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Category / Impact
Apply now to take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science
Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival
The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.
How to apply
We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.
Apply to take part by completing the online application form.
Deadline for applications: 11:59pm, Thursday 15 May 2025
You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.
About the Festival of Social Science
The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.
The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.
Training to run a great event
The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.
To help you develop your application, you can sign up to attend the Introduction to Festival of Social Science 2025 webinar on 8th May, 12pm via Teams.
Please read before applying
Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.
Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.
Contact us
Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
The Future of Surface Protection: Nanocomposite Coatings Explained
Imagine you are trying to protect a ship’s engine from rust, a jet turbine from extreme heat, or a wind turbine from relentless sea spray. All of these challenges have one thing in common: harsh environments that wear down materials over time. That is where nanocomposite coatings come in, doing a big job to make our technology last longer, run smoother, and stay safer.
They are protective layers made from materials that include nanoparticles. Super tiny particles that can enhance strength, reduce wear, and resist corrosion better than traditional coatings. These coatings are applied to surfaces that need to survive tough conditions, such as extreme temperatures, high pressure, salty water, and friction.
Professor Zulfiqar Khan, who leads the NanoCorr, Energy & Modelling (NCEM) Research Group at Bournemouth University focuses on finding smart, sustainable ways to protect machines and components, especially those in energy, aerospace, and marine sectors.
Machines that break down due to corrosion or wear are not only expensive to fix they also waste energy and resources. If we can improve how surfaces handle friction and corrosion, we can: (1) Extend the life of machines and vehicles, (2) Increase energy efficiency, (3) Reduce maintenance costs and (4) Improve safety and reliability.
Nanocomposite coatings are a new frontier in this mission. Researchers like Khan and his collaborators are developing new models to help understand how these coatings behave and fail. This is important because knowing when and how a coating will degrade allows engineers to improve the formula before something goes wrong in the real world.
Two of the most important tools developed by the team are:
Khan-Nazir Model I: Cathodic Blistering
Imagine a protective layer (the coating) on a surface starting to bubble or blister when exposed to water or salt. This model helps predict how that bubbling happens due to pressure under the surface. It looks at things like the coating’s thickness and elasticity to determine when it might fail.
Khan-Nazir Model II: Wear-Corrosion Interaction
This model deals with the damage caused when friction and corrosion happen at the same time as when gears grind under contaminated lubricant or oil mixed with seawater. It calculates how quickly the material will wear down, helping engineers design better coatings to resist it.
The coatings are put through their paces in labs using machines that mimic real-world conditions: (1) Rubbing surfaces together to measure friction, (2) Exposing them to seawater to simulate marine environments, and (3) Combining heat, pressure, and corrosion to see how they react over time.
The results are then plugged into these models to see how accurate the predictions are. This is called experimental validation, and it is how science moves from theory to real-world application.
Work Featured on NIH Gov Website
NCEM work is not limited to mechanical and interacting systems. They have been studying other significant applications in terms of drug delivery systems, “CuO Bionanocomposite with Enhanced Stability and Antibacterial Activity against Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Strains”. Bacterial resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics is a growing global health concern. As an alternative, scientists have explored metal-based nanoparticles, but their instability has limited their use. In this study, Professor Khan and his team have developed a simple and eco-friendly method to create stable nanocomposites without using harmful chemicals. They combined naturally sourced copper oxide with glycerol and phospholipids from egg yolk in the right proportions.
Tests showed that the new particles were stable, averaging about 59 nanometres in size. The presence of phospholipids helped improve their stability. The antibacterial ability of the nanocomposites was tested against drug-resistant bacteria, and they proved to be effective, even at low concentrations (62.5 µg/mL).
These results suggest that the new nanocomposite could be a promising tool for fighting resistant bacteria and could be useful for delivering antibiotics more effectively in the future. Therefore, due to significant potential in biotechnology applications, Khan and team editorial, “Development of Nanocomposite Coatings”, has been featured on NIH Gov website.
Innovations, Applications, and What’s Next
The research does not stop with just applying a basic coating. Scientists are now:
- Embedding graphene and zirconia nanoparticles for extra durability.
- Using chitosan (a material from shrimp shells!) for antimicrobial properties and
- Applying coatings using plasma oxidation, a high-energy technique that makes coatings super strong and uniform.
Another exciting development is the use of tiny sensors built into coatings. These can monitor damage or degradation in real-time, allowing for predictive maintenance before things go wrong.
Nanocomposite coatings are being used or tested in Oil rigs and marine vessels, Wind turbines and solar panels, Jet engines and spacecraft, Biomedical devices like implants and Industrial pipelines and automotive parts.
Professor Khan’s team continues to explore how to make these coatings smarter, more sustainable, and more adaptable. Their models are being refined to handle even more complex environments, and their lab techniques are helping industries reduce waste, cut costs, and stay competitive in a world where materials need to do more with less.
Nanocomposite coatings might sound technical, but their impact is simple, they protect the things we rely on every day. These advanced nanocoatings are helping industries become more efficient, eco-friendly, and durable, one nano-layer at a time.
Crimmigration, Societies, Borders key note talk – Friday 16 May
Keynote talk as part of Crimmigration, Societies, Borders: Transformation of Boundaries and Narratives (British Academy event).
Prof. Ana Aliverti presents – At the heart of the state: the emotional and moral economies of migration policing in Britain.
Date: 16 May
Time: 3.30-5pm
Location: Shelley Lecture Theatre Talbot Campus
Time: 3.30-5pm
Location: Shelley Lecture Theatre Talbot Campus
Overview: In this lecture, I explore the contrasting and competing rationales, emotions and values that underpin the contemporary governance of marginalised groups, and reflect on the implications of the attendant emotional and moral complex for understanding the state. I focus on migration policing in the UK as a paradigmatic example of such complex, as immigration policies have appended safeguarding and care for the vulnerable to the priority of detecting and ejecting illegal migrants. Drawing on ethnographic research I have conducted with police and immigration officers since 2016, I explore how these officers navigate competing demands for care and control, and the moral tensions and dilemmas that arise in their everyday work. In placing our gaze on the moral and affective world of these frontline staff, the paper seeks to reflect on the complexities of statecraft and rethink state power through more humane and progressive forms of governance, by retrieving a moral grammar of welfare from below forged through human proximity.
Booking now open
www.bournemouth.ac.uk/crimmigration-societies-borders
Share your involvement – contribute to the HE-BCI survey on BU’s social, community, and cultural events
Contribute to the HE-BCI survey: Share your involvement in BU’s social, community, and cultural events
BU is required to report on a range of knowledge exchange activities for the HE-BCI survey, which is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). It is essential that we provide a comprehensive overview of these activities, as Research England uses the HE-BCI data to inform the allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) each year.
For 2024-25, BU received £549,064.
Data collection period
The SharePoint site collects details about all the social, community and cultural engagement events BU delivers between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Information about all events delivered during this period need to be uploaded by Friday 17 October 2025.
Find your faculty table
Please ensure you complete all the columns in the individual table for each faculty, especially Number of Attendees and Academic Staff Time for Delivery.
This year, for the first time, we will not be able to include information uploaded to the public engagement records on BRIAN as these do not provide all the data HESA requires.
If you have added data to BRIAN for the relevant time period, please also upload full details here or we will not be able to include your event in the survey.
Further support
For more guidance on what you must include, please refer to the FAQ section.
If you have any questions about the data collection or process, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Capturing the Power of Heat: NCEM’s Breakthrough in Clean Energy Storage Gains Global Recognition
The NanoCorr, Energy & Modelling (NCEM) Research Group, led by Professor Zulfiqar Khan at Bournemouth University, has made pioneering developments in the field of thermal energy storage, an area critical to the future of renewable energy. Their groundbreaking work in enhancing the performance of latent heat storage systems using phase change materials (PCMs) has been featured on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) website—marking a prestigious global endorsement of their innovations in clean energy technologies.
A Leap Toward Sustainable Energy
As the world shifts from fossil fuels to renewable sources, the ability to capture and store energy efficiently is a central challenge. PCMs—materials that absorb and release heat during phase transitions (like melting and solidifying)—offer an ingenious solution. NCEM’s research focuses on improving these materials’ thermal conductivity, stability, and compatibility with various containers, making energy storage more efficient, stable, and commercially viable.
Their study reviews and categorises organic paraffins and inorganic salt hydrates, the most promising groups of PCMs, highlighting enhancements like encapsulation, multi-PCM integration, and advanced container geometries. These techniques significantly boost energy capture rates and storage capacity, making clean energy more practical for widespread use.
Real-World Impact and Innovation
Backed by five industry-funded and match-funded projects, NCEM’s efforts have not only led to commercial patents in the UK and USA, but have also influenced engineering solutions for solar heating, industrial heat recovery, and smart building technologies. These contributions align strongly with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs):
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Global Recognition: Why the IAEA Feature Matters
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an influential global body under the United Nations, works to promote the peaceful use of nuclear and clean energy technologies. Being featured on their platform is a significant milestone—it underscores the global relevance, technical merit, and strategic value of Professor Khan’s research. It also places Bournemouth University and NCEM at the heart of international discussions on sustainable energy systems.
This acknowledgment by the IAEA is a testament to the NCEM team’s commitment to tackling real-world problems with innovative science. It further demonstrates the potential of UK-led clean energy solutions to contribute to a low-carbon, energy-secure future for all.
A Bright Future for Clean Energy
The research led by Professor Zulfiqar Khan exemplifies how innovative materials science and engineering can drive change on a global scale. With continued support and collaboration between academia and industry, NCEM is set to play a pivotal role in accelerating the transition to clean, resilient energy systems worldwide.
Acknowledgements: Dr Zakir Khan (NCEM ex PGR/ Post Doc) and Professor A Ghafoor.
European Migration Research and Impact – Invitation to a Roundtable Discussion
Date: Wednesday, 7th May, 10am-12pm
Venue: K101 Talbot Campus
Ticket booking: European Migration Research & Impact – Invitation to Roundtable Discussion Tickets, Wed 7 May 2025 at 10:00 | Eventbrite
As part of our recently awarded, British Council-funded “Springboard” project, titled ‘Between vulnerability and resilience: gendering anti-migrant nationalism and migrant responses’, we would like to invite colleagues and PGRs from across BU and AUB with related research interest to a Roundtable discussion on European Migration Research & Impact on 7th May, from 10am to 12pm.
The panel will feature European and BU colleagues actively involved in researching migration across the continent and in the UK, bringing together both internal and international, cross-disciplinary expertise and experience of how to build impact into their projects from scratch. It will also benefit from specialised RDS/REF insights on building research impact. We plan to critically explore different types of potential impact, how to develop impactful research, and discuss both opportunities as well as limitations in achieving meaningful impact through migration research. We hope this panel will aid, inform, and inspire both early and advanced academics interested in migration research, including and beyond Europe, and we welcome lively contributions and discussions. The event will also provide an opportunity for academics across disciplines, working on or interested in related topics, to network with colleagues within and beyond the university.
The Springboard grant awarded by the British Council aims at deepening, specifically, German-UK academic collaborations and developing research projects together. The project is led by Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers (PI), Dilvin Dilara Usta and Anna Wimbledon (Co-Is), all of BU’s Centre for Seldom Heard Voices (CSHV). Beyond British Council funding, project development has kindly been supported by BU’s Global Engagement, RDS, and the FHSS faculty teams as well as the CSHV. Our current international partners include (international lead team only) Carolin Leutloff-Grandits from the B/Orders in Motion research centre at the European University Viadrina (EUV), Frankfurt (Oder), Germany; our long-term partner Linda Gusia of the Sociology Institute and Gender Studies Programme of the University of Prishtina, Kosovo; and Emma Shercliff of the Arts University Bournemouth.
This international team, including further senior researchers, ECRs and PGRs from all the involved partners, is coming together in early May for a dedicated workshop to develop its collaborations, links, and future project plans. (To avoid confusion: the Springboard project and workshop is both complementary to and separate from, Dilvin’s and Anna’s current British Academy-funded project on Crimmigration, which runs in parallel and aims at building collaborative networks, specifically, amongst UK-ECRs and with local non-academic partners; see recent announcement for this associated event, taking place on 16th May).
International Springboard team members Carolin Leutloff-Grandits, co-editor of Migrating Borders and Moving Times (2017) and author of Translocal Care Across Kosovo’s Borders; and Dr Marija Grujić, currently co-leading a project on Gendering asylum infrastructures in Germany and the UK, both of the B/Orders in Motion research centre at EUV, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, have kindly agreed to speak on the European Migration Research & Impact roundtable. Furthermore, we are delighted to welcome Dr Ingrida Kerusauskaite-Palmer of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (Institute of Law), Vilnius, on the panel, who recently completed policy-relevant research on the local, societal impact of Ukrainian migration to Central Europe, and who also is a Visiting Fellow at FHSS. Finally, we are particularly pleased to confirm attendance of BU academics and migration experts, Alina Dolea (who has studied and advised on Romanian migrations) and Nicola De Martini Ugolotti (who has worked with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Italy and the UK), as well as of RDS impact manager, Amanda Edwards, as panellists. Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers will chair the panel discussion who, herself, has a long history in studying, specifically, Albanian migrations and societal responses.
BU research on road network efficiency reported in Times of India
BU research , led by PhD graduate Dr. Assemgul Kozhabek and Dr. Wei Koong Chai, on characterising efficiency of road networks in big populous cities around the world was covered by the Times of India, the world’s largest selling English-language daily in the world. The article reported the findings from BU’s work, specifically highlighted its insights into the structure, properties and efficiency of road networks in relevant cities in India.
Article: “Study rates ‘efficiency’ of city road network” March 17 2025, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/study-rates-efficiency-of-city-road-network/articleshow/119086477.cms.
Register your interest in co-development of new REF2029 Engagement & Impact element
The REF central team has announced registration is open to take part in the co-development of the policy and guidance for the Engagement and Impact (E&I) element of REF2029. This is in addition to the current recruitment to panels and subpanels.
Deadline for registering interest: Tuesday 6 May 2025
Co-development workshop: Thursday 5th & Friday 6th June 2025, London
Topics likely to be covered include (but are not limited to):
- the definition of engagement and its role in the assessment framework
- the definition of rigour
- the content and weighting of disciplinary statements
- the number of case studies required.
Click here for full details on the E&I deep dive two-day session and how to apply. Please email the BU REF team to let us know if you do apply.
Promote your public engagement event to wider audiences
At BU, we celebrate and support efforts to engage the public with our research.
The Public Engagement with Research team in RDS can help promote your event to relevant audiences through our monthly newsletter and social media channels.
To be considered for inclusion, your event or activity must be:
- intended for and open to non-academic audiences
- focused on BU research, either solely or as part of a wider programme (events that do not involve BU research, such as marketing or recruitment activities, will not be accepted)
- submitted no later than the first two weeks of the month before the event. For example, for a June event, submit by 14 May.
Please note: event descriptions may be edited for consistency with other content
Share your upcoming public event or activity
If you have any questions, please contact the team publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Research Café: Showcasing Tomorrow’s Researchers – Tuesday 6 May 6:30-8pm
Get inspired at BU’s Research Café – where research comes to life
Join a community of curious minds to ask questions, share ideas, and explore research at Bournemouth University. Enjoy thought-provoking talks followed by lively discussions, where you can engage directly with guest speakers and fellow attendees.
Our next event features talks from Bournemouth University postgraduate researchers, all currently working towards their PhDs and eager to share their work with the public.
We are excited to welcome three researchers who will present their work and discuss how their research might address the following questions:
- What influences tourists when using public transport, and how can we encourage more eco-friendly travel habits?
- How do video games bring back memories from the past, and what makes them feel nostalgic?
- How are drinking habits and eating behaviours connected in women, and how can we improve support for those facing these challenges?
Taking place at BGB Café on Tuesday 6 May, the talks will begin at 6:30pm. The café opens at 6pm, so arrive early to buy a drink and a bite to eat before the event begins.
If you have any questions about this event, please email the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Successful 2025 Bid-generating Sandpit designed and facilitated by BU academics Catalin Brylla and Lyle Skains
For our fourth run, 30 early career academics from ten universities came together 26-27 March in Bournemouth for a two-day sandpit funded by The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network and organised by Dr. Catalin Brylla (Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion, and Social Justice) and Dr. Lyle Skains (Centre for Science, Health, and Data Communication Research).
The participants specialise in a variety of disciplines such as psychology, music, business management, environmental sciences, computing, law and social work. They brought their interests in a sustainable world and society (as represented by the UN Sustainable Development Goals) to the sandpit for networking, team-building, and funding and project development workshops, many of which were based on the successful and innovative NESTA-developed ‘Crucible’ programme (no longer online, but see the Welsh Crucible).
The success of the sandpit’s activities is highlighted by the culmination of six projects proposed to a panel of subject experts from Bournemouth University: Prof. Huseyin Dogan (computing), Dr. Emily Arden-Close (Psychology), Dr. Lyle Skains (arts practice and interdisciplinarity), Dr. Catalin Brylla (media practice) and Eva Papadopoulou (research development). These experts provided mentorship and feedback on the projects as they develop toward funding proposals. Two sandpit follow-up sessions will also aid the participants in developing their funding proposals.
To receive news of further sandpits and development opportunities, join the BA ECRN.
BU Research Project named in BCP Domestic Abuse Strategy Consultation document
A team of researchers from Bournemouth University (Dr Terri Cole, Dr Louise Oliver, Dr Orlanda Harvey, Anisha Sperrin and Dr Jane Healy) are working with BCP Council on a Perpetrator Programme Review Project- This project aims to review local, national and international programmes for perpetrators of domestic abuse and literary review, alongside stakeholder engagement to make recommendations of a best practice model for a perpetrator programme.
The project is mentioned in one of three draft strategy documents that are out for public consultation.
“The three proposed strategies are as follows:
The draft Preventing Domestic Abuse Strategy 2025-2030 is the overarching strategy to our response to domestic abuse across the BCP area, detailing our proposed priorities and how we aim to take our plans forward with partnership agencies.
The draft Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy 2025-2030 is focused on the provision of safe accommodation in the BCP area for survivors of domestic abuse who need support around their housing needs.
The draft Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Strategy 2025-2030 is focused on how we respond to perpetrators of domestic abuse across the BCP area. The strategy aims to prevent people from perpetrating domestic abuse, thereby preventing the harm caused to individuals, children and society.”
Here is the link to the consultation webpages, there is the option to consult on all or some of the three strategies.
https://haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/domestic-abuse-strategies
Update: ESRC Festival Info Session Rescheduled to Wednesday 23 April 11am-12pm
ESRC Festival Info Session Rescheduled to Wednesday 23 April 11am-12pm
Online information session
Join our online information session to enhance your chances of a successful application and learn how to make the most of this exciting opportunity.
BU’s Public Engagement Team will co-host this session with the University of Southampton Impact Funding Team. During the session, you will hear about past festival events at both universities, learn first-hand experiences from previous participants, and gain an understanding of the application process. You will also receive guidance on how to get involved in this year’s festival.
Wednesday 23 April 2025
11am – 12pm
Online (via Teams)
To attend, please register and we will be in touch with further information
Find out more about how you can take part in the 23rd Annual ESRC Festival of Social Science
If you have any questions, please get in touch publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Join our online info session to find out how you can apply for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2025
The ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) is back, running from 18 October to 8 November 2025.
Partnership with the University of Southampton
For the third consecutive year, Bournemouth University is partnering with the University of Southampton (UoS) to deliver a programme of social science events across Dorset and Hampshire. This collaboration enables BU researchers to organise joint events with UoS colleagues and share impactful research with a broader community.
Funding available for your social science event
Apply for up to £1,000 and join the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2025 to showcase your research.
Online information session
Join our online information session to enhance your chances of a successful application and learn how to make the most of this exciting opportunity.
BU’s Public Engagement Team will co-host this session with the UoS Impact Funding Team. During the session, you will hear about past festival events at both universities, learn first-hand experiences from previous participants, and gain an understanding of the application process. You will also receive guidance on how to get involved in this year’s festival.
Wednesday 2 April 2025
11am – 12pm
Online (via Teams)
To attend, please register and we will be in touch with further information
Get inspired about planning your event
The 2025 open call will launch soon. In the meantime, explore these resources from last year to gather ideas and see which events resonated with public audiences while aligning with the festival’s goals:
To help with planning and audience engagement, check out these useful guides from last year’s open call:
If you would like to start discussing your ideas, please get in touch publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
We want to hear from you – Tell us about your involvement in Social, Cultural, and Community events
Your involvement matters – Please share details of BU’s social, community, and cultural events for the annual Higher Education Business & Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey
Bournemouth University reports on a range of knowledge exchange activities for the HE-BCI survey, collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
Providing a comprehensive view of these activities is crucial, as Research England uses HE-BCI data to allocate the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) annually. For 2024-25, BU received £549,064.
Data collection period
The SharePoint site collects information on all social, community, and cultural engagement events delivered by BU between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025.
Please ensure all event details are uploaded by Friday 17 October 2025.
Find your faculty table
Complete all the columns in your faculty’s table, paying particular attention to the Number of attendees and Academic staff time for delivery.
Please note that this year, we cannot include data solely uploaded to the public engagement records on BRIAN, as they do not capture all the information required by HESA. If you have already added data to BRIAN, you must also upload full details to the SharePoint site to ensure your event is included in the survey.
Further support
For detailed guidance on what to include, please refer to the FAQ’s
Please contact the Public Engagement Team should you have any additional questions publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
March’s Research Café – How can we help protect our towns and cities from cyberattacks?
BU’s Research Café kicks off exploring cybersecurity in smart cities
Our new Research Café series launched last week at the BGB Café with a thought-provoking discussion on smart cities and cybersecurity. The event brought together members of the public, researchers, and local businesses to exchange ideas, ask questions, and connect with BU’s research community.
Professor Vasilis Katos speaking at Research Café
Leading the conversation was BU’s Professor Vasilis Katos, who explored how residents, businesses, and policymakers can work together to protect smart city infrastructure from growing cyber threats. Professor Katos highlighted the increasing reliance on digital systems in urban environments and the need for proactive security measures to prevent attacks that could disrupt essential services.
Joining the conversation was Emily Rosenorn-Lanng, PhD student and CEO of BU pre-spin-out Cyber Innovations Ltd, who shed light on the often-overlooked psychological impact of cyberattacks. Emily emphasised how cyber incidents can leave individuals and small businesses feeling vulnerable, highlighting the need for greater awareness, resilience, and support systems.
Professor Vasilis Katos & Emily Rosenorn-Lanng with Research Café attendees
The session sparked a lively discussion, with audience members including local business owners sharing their concerns and experiences. Attendees described the event as “exceptionally engaging,” “eye-opening,” and “a fantastic opportunity to learn from experts.”
Emily Rosenorn-Lanng reflected on the event “Cybersecurity isn’t just about technology – it’s about people. When attacks happen, they don’t just affect data; they impact lives, trust, and livelihoods. Protecting our digital world means understanding the human side of cybersecurity too.”
Next up in our Research Café series
Showcasing Tomorrow’s Researchers – Tuesday 6 May, 6:30-8pm at BGB Café
We are excited to announce the next event in our Research Café series will feature postgraduate researchers from Bournemouth University, who will share insights into their innovative research.
Come along to hear about their work, ask questions, and gain a glimpse into the future of research.
More details coming soon
Contact
If you have any questions about this event or the Research Café series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Take part in the 23rd Annual ESRC Festival of Social Science
The ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) returns from 18 October to 8 November 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for researchers to showcase their work in the UK’s largest celebration of social science research.
Partnership with the University of Southampton
For the third consecutive year, Bournemouth University is partnering with the University of Southampton (UoS) to deliver a programme of social science events across Dorset and Hampshire. This collaboration enables BU researchers to organise joint events with UoS colleagues and share impactful research with a broader community.
Why get involved?
- Engage with non-academic audiences and make a meaningful impact in the community
- Showcase your research beyond the university to reach wider audiences
- Gain valuable public engagement experience while enhancing your communication skills
- Expand your professional network through collaborations with fellow researchers
Online information session
BU’s Public Engagement Team will co-host an online information session with the Impact Funding Team (Research and Innovation Services, UoS). During the session, you will learn about past FoSS events at both universities and hear first-hand experiences from previous participants. The session will also explain the application process and guide you on how to get involved in this year’s festival.
Wednesday 2 April 2025
11am – 12pm
Online (via Teams)
To attend, please register and we will be in touch with further information.
Thinking about applying?
The call for applications will open soon. In the meantime, if you are considering applying, we recommend reviewing the 2024 festival open call to gain a clear understanding of the expectations and festival criteria. Understanding the ESRC’s guidelines and expectations is key to submitting a strong application.
If you have colleagues at the University of Southampton who might be interested in running a joint event, consider reaching out to explore collaboration opportunities. Joint events can strengthen your application and broaden your impact, so they are strongly encouraged.
Get inspired by past festival events. For ideas and inspiration, take a look at:
These resources can help you better understand the types of events that resonate with public audiences and align with the festival’s goals.
Helpful guides
These guides from last year’s open call are valuable resources to help you understand and support event planning and audience engagement.
Funding and Support
Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available to support your event. BU’s Public Engagement team will offer ongoing advice and guidance at every stage – from application and event development to planning, delivery, and evaluation.
New drop-in surgery for application support
In addition to the information session, the Public Engagement Team will be hosting a drop-in surgery on campus, providing you with the opportunity to meet the team and receive additional support for your application.
This will:
- Offer guidance on festival requirements and application criteria
- Assist researchers in refining event ideas to ensure alignment with ESRC guidelines
- Provide one-to-one support to strengthen applications and improve the chances of success
- Share insights on best practices for engaging diverse audiences
- Help refine event formats and maximise impact
Take advantage of this support to enhance your proposal and perfect your event plans.
If you would like to start discussing your ideas, please get in touch with the team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
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MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call
ERC Advanced Grant 2025 Webinar- European Migration Research and Impact – Invitation to a Roundtable Discussion
- MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Research Information Network
- Physical Sciences Case studies: information use and discovery
- Information handling in collaborative research: an exploration of five case studies
- Information literacy monitoring and evaluation
- Data centres: their use, value and impact
- Heading for the open road: costs and benefits of transitions in scholarly communications