Category / Fusion

Fusion Investment Fund Update – FAQ’s released

Funding opportunities, Fusion, Guidance

Just a quick update on the Fusion Investment Fund.  The application deadline is fast approaching and I am aware of lots of activity.  Last week the selection committee for each of the three funding strands met for the first time and discussed the selection criteria they would use in making their assessments. 

There was a range of different views but all three committees decided to adopt a very similar approach based on five criteria which would be scored one to four and supplemented with textural comments. 

These assessment criteria are included within a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs FIF V3), based on questions that I have been asked in the last couple of weeks.  I would encourage you to read these carefully since there are some key hints in fine tuning your applications.

The budget allowances for each funding stream have changed too following the committee’s first meetings; The committee for ‘Staff Mobility and Networking’ confirmed awards from £1,000 and up to £10,000 will now be made.  The committee for the Co-Creation and Co-Production strand confirmed awards from £5,000 and up to £75,000 will now be made. 

The SL Committee recognises that in some cases it may need to make grants larger than £15k in order to support some periods of study leave.  Applicants requesting larger sums should make this clear on the application form and in the case of support.

During the last few weeks we have run a series of surgeries and workshops to help staff in preparing their applications. There is still opportunity to gain further support:

  1. On Friday the 22 June I will be running a bid surgery between 11.00 and 13.00 in P403, details and the booking form are available on the Staff Portal.  Just bring your draft proposal or idea along and I will see what we can do to help.
  2. On Monday 25 June I will be running a telephone workshop between 10.00 and 11.30 simply drop an email to staffdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk with your extension number or the number you will be on during that period and I will give you an individual call at some point during the session.  It is your chance to ask an individual or specific question.

 If you have any other queries don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly and I wish you all good luck with your applications.

 

Matthew Bennett

Digital Economy finds NEMODE

Funding opportunities, Fusion

Academics from multi-disciplinary backgrounds recently attended a two day Digital Economy Network+ event at the University of Cambridge. The aim of the event was to continue the process of building a network of people interested researching New Economic Models for the Digital Economy.

The focus of the event was to share the diverse perspectives on new economic models for the digital economy and to develop and shape the research agenda on two key themes;

  • What are economic models and how do different communities define them?
  • Does an economic model differ from a business model?

Both days consisted of a number of brainstorm and discussion activities that opened with each academic presenting their views on the ‘big questions’ in relation to their own subject domain, which in my case is Media Management. It was certainly interesting to look at the same research questions from very different perspectives, and it this has helped inform my thinking for the Advances in Media Management (AiMM) research group that I lead and our forthcoming symposium on New Economic Models.

Further network events are planned, but for those BU academics researching within our own  Creative & Digital Economy Theme – the funding headlines are;

  • The EPSRC are managing the New Economic Models sub-theme of the Digital Economy
  • The network will now be known as NEMODE
  • NEMODE have £980k to support network activities including funding 10 small (£50k) feasibility/scoping studies. A call for the first two projects will be made in October this year.
  • Successful feasibility studies can be scaled up via direct applications to the RCUK Digital Economy.
  • Funding Applications that involve practitioners will be looked upon more favourably – which sits nicely with BU’s Fusion Strategy!

Friday!

Fusion, News from the PVC

If you are reading this the chances are that you have followed the new link on the blog and are expecting ‘news from the PVC’.  About a month ago I rashly promised to contribute a weekly column to the blog to let you know what was in my mind, what is new at BU or in prospect that has not yet made its way onto the blog.  The problem this morning is that the new link went live last night and I thought I had better write something but my brain is somewhat befuddled after a long week, it is also early on Friday morning and I am counting the minutes until the coffee shop opens and I get coffee to kick start my day!

Much of this week has been taken up with the first panel meetings for three strands of the Fusion Investment Fund.  We have been discussing how to process and assess the applications which are due on the 1 July and I will be posting the agreed assessment criteria along with some FAQ’s on the staff portal and blog first thing on Monday.  I have run a number of surgeries and briefing session over the last two weeks and plan to run at least two more events before the deadline.  The ideas and innovation emerging are fantastic and most of the applications seem to be heading toward the Co-Production/Creation Strand, with Mobility & Networking close behind and Study Leave attracting less interest.  My only observation is that many of the schemes being put forward to the Co-Production/Creation Strand could be re-shaped as Study Leave or a Mobility grants.  I do believe that the Study Leave Strand is really powerful, but also understand that people don’t necessarily want to be away from home, although as someone pointed out this week there are lots of HEI’s and Businesses in the UK that are in commuting distance of Bournemouth; you don’t have to go over-seas to take study leave!  I would also like to remind people that it will also fund inward mobility; that is the costs of bringing someone to Bournemouth for a period of time.  I will try to capture some of this in the FAQ’s which are emerging from the sessions that I have run, but I also would be happy to talk to anyone directly who wants to talk through an idea.  My calendar is a bit of a nightmare so a meeting might not be possible but if you drop me an email with your number and some time slots when you are free I will try to call you between meetings next week.

So it is now five to eight and the coffee shop beckons!  Have a nice weekend.

Fusion Investment Fund Applications – Three weeks to go!

Funding opportunities, Fusion, Guidance, Training, Uncategorized

I would like to remind you of the deadline for applications to the Fusion Investment Fund, which is the 1st July. 

Last Fusion Investment Fund Workshops – Places are still available!

Many of your colleagues have attended these workshop sessions in the last two weeks, bringing along draft proposals to show Matthew Bennett and his team of academics.  I attended the surgery session on Thursday 7th June, meeting colleagues taking the opportunity to attend and ask for specific advice and pointers from Matthew on how to make their applications stand out from the crowd. 

Please be aware we re-scheduled the Study Leave Workshop – This is now taking place on Wednesday 13th June

Study Leave Workshop:

Wednesday 13th June 2012, 09:00-10:00 – PG146, Thomas Hardy Suite (TC).

This workshop will provide academics preparing proposals for study leave funding with the opportunity to discuss issues around study leave, the contractual/HR side of the arrangements, and the benefits of undertaking study leave. The workshop will be lead by Matthew Bennett with support from HR and a couple of BU academics with experience of taking study leave as part of their careers. Max of 30 attendees.

The Last Fusion Investment Fund surgery:

Friday 22th June 2012, 12:00-14:00 – P403, Poole House (TC)

These surgeries will provide academics preparing proposals for one of the FIF strands with the opportunity to bring their ideas and drafts to discuss with Matthew Bennett and a team of Professors and to test out what makes a good, fundable proposal with a competitive edge. Max of 30 attendees per session.

  • Booking onto a session is easy, simply click the link to be taken to Staff Development bookings page.

 

Applying to the fund.

 To apply to the fund please see the information here on our intranet pages.

 If you have any queries about the fund please email FusionFund@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Best of luck!

Sam

Fusion Investment Fund Applications – Four Weeks to go!

BU research, Funding opportunities, Fusion, Uncategorized

I hope you enjoyed the Diamond Jubilee celebrations this weekend.  With the help of our surgeries you might also be toasting a successful application to the FIF.

We still have another four weeks to get applications in, let me remind you of our exciting series of workshop and surgeries booking now:

Strengthening your FIF Proposal:

Thursday 7th June 2012, 09:30-13:30 – EB202, EBC (LC)

Thursday 7th June 2012, 12:30-16:30 – EB202, EBC (LC)

This session will be lead by John Wakeford from the Missenden Centre and will provide academics who have drafted their FIF proposals with the opportunity to have their proposals reviewed by John Wakeford and to identify areas that could be strengthened. Max of 12 attendees per session. Lunch included from 12:30 to 13:30.

Fusion Investment Fund surgeries:

Thursday 7th June 2012, 12:00-14:00 – PG146, Thomas Hardy Suite (TC)

Friday 22th June 2012, 12:00-14:00 – P403, Poole House (TC)

These surgeries will provide academics preparing proposals for one of the FIF strands with the opportunity to bring their ideas and drafts to discuss with Matthew Bennett and a team of Professors and to test out what makes a good, fundable proposal with a competitive edge. Max of 30 attendees per session.

The Perfect FIF Proposal:

Friday 8th June 2012, 13:30-16:00 – MG01, Melbury House (LC)

This session will be led by Matthew Bennett and will focus on writing the perfect proposal for the Fusion Investment Fund strands. Max of 30 attendees per session.

  •  Booking onto a session is easy, simply click the link to be taken to Staff Development bookings page.

 

Applying to the fund:

To apply to the fund please see the information here on our intranet pages.

The email to submit to the fund and if you have any queries is FusionFund@bournemouth.ac.uk.

 

Thanks!

Sam Furr

Fusion Investment Fund workshops with John Wakeford next week

Funding opportunities, Fusion

John Wakeford from the Missenden Centre will be visiting BU on Thursday 7th June to run two workshops to help colleagues to develop and strengthen their applications to the Fusion Investment Fund (deadline 1st July). Attendees will need to provide a copy of their draft FIF proposal to Sam Furr no later than Wednesday 6th June at midday; this is to ensure John has enough time to read these prior to the session.

There will be a morning and an afternoon session and lunch will be provided.

Thursday 7th June 2012, 09:30-13:30 – EB202, EBC (LC)

Thursday 7th June 2012, 12:30-16:30 – EB202, EBC (LC)

Similar sessions have been well attended previously and spaces are limited. Booking onto a session is easy, simply click here to be taken to the bookings page.

 

How to use StratNav to explore BU’s strategy in relation to Research and Fusion

BU research, Fusion

Last week the Vice-Chancellor launched StratNav as an interactive online tool to help you to navigate the delivery of the BU2018 strategy.

You can easily search StratNav for the elements of the plan that relate specifically to Research and Fusion:

1. Access StratNav here: http://strategicplan.bournemouth.ac.uk/

2. Select ‘Research’ or ‘Fusion’ from the drop down search box at the top right of the page

3. The Research or Fusion elements will be displayed and you can choose to show the results by the strategic themes and enablers – Creating, Inspiring, Sharing, Finance, People, Environment.

StratNav provides an excellent platform from which to explore the BU2018 plan.

Fusion Investment Fund Applications – Five Weeks to go!

Funding opportunities, Fusion, Guidance

Hi – I am Sam, I started working last week in the RDU as Resources Administrator with specific responsibility for the Fusion Investment Fund.  I would like to remind you of the deadline for applications to the Fusion Investment Fund, which is the 1st July.

Workshop and Surgery places are available to book now!

 Should you need help writing the perfect proposal, we can help you!  I am pleased to announce the dates of our first Fusion Investment Fund surgeries and workshops over the coming weeks.  Here are the details:

 

Fusion Investment Fund surgeries:

Thursday 7th June 2012, 12:00-14:00 – PG146, Thomas Hardy Suite (TC)

Friday 22th June 2012, 12:00-14:00 – P403, Poole House (TC)

These surgeries will provide academics preparing proposals for one of the FIF strands with the opportunity to bring their ideas and drafts to discuss with Matthew Bennett and a team of experienced academics and to test out what makes a good, fundable proposal with a competitive edge. Lunch is included.

Study Leave Workshop:

Wednesday 6th June 2012, 13:00-15:00 – PG146, Thomas Hardy Suite (TC).

This workshop will provide academics preparing proposals for study leave funding with the opportunity to discuss issues around study leave, the contractual/HR side of the arrangements, and the benefits of undertaking study leave. The workshop will be lead by Matthew Bennett with support from HR and a couple of BU academics with experience of taking study leave as part of their careers.  Lunch is included.

 

The Perfect FIF Proposal:

Wednesday 6th June 2012, 10:00-12:30 – PG146, Thomas Hardy Suite (TC)

Friday 8th  June 2012 13:30-16:00 – MG01, Melbury House (LC)

This session will be led by Matthew Bennett and will focus on writing the perfect proposal for the Fusion Investment Fund strands.

 

Strengthening your FIF Proposal:

Thursday 7th June 2012, 09:30-13:30 – EB202, EBC (LC)

Thursday 7th June 2012, 13:30-16:30 – EB202, EBC (LC)

This session will be lead by John Wakeford from the Missenden Centre and will provide academics who have drafted their FIF proposals with the opportunity to have their proposals reviewed by John Wakeford and to identify areas that could be strengthened.  Attendees will need to provide a copy of their draft FIF proposal to me no later than Wednesday 6th June at midday; this is to ensure John has enough time to read these prior to the session. Max of 12 attendees per session. Lunch is included.

 

How to book onto one of these sessions:

Booking onto a session is easy, simply click here to be taken to the bookings page.

To apply to the fund please see the information here on our intranet pages.

Good Luck!

Sam

Fusion Investment Fund surgery on 28th May – book your place now!

Fusion

The Fusion Investment Fund exists to support a range of practical initiatives and pump priming funds around Fusion.

Last month we launched three strands of the Fund:

We are currently finalising a series of events and workshops to support those interested in applying to this round of the FIF. These dates will be advertised next week however booking is now open for the first event.

28th May – FIF surgery – this is the first of three surgery sessions that will provide academics preparing proposals for one of the FIF strands with the opportunity to bring their ideas and drafts to discuss with Matthew Bennett and a team of experienced academics and to test out what makes a good, fundable proposal with a competitive edge. The session will be from 12:00-14:00 and will be held in PG146, Thomas Hardy Suite, Poole House.

If you would like to attend the session please complete the booking form on the Staff Intranet (link only works whilst you are on-campus).

Fusion Investment Fund – call deadline 1 July 2012!

Fusion

The Fusion Investment Fund exists to support a range of practical initiatives and pump priming funds around Fusion.

Last month we launched three strands of the Fund:

We are now seeking applications to each of the strands. The deadline is 1 July 2012.

The panels have been appointed and are meeting in early June to agree specific criteria and FAQs for each of the strands.

Sam Furr joined BU today as the FIF Administrator and will be promoting the Fund over the coming months.

We are currently arranging a number of proposal writing sessions to support staff writing applications to the Fund. Further details on these sessions will be added to the Blog shortly.

If you have any queries about the Fund please email FusionFund@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Leisure and Recreation Theme Meeting up

Fusion

In order to further develop some of the ideas that are driving the Leisure and Recreation Theme we are arranging to get together at 11am on Wed 23 May in TAG 02. 

The sort of things that we are currently exploring is: 

  • Hosting the Leisure Studies Association Conference. (Lead member of staff Dr Ian Jones).
  • Hosting the AEM conference 2013, (lead member of staff Dr Julie Whitfield).
  • Bidding for an ESRC seminar series.
  • Investigating the current government initiative relating to Healthy Leisure.
  • Establishing a Healthy Leisure, Healthy Living Research Group.
  • Possibly further dividing theme into work groups?
  • Running a seminar series (4-6) in the University, each session on a different aspect of University research relating to the theme.
  • Holding an Internal Research conference looking specifically at Leisure and Recreation, highlighting work across university.
  • Holding an internal PhD student conference or poster conference specifically on Leisure and Recreation highlighting work across University 

All input will be gratefully received, all are invited. Julie Northam will be e-mailing all those who have previously signed up to the Leisure and Recreation Theme to confirm attendance.  If you have not signed up please could you confirm attendance with Julie by e-mail so that we have an idea of numbers.

Launch of the Fusion Investment Fund

Fusion, News from the PVC

I am delighted today to launch the Fusion Investment Fund which, at c. £3m per annum for the first three years, represents the significant investment that BU is making in the development of staff and students, and the embedding of the Fusion philosophy.

At the heart of the BU2018 strategy is the powerful fusion of research, education and professional practice, creating a unique academic experience where the sum is greater than the component parts. Fusion is the key concept which underlies the BU2018 strategy and its delivery is critical to the University’s future mission. As a founding concept Fusion will allow the organisation to achieve its ambition of transforming the academic footprint of BU while remaining a similar academic size. It is the key academic strategy and central to the culture at BU. In essence Fusion is the combination of inspirational teaching, world-class research and the latest thinking in the professions which creates a continuous and fruitful exchange of knowledge that stimulates new ideas, learning and thought leadership.

The Fund exists to support a range of practical initiatives and pump prime activity around Fusion. Launched today are three of the funding strands available to BU staff:

  • Co-creation and co-production – this strand provides grants focused on supporting activity that drives fusion with specific emphasis on research and/or professional practice. The budget in 2012-13 for this strand is £400k and individual grants awarded will be between £10k and £75k each.
  • Study leave – this strand provides up to 50 opportunities per annum for paid study leave for staff to engage in business/industry secondments, international staff exchange, pedagogic development, and/or research practice. The grants are designed to buy individuals out of one semester/term of teaching and provide support for either overseas travel and subsistence or for expenditure associated with distance working within the UK. It is intended that these awards will be made primarily for study from BU rather than simply to provide staff with teaching relief.  Note that exceptionally awards may also be made to support incoming staff visiting BU who will material enhance Fusion or the development of international or business development.  In this case the BU sponsor should make the application for funding before any invitation is extended. The budget in 2012-13 for this strand is £750k and individual grants awarded will be up to £15k.
  • Staff mobility and networking – this strand provides support for staff to support UK or overseas travel and subsistence in pursuit of any aspect of Fusion – research, education, and/or professional practice. The budget in 2012-13 for this strand is £200k and individual grants awarded will be between £5k and £10k each.

These funding streams are in addition to the other Fusion Investment Fund initiatives already launched – the 100 annual doctoral opportunities advertised earlier this year and the Grants Academy that was launched last month. The other initiatives that form part of the Fund (such as the Student Mobility grants) will be announced in August 2012.

Strand Committees: Each strand will be managed by a small committee responsible for running and monitoring the allocation process – call, review, allocation and reporting. They also have responsibility for developing detailed application criteria as appropriate and developing FAQs. Committee members will usually serve for between two and five years and are not excluded from applying for funding via the strands.

We are now seeking to appoint committee members. If you would like to serve on one of the committees then please self-nominate via email to me (cc’d to Julie Northam) to express an interest by 27 April 2012.

For each committee we are seeking two Professors and two Senior Lecturers/Lecturers. You will need to confirm in the email which of the three strands you would like to be considered for. This is a prestigious opportunity to be involved in supporting colleagues and the University to meet the BU2018 aims and I look forward to receiving your nomination emails.

 

Applying to the strands: The first deadline for these strands is 1 July 2012, for awards in 2012-13; there will be subsequent deadlines later in the academic year for the mobility and co-creation/production strands. Applications to the Fund are made via one standard application form. Further information about the Fusion Investment Fund will be available shortly from the new Staff Portal when it is launch later this month. In the meantime you can access further details via the Research Blog: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/fusion/fusion-investment-fund/.

Strategies for use of news websites in journalism education

BU research, Fusion

Funding Source: Association for Journalism Education
Chief Investigators: Dr Einar Thorsen and Sue Wallace, The Media School, Bournemouth University
Research Assistant: Dr Caitlin Patrick, The Media School, Bournemouth University

 

Project brief

Journalism is among the most rapidly changing industries, affected by both technological advances and shifting consumer habits. This makes it paramount for journalism education to keep pace with trends such as changing journalism practices and the migration of audiences to online journalism. One possible outcome of this imperative is for online news or magazine websites to be developed to a) showcase student reporting, b) serve as an educational tool in professional journalism practices, and c) facilitate research into news and journalism innovation. Journalism courses are increasingly making use of their own websites in one or more of these ways, but development, as in the news industry itself, has tended to be haphazard and quite often on a trial and error basis.

This project seeks to address this problematic by conducting a survey of news and magazine websites used in journalism courses, their history, evolution and integration into education practice. The aim is not to produce a standard model to be applied in every case. Rather, the intention is to collect and share experiences to inform education and curriculum development. The sharing of best practice can also help to maintain high standards in journalism education.

 

International survey

Phase One of the project launched in March 2012 and involves an international survey into the use of news and magazine websites in journalism education.

We would be most grateful if anyone involved in journalism education could assist by completing our survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/websites-in-journalism-education

We are interested in the views of both staff and students, so please circulate as widely as possible.

The survey is completed anonymously. For staff it takes no more than 10-15 minutes to complete, with the student section possible to complete in 5 minutes. All staff and students on undergraduate and postgraduate journalism courses are encouraged to partake and we welcome your participation.

 

Case studies

Phase Two of the project will take place in the second half of 2012 and involve up to five site visits to observe how websites are used in live news days simulating real-life news operations. During these visits we propose to conduct follow-up interviews in conjunction with examination of websites, to scrutinise in finer detail the patterns of application and usage.

 

Project outcomes

This project will investigate both technological and editorial issues associated with use of websites in journalism education.

Findings from this research project will be made available online and as contributions to relevant scholarly journals, including the AJE journal Journalism Education, outlining experiences, advice, and different models of application. The findings may also be of use to accreditation bodies and industry panels.

If you would like further information on the project, you can view the original project brief.

Come along to the next Fusion Seminar on 21 March!

Fusion

The fourth event in the Fusion Seminar and Conference Series is due to be held on Wednesday 21 March and will focus on the Inspiring aspect of the BU2018 strategy.

The March Seminar will take place between 12:00-1:30pm. Registration will open at 11:45 and the sessions will begin at 12:00. There will be one hour of short and focused presentations followed by 30 minutes of networking opportunities over lunch. The Seminar will be hosted by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Tim McIntyre-Bhatty who will open the seminar with a 10 minute presentation. This will be followed by five brief and succinct presentations by invited speakers, with each presentation lasting no more than ten minutes including questions.

The draft programme is available here: Fusion event – Inspiring – programme

The Seminar will be held in Kimmerdige House and will start promptly at 12pm. Please arrive for registration from 11:45am, ready for the 12pm start.

To book a place at the event visit the booking page here: http://fusionseminar3.eventbrite.com

For an excellent summary of BU’s Fusion strategy, watch this short video from Professor John Vinney:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrUxINNWzjQ&

Fusion Conference – Wednesday 18 April: Call for contributions and book your place

BU research, Fusion, Research themes

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fusion Conference – Wednesday 18 April:
 
The ‘Fusion’ series of internal conferences and seminars for 2011/12 continues on Wednesday 18 April with a ‘Fusion in Action’ conference hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor John Vinney in the Executive Business Centre, Lansdowne Campus, from noon to 5pm.

The conference entitled ‘Fusion in Action: Knowledge exchange with students, society and the professions’ is firmly grounded in the context of Vision & Values and seeks to illustrate Fusion at its best. 

The conference will include contributions from staff and students through a combination of presentations, demonstrations and discussions.

The conference aims to showcase examples of staff engaged in academic and/or research-led activities associated with the professions and wider society and to identify:

  • ·         how this helps create a unique academic experience for staff and students at BU
  • ·         how students and staff can share in the learning experience
  • ·         how such knowledge exchange can foster innovative learning experiences, pedagogic developments and research activities.

This half-day conference replaces the previous Education Enhancement Conference and Research Conferences held in previous years.  

Proposals for papers, poster presentations, discussion groups and/or demonstrations related to the theme are now invited.  These should be submitted to: fusionconference@bournemouth.ac.uk by Wednesday 7 March using the abstract form here: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/staff_new/edq/conferences/staff_conferences.html

If you wish to discuss possible contributions, please contact Julie Northam on extension:  61208 or Jennifer Taylor on extension: 61271 in the first instance.

The conference is open to all staff contributing to the delivery of programmes and research activities at BU and partner locations and will also involve presentations from the University Executive Team and members of the Students’ Union. 

Link to bookings page:

Fusion Conference 18 April – call for contributions!

Fusion

The Fusion series of internal conferences and seminars for 2011/12 continues on Wednesday 18th April 2012 with a ‘Fusion in Action’ conference hosted by the Vice Chancellor in the EBC from 12.00 – 5.00pm. Booking details will be published shortly so please save the date!

The conference entitled ‘Fusion in Action: Knowledge exchange with students, society and the professions’ is firmly grounded in the context of Vision and Values and seeks to illustrate fusion at its best. The conference will include contributions from staff and students through a combination of presentations, demonstrations and discussions. The conference aims to showcase examples of staff engaged in academic and/or research-led activities associated with the professions and wider society and to identify: how this helps create a unique academic experience for staff and students at BU, how students and staff can share in the learning experience and how such knowledge exchange can foster innovative learning experiences, pedagogic developments and research activities.

This half day conference replaces the previous Education Enhancement Conference and Research Conferences held in previous years.

Proposals for papers, poster presentations, discussion groups and/or demonstrations related to the theme are now invited. These should be submitted to fusionconference@bournemouth.ac.uk by the 7th March using the abstract form provided.

If you wish to discuss possible contributions, please contact Julie Northam (ext 61208) or Jennifer Taylor (ext 61271) in the first instance.

The conference is open to all staff contributing to the delivery of programmes and research activities at BU and partner locations and will also involve presentations from the University Executive Team and members of the Students’ Union.

Involving undergraduates in research: the Psychology Research Apprenticeship Scheme

BU research, Fusion, Research assessment

Following on from Sally Gates’ recent blog about involving undergraduates in research, we thought it would be good to share with the blog readership our experience of the Research Apprenticeship Scheme that we have been running in the Psychology Research Centre for the past three years.

Undergraduate students in their second year are offered the chance to work alongside staff and help them with their research.  These positions enable 2nd year students to work directly alongside staff and help them with their research.  Students get the chance to work together with researchers, gathering and analysing data, and working out what experimental findings might mean.  The students often get a chance to work with specialist equipment that they might not have been able to otherwise and gain in-depth knowledge of what research really involves. And of course it looks great on their CVs. This experience engenders the research bug in the students – two were intrigued enough to apply for and win funding from the Nuffield Foundation for summer work in the Psychology Research Centre – and those students and others from the scheme are busy applying for PhD positions this year.   The scheme also provides the students with invaluable experience for their own research project in their final year of study.

Of course, the scheme also helps staff.  We really appreciate the help and support the ‘apprentices’ provide.  The scheme has really grown and this year we were able to offer 25 research apprenticeship positions to 2nd year students.  We hope the scheme will go from strength to strength and that in future years we may be able to offer one or two paid summer placements to our best undergraduate apprentice researchers.