme

The theme set by the ESRC for this year’s festival is ‘my local area’’ and the ESRC wants to see at least a quarter of festival events based on this. This could be an exploration of Dorset’s social and economic history, the future of Bournemouth High Street, issues around deprivation in coastal towns or rural isolation. The theme is linked to the place-based agenda, which is a priority area for ESRC and UKRI. We encourage you to think broadly around this and we are happy for you to decide how far away you consider ‘local’ to be.

Who can apply?

The festival aims to encourage, support and create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences. It is a prestigious initiative by a major research funder, and BU’s continued involvement is justified by the quality of events and activities. Being part of this festival is an achievement worth citing and celebrating.

It is an excellent opportunity to engage people outside of academia with your research and with the benefit of co-ordinated support and promotion from RDS and the ESRC.

Events must “feature social science (ideally with a social scientist involved in the event)”. If this doesn’t clearly apply to you, consider these options;

Does your research have clear implications for society that could be explored from a social science perspective?
Could you collaborate with a social scientist, combining your resources and creativity to explore the impact of your research? If you’re looking for a collaborator, the Research Blog or BU website are great places to start or contact us for help.

What support is available?

Before applying, you will have access to:

Bookable one-on-one advice slots with BU’s Engagement Officer
Detailed applicant guidance to help you apply

When your application is successful, you will receive:

A half-day training session from an expert external public engagement trainer
Continuing advice and support from BU’s public engagement team on all areas of planning, promoting delivering, evaluating your activity
The promotional boost from being part of a huge national festival.

How to apply

Read the application guidance to support you in completing an effective application.
Submit your application using the online form. You can save your progress and return later, though it’s advisable to keep a backup elsewhere. There is a pdf version of the whole form for drafting purposes only.

Find out more about the resources available to help plan and support your application

If you have any questions, please email the public engagement team.

20 April 2022

Update: RDS Funding Development Briefing on Wednesday 20/04/22

Funding opportunities Ainar

Our RDS Funding Development Briefing is today (20/04/22) at 12 noon.

There is a change regarding spotlight presentation; instead of MRC Overview we will discuss 12 top tips for writing a grant application.

Thank you to all of you who have engaged in the sessions, we are looking forward to meeting you again.

14 April 2022

Take part in the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022: Deadline for applications – Friday 29 April

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

ESRC Festival Open Call: Deadline for applications Friday 29 April. Funding of up to £1,000 is available to deliver your event or activity

The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences, planned to take place from 22 October – 13 November 2022. BU have been involved in the festival for over a decade, running our own internal selection process and delivering up to ten activities per year.

Who can apply?

The festival aims to encourage, support and create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences. It is a prestigious initiative by a major research funder, and BU’s continued involvement is justified by the quality of events and activities. Being part of this festival is an achievement worth citing and celebrating.

It is an excellent opportunity to engage people outside of academia with your research and with the benefit of co-ordinated support and promotion from RDS and the ESRC.

The theme set by the ESRC for this year’s festival is ‘my local area’. The ESRC want to see at least a quarter of festival events on this theme.

Events must “feature social science (ideally with a social scientist involved in the event)”. If this doesn’t clearly apply to you, consider these options;

Does your research have clear implications for society that could be explored from a social science perspective?
Could you collaborate with a social scientist, combining your resources and creativity to explore the impact of your research? If you’re looking for a collaborator, the Research Blog or BU website are great places to start or contact us for help.

What support is available?

Before applying, you will have access to:

Bookable one-on-one advice slots with BU’s Engagement Officer
Detailed applicant guidance to help you apply

When your application is successful, you will receive:

A half-day training session from an expert external public engagement trainer
Continuing advice and support from BU’s public engagement team on all areas of planning, promoting delivering, evaluating your activity
The promotional boost from being part of a huge national festival.

How to apply

Read the application guidance to support you in completing an effective application.
Submit your application using the online form. You can save your progress and return later, though it’s advisable to keep a backup elsewhere. There is a pdf version of the whole form for drafting purposes only.

Find out more about the resources available to help plan and support your application

If you have any questions, please email the public engagement team.

13 April 2022

Book now! Spotlight on NIHR – Information Session – 27 April 2022

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, NHS Louise Ward

Bournemouth University and the NIHR Research Design Service South West are jointly hosting an online NIHR Information Session, on Wednesday 27th April at 10am.

This NIHR Information Session will provide an overview of the NIHR as a funder, the NIHR funding programmes with specific focus on Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB), Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR), Invention for Innovation (i4i), and NIHR Fellowship opportunities.

The agenda is below.

10.00-10.15 Lisa Andrews, Research Facilitator, (Bournemouth University Research Development and Support) Introduction to the session

10.15-11.00 Professor Gordon Taylor, Director of the NIHR Research Design Service South West (RDS-SW)

Dr Sarah Thomas, Deputy Director of the Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit and NIHR RDS-SW Adviser Spotlight on the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and overview of funding streams

11.00-11.30 Professor Gordon Taylor About the NIHR Fellowship Programmes

11.30-11.45 BREAK

11.45-12.10 Dr Jo Welsman, Patient and Public Involvement Lead, NIHR RDS-SW Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research

12.10-12.30 Dr Lisa Austin, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead, NIHR RDS-SW Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and the new EDI toolkit

12.30-1.00 PANEL Questions

This session will be online, via Zoom. A link to join the meeting will be sent to you after registration.

This session will online, via Zoom. Please register via Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/300827682697

A link to join the meeting will be sent to you after registration.

This session is part of the Bournemouth University Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework.

Your local branch of the NIHR RDS (Research Design Service) is based within the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU)

We can help with your grant applications. We advise on all aspects of developing an application and can review application drafts as well as put them to a mock funding panel (run by RDS South West) known as Project Review Committee, which is a fantastic opportunity for researchers to obtain a critical review of a proposed grant application before this is sent to a funding body.

Contact us as early as possible to benefit fully from the advice

Feel free to call us on 01202 961939 or send us an email.

12 April 2022

ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022: Call for applications – Deadline Friday 29 April

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences, planned to take place from 22 October – 13 November 2022.

The festival is a prestigious initiative by a major research funder, and BU’s continued involvement is justified by the quality of our events and activities. Being part of this festival is an achievement worth citing and celebrating. BU have been involved in the festival for over a decade, running our own internal selection process and delivering up to ten activities per year.

Funding of up to £1,000 is available to deliver your event.

Who can apply?

Events must “feature social science (ideally with a social scientist involved in the event)”. If this doesn’t clearly apply to you, consider these options;

Does your research have clear implications for society that could be explored from a social science perspective?
Could you collaborate with a social scientist, combining your resources and creativity to explore the impact of your research? If you’re looking for a collaborator, the Research Blog or BU website are great places to start or contact us for help

What support is available?

Before applying, you will have access to:

Bookable one-on-one advice slots with BU’s Engagement Officer; Book an advice slot.
Detailed applicant guidance to help you apply

When your application is successful, you will receive:

A half-day training session from an expert external public engagement trainer
Continuing advice and support from BU’s public engagement team on all areas of planning, promoting delivering, evaluating your activity
The promotional boost from being part of a huge national festival.

How to apply

Read the application guidance to support you in completing an effective application.
Submit your application using the online form. You can save your progress and return later, though it’s advisable to keep a backup elsewhere. There is a pdf version of the whole form for drafting purposes only.

Find out more about this year’s festival theme and the resources available to plan and support your application

If you have any questions, please email the public engagement team.

12 April 2022

REMINDER: RDS Funding Development Briefing on Wednesday 13/03/22

Funding opportunities Ainar

The next RDS Funding Development Briefing will be on Wednesday (13/03/22) at 12 noon.

According to our plan, there will not be a spotlight presentation this week. To add value to the meeting, feel free to join with external funding related questions you may have.

Next Wednesday (20/03/22), we will have MRC Overview for you.

Important note: those academics considering to apply for ERC Starting Grant 2023 Call, please contact Research Facilitator International Ainar Blaudums or your Funding Development Officer as early as possible to let us plan together timeline for internal approvals. It may happen that ItB is required late in June before call opening (call opening planned for 12/07/2022, expected application submission deadline on 25/10/2022).

Wishing you all wonderful Easter!

7 April 2022

Open call: last chance to apply for public engagement funding for 2022!

Funding opportunities, Public engagement Amanda Edwards

Apply for £500-£5,000 to fund your public engagement activity or event

The deadline for applications is midnight 24 April to enable funds to be awarded by mid-May. All spending must be completed by 31 July.

We welcome applications from researchers at all stages of their careers. RDS can provide 1-2-1 advice on preparing an application and will also work with successful applicants to support planning and delivery to ensure outcomes are achieved within the timeline.

This is the final opportunity to apply for internal funding this year for public engagement with research activity.

What we’re looking for

You will need to demonstrate that your proposed activity will involve a two-way interaction between you and your chosen public. The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) defines public engagement as “the myriad ways in which the activity and benefits of… research can be shared with the public”.

“Engagement is, by definition, a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.” NCCPE

How to apply

Please first read the policy and applicant guidance. Then submit the online application form. A PDF version is supplied so you may preview the form, but this must not be submitted. Supporting statements from HoDs may be submitted via email.

Applications must be submitted by midnight Sunday 24 April.

If you’d like to discuss your application with our PER team, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

6 April 2022

Apply now for travel grants for impact development

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange mfancy

Grants of up to £200 are available via the Research Impact Fund to facilitate relationship building with external stakeholders such as policymakers or industry contacts leading to impact development.

The aim of this is to support ad-hoc requests leading to impact development, such as media appearances, meetings with policy makers, meetings with industry contacts, or attendance at industry/policy/third sector events where network-building (leading to potential impact) is the key reason for attending.

The funding can be used to meet with new stakeholders, organisations or groups or meet with existing stakeholders to gather testimonials or other evidence to demonstrate how research has made a difference (e.g. has resulted in real world impact).

Please note that the travel fund cannot be used to fund conference attendance except in instances where attendance will result in achievable impact or evidence of impact.

Eligibility:

You will be eligible to apply if you meet the following criteria:

You are an ECR and / or you are new to research, or
You can demonstrate you have emerging impact from existing research

Please familiarise yourself with BU’s Research Impact Policy and Research Impact Fund Guidance Notes before applying.

The online application form can be completed here.

Please contact researchimpact@bournemouth.ac.uk with any queries.

5 April 2022

Funding development briefings in April and spotlights this year

Funding opportunities Ainar

Funding development briefings will continue in April as usual on Wednesdays at noon.

Spotlight presentation this Wednesday (06/03/22) will be BA Small Grants.

Last week we promised to publish a summary of remaining spotlight presentations scheduled for this academic year, please see details below:

20/04/22 – MRC Overview
04/05/22 – British Academy Mid-career Fellowship and British Academy/Leverhulme Senior Fellowship, Mid-career Fellowships
11/05/22 – RS Industry Fellowships
18/05/22 – British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship (BAPDF) and Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship (LECF)
01/06/22 – Getting Started with funding application at BU
15/06/22 – Leverhulme Research Project – Outline
29/06/22 – ESRC New investigator (open call)
20/07/22 – AHRC Research Development and Engagement Fellowships workshop (ECR and Standard – open call for both schemes)
27/07/22 – Horizon Europe Work Programmes 2023-24 (Pillar II – Societal Challenges)

Just as a reminder – registration is still open for UKRO series of information webinars for those interested in applying to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 Call, more details regarding webinars you can find here (UKRO login details required). First webinar (Overview and Eligibility Rules) on 25 April 2022 at 10:00 UK Time.

As usual, looking forward to meeting you on Wednesday.

5 April 2022

Open call – funded public engagement opportunity – ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022

Festival of Learning, Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement Adam Morris

The call for applications for this year’s ESRC Festival of Social Science is now open – deadline Fri 29 April.

What is the ESRC Festival of Social Science?

The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences, planned to take place from 22 October – 13 November 2022. BU have been involved in the festival for over a decade, running our own internal selection process and delivering up to ten activities per year.

The festival aims to encourage, support and create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences.

Why should I take part?

The festival is a prestigious initiative by a major research funder, and BU’s continued involvement is justified by the quality of our events and activities. Being part of this festival is an achievement worth citing and celebrating.

It is an excellent opportunity to engage people outside of academia with your research and with the benefit of co-ordinated support and promotion from RDS and the ESRC.

You can apply for up to £1000 to deliver your project.

Are there rules about topics, or target audiences?

The theme set by the ESRC for this year’s festival is ‘my local area’. The ESRC want to see at least a quarter of festival events on this theme.

Although encouraged, adhering to this theme is not essential for your proposal. Other social science themes are still welcome.

The ESRC expect to see the majority (>80%) of events targeted at ‘general public’ and youth audiences. This means people attending out of a personal interest in the topic, rather than in a professional capacity.

There is scope for a small minority (<20%) of activities targeting professional stakeholder audiences, for example, people whose work uses your research. Bearing in mind the limited capacity and higher competition for such proposals aimed at professional audiences, your application would need to be outstanding to merit inclusion.

What if I’ve never done any public engagement before?

Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is the ideal place. You’ll have access to comprehensive support, advice and training throughout. If you’re unsure, seek out a more experienced colleague to collaborate with.

Can I apply if I’m not a social scientist?

The ESRC says that events must “feature social science (ideally with a social scientist involved in the event)”. If this doesn’t clearly apply to you, consider these options;

Does your research have clear implications for society that could be explored from a social science perspective?
Could you collaborate with a social scientist, combining your resources and creativity to explore the impact of your research? If you’re looking for a collaborator, the Research Blog or BU website are great places to start or contact us for help.

What will I be expected to do?

You’ll be expected to;

Familiarise yourself with best practice for public engagement with research. Whether you’re new to this or experienced, there’s always room to improve.
Apply to our internal panel
If successful, attend an initial training session to start out right
Plan, deliver and evaluate your activity or event, working with the public engagement team to shape your project into an impactful, professional and fascinating experience.

What support will I get?

Being part of this festival means a higher level of support and reach than we are normally able to provide.

Before applying, you’ll have access to:

A dedicated session of the Public Engagement with Research (PER) Network, featuring previous event holders.
Bookable one-on-one advice slots with BU’s Engagement Officer.
Detailed applicant guidance to help you apply.

When your application is successful, you’ll get:

A half-day training session from an expert external public engagement trainer
Continuing advice and support from BU’s public engagement team on all areas of planning, promoting delivering, evaluating your activity.
The promotional boost from being part of a huge national festival.

What next?

If you’re interested in applying, here’s what to do next;

Explore previous events from BU and examples from around the country.
Start brushing up on how to make public engagement work for you and your audience. A great place to start is BU’s own video guide to getting started in public engagement with research (Brightspace). You can also browse guidance and case studies from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE).
Book an advice slot.

How to apply

After following the previous steps, read the application guidance to support you in completing an effective application.
Submit your application using the online form. You can save your progress and return later, though it’s advisable to keep a backup elsewhere. There is a pdf version of the whole form for drafting purposes only.

We’ll provide more information on applying to the ESRC Festival of Social Science on this blog and the PER Network over the coming weeks. If you have a question in the meantime, please email the team.

4 April 2022

British Academy Small Grants – Internal Deadlines

Funding opportunities smundy

The call for the next round of BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants will open on 6 April and close at 5.00 pm on 1 June 2022.

We welcome the new electronic Intention to Bid (e-ITB) forms from Early Career Researchers and/or for bids that deliver pump priming / seed corn funding purposes.

Due to the volume of bids that are received by RDS in every round, the internal deadlines will be strictly applied to ensure that the pre-award team can provide all interested academics with optimal support in a timely manner.

Where ITB forms are received after 27 April 2022 they will be moved automatically to the next round.

The British Academy has provided guidance and FAQs. They have stipulated that all applicants must read the documentation carefully before starting their application.

Timeline

The call closes at 5.00 pm on 1 June 2022.

Date	Action
6 April	Call opens – start reading guidance and FAQs.
6-27 April	Intention to Bid forms to be submitted via the new electronic intention to bid platform. *At this date, advise your referee that you will be sending them your completed application on FlexiGrant and they will need to provide their supporting statement by 18 May.*
4 May	If you are Grade 8 or below and you wish to use the support of an External Application Reviewer (EAR), you must submit a first draft of the application to RDS by this date. *An EAR will not be allocated to you if you send a draft to RDS after this date.*
17 May	Latest date for you to fully complete your application on FlexiGrant, so it is ready for your referee to complete the supporting statement via FlexiGrant. *Note that the earlier you complete you application on FlexiGrant, the more time the referee will have to review your bid and provide the supporting statement by 18 May.*
18 May	Latest date for referee to complete the supporting statement via FlexiGrant.
19 May	Click ‘submit’ and the form will be sent to BU’s account for RDS checks.
19 – 31 May	Institutional checking process – RDS will work with you to ensure compliance with all funder’s requirements.
1 June	Submission deadline – latest date to formally submit on FlexiGrant.

If you have any queries, please contact your Research Facilitator or Funding Development Officer.

1 April 2022

NIHR RDS SW Residential Research Retreat application drop-in sessions 4th April 1-3pm and 6th April 11am-1pm

Funding opportunities, Fusion, NHS Louise Ward

The NIHR Research Design Service South West (RDS SW) is holding a Residential Research Retreat 13-15^th September 2022 inclusive, at Dillington House in Somerset.

It offers a fantastic opportunity for research teams to develop high quality research proposals in health and social care suitable for submission to national peer-reviewed funding streams. At the retreat there is advice on tap from a range of methodological advisers (statisticians, health economists, patient and public involvement experts, qualitative researchers etc.) and dedicated time to work on your proposal as a team.

FHSS is offering to cover the costs of 2-3 teams. Teams of up to 3 or 4 can attend the retreat, ideally with at least one member employed in an NHS, social care or public health organisation in the Southwest. Multi-disciplinary teams with varied research experience will be considered favourably, and a mix of clinical and academic skills and experience is preferable. Teams may include service users or carers.

Places on the retreat are competitive and there is an application process. Fees may be waived for applicants from a public health or social care background, but applicants are advised to seek advice about this before submitting an application.

This is an excellent opportunity for academics who already have a proposal developed in health and social care research that is aligned with fusion and the strategic investment areas.

The deadline for applications is fast approaching: 20^th April 2022.

What to do next?

You’ll need to book a slot with NIHR RDS SW Bournemouth site lead, Dr Sarah Thomas who is holding drop-in information and advice sessions to discuss potential applications. After your slot you will be given an opportunity to apply for FHSS funding.

The sessions are from 1-3pm on Monday 4^th April or 11am-1pm on Wednesday 6^th April. Please e-mail: wardl@bournemouth.ac.uk to book your 15-minute slot.

Further details about the Residential Research Retreat, including the eligibility criteria and application process can be found here: Residential Research Retreat

Your local branch of the NIHR RDS (Research Design Service) is based within the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU)

The NIHR RDS can advise on all aspects of developing a grant application and can review application drafts as well as put them to a mock funding panel (run by NIHR RDS South West) known as the Project Review Committee, which is a fantastic opportunity for researchers to obtain a critical review of a proposed grant application before this is sent to a funding body.

Contact us as early as possible to benefit fully from the advice.

Feel free to call Louise Ward on 01202 961939 or send an email bucru@bournemouth.ac.uk to make an appointment.

1 April 2022

Research Professional – all you need to know

Funding opportunities Jo Garrad

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 Research Professional. 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 Research Professional.

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 Research Professional. 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 Research Professional. They are holding two monthly sessions, covering everything you need to get started with Research Professional. The broadcast sessions will run for no more than 60 minutes, with the opportunity to ask questions via text chat. Each session will cover:

Self registration and logging in
Building searches
Setting personalised alerts
Saving and bookmarking items
Subscribing to news alerts
Configuring your personal profile

Each session will run between 10.00am and 11.00am (UK) on the second Tuesday of every other month. You can register here for your preferred date:

10th May 2022

12th July 2022

13th September 2022

8th November 2022

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. Previous recordings can be found here if you can’t attend a session.

Have you noticed the pink box on the BU Research Blog homepage?

By clicking on this box, on the left of the Research Blog home page just under the text ‘Funding Opportunities‘, you access a Research Professional real-time search of the calls announced by the Major UK Funders. Use this feature to stay up to date with funding calls. Please note that you will have to be on campus or connecting to your desktop via our VPN to fully access this service.

24 March 2022

COST actions – European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Funding opportunities, international Ainar

COST is a funding organisation that aims to support researchers to grow their professional research networks and boost their careers. The United Kingdom is one of 39 COST Members, so UK researchers are eligible for funding.

COST Actions are typically made up of researchers from academia, SMEs, public institutions and other relevant organisations or interested parties. It is open to all science and technology fields, including new and emerging fields. COST Actions offer an inclusive, pan-European environment for individuals of all levels of seniority.

In opposition to many EU-funded projects, it is possible to participate in an ongoing project. There are the following options how you can participate in COST Actions:

As a Management Committee (MC) Member (the MC is responsible for the coordination, implementation and management for an Action)
As a working group (WG) member (the WG groups perform the tasks required by the Action to fulfil the objectives of the network project plan)
As a participant in Action activities

There are more than 200 COST Actions open and 70 more networks will be announced in May to replace those closing in 2022.

How to find out more?

A week ago, there was a webinar organised by the UK Research Office (UKRO) dedicated to an Introduction to COST. Policy Officer of COST Association Judith Litjens provided attendees with an overview of COST. On the UKRO event page you can find recording and presentation slides from the webinar. The event outlined the different ways to get involved in a COST action and covered UK participation in COST. Professor David Manlove (University of Glasgow) presented his involvement in three different COST actions.

Some useful tips

BU may not be in a position to lead large multi-national consortia, however BU academics may be invited to join a proposal led by another institution.

Before saying ‘yes’, it may be worth to gather some intelligence and consider if the leading institution and PI has adequate resources and experience in leading such large projects; there are in average 30 participating institution for an action with an average annual budget of almost EUR 140k to be managed. Knowing more about potential lead may, sometimes, save significant PI’s and RDS resources before realising that developed proposal has no chance to get funded.

Often, most rewarding approach may be joining already existing or newly established networks. To participate in activities, follow the offers of the specific action you are interested in.

On COST website you may find more information regarding specific COST networking tools like meetings, workshops and conferences, Short-term Scientific Missions and training schools. Training schools are intensive coaching opportunities focusing on young researchers in particular. According to COST expectations, 20% of funding must be spent for supporting Early Career Researchers.

If you plan to get involved in a COST Action, please get in touch with your RDS Funding Development Officer. Still got questions about COST scheme? Get in touch with me.

22 March 2022

Reminder: Weekly Funding Development Briefing and Spotlight on MSCA PF this Wednesday

Funding opportunities Ainar

As promised earlier this month, the Funding Development Briefing on Wednesday 23 March at 12 noon will also include spotlight on Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF) 2022 Call. This year’s Call is expected to open on 13 April 2022, submission deadline 14 September 2022.

This session will cover:

Short MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships overview
Scope and expected outcomes
Basic eligibility rules
Award criteria
UKRO webinars available to BU academics
Internal processes

After presentation there will also be a short Q&A session available for those less familiar with the scheme.

For those unable to attend the session, slides will be shared on Brightspace.

To discuss more details about your potential EU project idea or MSCA scheme specifically, you are welcome to get in touch with RDS Research Facilitator International Ainar Blaudums.

21 March 2022

Join the next meeting of the Public Engagement with Research Network

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

We are dedicating this meeting of the BU Public Engagement with Research (PER) Network to helping you apply for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022, an annual celebration of the social sciences.

In this session we will explain more about the festival and how to apply through our internal process – opening on Monday 28 March. We will also hear from academics who have previously held events and activities as part of the festival, who will share their experiences and advice.

Find out more about the Festival of Social Science, including who is eligible and how much funding and support you could receive.

We will also share other news on public engagement from BU.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 31 March 12-1pm, on Teams.

To join this meeting and find out about future ones, join our BU Public Engagement with Research Network. Check under ‘Meetings’ for upcoming sessions.

If you have any questions, please email the team.

Category / Funding opportunities

Public Engagement Funding Opportunity: Engaging the public with environmental science 2022

Update: RDS Funding Development Briefing on Wednesday 20/04/22

REMINDER: RDS Funding Development Briefing on Wednesday 13/03/22

Open call: last chance to apply for public engagement funding for 2022!

Apply for £500-£5,000 to fund your public engagement activity or event

What we’re looking for

“Engagement is, by definition, a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.” NCCPE

How to apply

Apply now for travel grants for impact development

Funding development briefings in April and spotlights this year

British Academy Small Grants – Internal Deadlines

Research Professional – all you need to know

Have you noticed the pink box on the BU Research Blog homepage?

COST actions – European Cooperation in Science and Technology

How to find out more?

Some useful tips

Reminder: Weekly Funding Development Briefing and Spotlight on MSCA PF this Wednesday

Other services

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UKRI

Category / Funding opportunities

ESRC Festival Open Call: Deadline for applications Friday 29 April. Funding of up to £1,000 is available to deliver your event or activity

ESRC Festival 2022 Theme

Who can apply?

What support is available?

How to apply

ESRC Festival Open Call: Deadline for applications Friday 29 April. Funding of up to £1,000 is available to deliver your event or activity

Who can apply?

What support is available?

How to apply

Who can apply?

What support is available?

How to apply

Apply for £500-£5,000 to fund your public engagement activity or event

What we’re looking for

“Engagement is, by definition, a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.” NCCPE

How to apply

What is the ESRC Festival of Social Science?

Why should I take part?

Are there rules about topics, or target audiences?

What if I’ve never done any public engagement before?

Can I apply if I’m not a social scientist?

What will I be expected to do?

What support will I get?

What next?

How to apply

Have you noticed the pink box on the BU Research Blog homepage?

How to find out more?

Some useful tips

Other services

Don’t miss a post!

Recent posts

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