Category / Knowledge Exchange

This week – Konfer – an innovation and collaboration platform

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange

Join Us for an online Konfer Training Session!

We invite you to an online training session on 20 March 2025, featuring Anna Dent-Davies and Shivaun Meehan from the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB). They will introduce Konfer, a powerful platform for navigating the UK innovation ecosystem.

For those unfamiliar, Konfer connects users with resources and potential collaborators perfectly aligned with their research or innovation projects.

During this 1.5-hour interactive online session, Anna and Shivaun will guide you through making the most of Konfer, focusing on:

· Effectively searching the platform.

· Drafting high-quality collaboration calls by addressing four key questions.

You’ll also have the chance to discuss your specific research projects or areas of interest and even begin drafting your own collaboration call during the session.

Ahead of the session, we kindly ask attendees to:

· Sign up to Konfer.

· Come prepared with an innovation challenge or collaboration opportunity in mind.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore how Konfer can support your research and innovation goals – to book your place, please visit this link.

RDS Academic & Researcher Induction

Knowledge Exchange, Post-award, R & KE Operations

RDS Academic & Researcher Induction – Weds 23rd April, 10:00 – 11:00, online

The primary aim of this event is to raise participants’ awareness of how to get started in research at BU or, for more established staff, how to take their research to the next level.  It will provide participants with essential, practical information and orientation in key stages and processes of research and knowledge exchange at BU

You’ll be made aware of the support available at each stage of the research lifecycle and get an introduction to the Research, Development & Support Team, who are here to help! It will be hosted by our experts who are responsible for strategy, outputs, ethics, public engagement, knowledge exchange, project management & training.  It will include:

  • A brief overview of research excellence at BU and how RDS can help/support academic staff
  • How we can support your impact, public engagement, knowledge exchange & output activity and why it’s important – essential to quality bids and the REF
  • How to find funding opportunities and access support for the application process
  • How to manage an awarded RKE projects, incl aspects on intellectual property & commercialisation
  • Key points on research ethics and governance
  • Where to find what training is available, incl other BU support and internal networks

Come along, join in, get some important insights – hopefully see you there!  Book your place HERE

If you are new to academia, it may be helpful for you to meet with your faculty mentor to guide your familiarisation of research at BU and expectations of an early career researcher before attending this induction. You can also join the Early Career researcher (ECR) Network.

For some background and more immediate information on RDS, please head to the RKE SharePoint

For further information on this event or joining the ECRN, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk

BU-Lush Cosmetics Ltd collaboration to Develop Renewable Zero Carbon Emissions Energy Technology

Awarded & submitted bids, conferences, Industry collaboration, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, REF Subjects, Student Engagement, student research

This is a landmark collaborative initiative between BU’s NanoCorr, Energy and Modelling (NCEM) Research Group led by Professor Zulfiqar Khan and team members including Dr Adil Saeed, Dr Mayank Anand and Aerk Dimri and Lush Cosmetics Ltd a major stakeholder in the conurbation. “Born in Poole, Lush offers a range of quirky and unique handmade bathing and cosmetic products with signature ‘Lush’ scents. The brand boasts an extremely ethical promise to consumers with all products being cruelty free, vegetarian and ethically sourced.” [Source]. “Lush Limited is a British cosmetics retailer which is headquartered in Poole, England. It was founded in 1995 by trichologist Mark Constantine, his wife Mo Constantine and five other founders.” [Source].

 

“We laid the foundation for capitalising on tidal energy sources and providing clean energy solutions for local and regional domestic and commercial applications through Community Interest Company (CIC) / Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), Poole Tidal Energy Partnership (PTEP), more than a decade ago, said Professor Zulfiqar Khan, one of the founding directors of PTEP.

This work led to UK based energy company collaboration in BU’s energy research: capture, conversion and storage through full funding of two PhDs, two Post Docs, one PhD in-kind support, industrial labs resources and funding patent applications, a three quarter of a million pound sterling research portfolio led by Professor Zulfiqar Khan. This has yielded in commercial patents in the US and GB, covering novel nano fluids, energy systems (capture, conversion and storage).

“This recent collaboration with LUSH is a testament of our full commitments to UNSDGs, UK and EU clean energy directives, initiatives which has led to emergence of BU as a global leader in Clean Energy Systems,” Professor Zulfiqar Khan added.

Dr Saeed said, “we provide opportunities for our UG/PGT courses to benefits from our research collaborations to enhance students learning and teaching experience through research informed educational provisions.” Dr Saeed, the Programme Leader of Mechanical Engineering course, said, we currently have three final year projects in energy systems which have been inspired and are linked to BU-LUSH collaborative project.

LUSH Creative Technologist Jim Woodward said, “We look forward to starting this journey with Professor Khan, his colleagues and students at Bournemouth University, researching the potential tidal energy in our beautiful Poole Harbour. We welcome the newly appointed PGR and wish him good luck in this exciting PhD project with us. What a force – Lush a local Poole company working with a fantastic local University.”

Bournemouth University partner with Mima to work on a Secure by Design Project funded by Dstl

Industry collaboration, Knowledge Exchange

Bournemouth University (BU) and Mima, a human-centred design consultancy, have secured funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to collaborate on a Secure by Design (SbD) project. Dstl, the science and technology arm of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), provides critical expertise and solutions for national security.

Professor Huseyin Dogan Dr. Eylem Thron and Dr. Duncan Ki-Aries outside Bournemouth University

L-R: Professor Huseyin Dogan Dr. Eylem Thron and Dr. Duncan Ki-Aries

The project will develop and evaluate a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) demonstrating how safety, security, and human factors analysis can be integrated into SbD requirements practices. This integration aims to improve the development of secure and effective systems for defence applications.

Professor Huseyin Dogan of BU’s Department of Computing and Informatics, a former BAE Systems scientist with eight years of industry experience, said: “Our department has a strong track record of collaborating with Dstl on match-funded PhDs focused on UK defence and security solutions.

“These projects span diverse areas, from automated risk-informed decision-making in electromagnetic interference to cyber resilience and safety analysis. This new project will integrate techniques from safety, security, and human factors to address complex defence challenges through innovative software tool support.”

Dr. Duncan Ki-Aries, Programme Leader for MSc Cyber Security and Human Factors at BU, added: “In today’s complex cyber landscape, understanding the human element and security challenges are crucial. However, in some scenarios, security concerns may also lead to safety concerns. This project allows us to explore how safety, security, and human factors concepts can be effectively integrated into secure design practices, leading to more robust systems and capabilities, and their safe and secure use of them.”

Dr. Eylem Thron, a Chartered Ergonomist and Principal Human Factors Consultant at Mima with experience in human factors and design across various industries, including rail and defence, said: “Mima is excited to bring our human-centred design expertise to this crucial project. By focusing on the needs and capabilities of users, we can help ensure that secure systems are also effective and usable in real-world scenarios.”

Dr. Shamal Faily, a Principal Scientist at Dstl added: “Within MOD, Secure by Design is a key enabler for delivering new capabilities at pace, given the cost and efficiency saving it could afford.  To ensure we can properly ‘shift left’ and address security at the earliest stages of capability acquisition, this project will help us understand how coherence between security, safety, and human factors activities will help us identify security requirements early.”

The BU and Mima team bring expertise in Human Factors, Security, Systems of Systems Engineering, Safety and Risk Assessment, and is dedicated to supporting future defence capabilities through this Secure by Design collaboration.

Find out more about BU’s Computing and Informatics research