Category / Knowledge Exchange

How well do local authorities use data?

innovation, Knowledge Exchange

open data

 

Across England, local authorities are asking questions about how they can redesign services, save money and drive local economic growth.

  • How many people will need adult social care services in 5 years time?
  • Which children are most likely to enter the care system and what support might prevent this happening?
  • How can traffic flows, public transport, cycle lanes and town centres be optimised to help local businesses to grow?
  • Which households are most likely to fall into council tax arrears?
  • How can money be saved on refuse collection by only emptying bins when they are full?
  • How effective are local authority commissioned services at delivering positive social outcomes?

Nesta’s new research programme – the Local Datavores – aims to help local authorities use data better.

Nesta are always keen to hear from people working on data projects in local authorities and related organisations. If you would like to be involved in the research, or have heard about or been involved in any pioneering data science projects, please get in touch at tom.symons@nesta.org.uk

Amsterdam is European Capital of Innovation 2016

Business Engagement, innovation, international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

euflag

Following the announcement of a shortlist of nine cities (including Glasgow and Oxford in the UK) in January, Amsterdam has emerged as the winner of the 2016 European Capital of Innovation Award.

The city was chosen for its “holistic vision of innovation related to four areas of urban life: governance, economics, social inclusion, and quality of life” by a panel of independent experts – “for embracing a bottom-up approach based on smart growth, startups, livability and digital social innovation.”

An interesting read and some interesting videos and presentations from  the winners and runners up and those short listed.

Useful information for those following research into such topics as  smart cities, innovation , ecosystems.

In full.

Press release.

 

What does Innovate UK’s latest delivery plan mean to industry ?

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

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Innovate UK   have just published the 2016/17 Delivery Plan. In it, you will discover some important changes in the way  they intend to support business innovation.

Key areas of the delivery plan include:

  • a new sector focus – that is easier for industry, investors and government to work with
  • changing the frequency and nature of our sector funding competitions – so that they are broader in scope than previously and form a single stream of innovation funding
  • forming a single ‘open’ funding programme –  for applications from any technology or sector
  • enhancing the role of our innovation networks – in providing guidance and support to innovative businesses both nationally and regionally

To find out more read more on their blog: A whistle-stop tour of our delivery plan or check  out the website

 

Inspiring Future Innovation Event

Business Engagement, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

events

 

 

Date: Tuesday 24 May

Time: 10.00am  – 4.00pm

Location: The Grange Road Business Park in Christchurch

Event information: A supply chain expo hosted by BAE Systems  in Christchurch and a chance to show innovation to not only BAE (who have people coming from far and wide) but others such as Cobham and Aish will also be exhibiting. This is the first annually held event hosted by  this organisation.  The aim being to  future innovation through showcasing BAE Systems’ own technology as well as technology from other companies. The event will provide a unique opportunity to discover new technology, as well as developing new relations with other companies within the supply chain, whilst raising the profile of exhibiting companies and providing a chance for networking and future collaboration opporuntities.

Registration is essential as there is a limited number of spaces available and will be assigned on a first come first serve basis.

To register your interest:  email –  inspiringfutureinnovation2016@baesystems.com and confirm whether you are interested in exhibiting and /or attending the event.

 

Universities increase income from business collaboration

Business Engagement, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

Technology in the hands

UK universities earned £4.2 billion from provision of services to businesses and collaborative research in the 2014-15 academic year, up from £3.9bn the previous year.
The latest Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey (2014 – 2015), published on 7 April by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, looked at all publicly funded UK higher education institutions and their interactions with businesses and other organisations.
In 2014-15, the largest chunk of this income was from collaborative research involving public funding, which reached £1.26bn, up from £1.14bn in the previous year. This was a change in emphasis, as in 2013-14 universities gained most of their income from contract research. However, contract research earnings also increased between 2013-14 and 2014-15, from £1.2bn to £1.21bn.

Universities also upped their earnings from courses for business and the community by £35m to £715m, from regeneration and development programmes by almost £22m to £205m, and from intellectual property by £24m to £155m.

The analysis also includes information on the number of spinouts and start-up companies created by UK universities, and shows that the number of graduate start-up companies created in 2014-15 was 4,160, lower than the 4,581 companies started in 2013-14.

However, the total number of active firms with some involvement from a higher education provider in the UK was 13,045 in 2014-15, up from 11,856 in 2013-14.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England will publish its analysis of the data for England later in the year.

This article was posted in Research Professional.

You can set up your own personalised alerts including news  on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

 

 

Innovate UK launch new delivery plan – key sectors and funding opportunties included

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

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Innovate UK have launched their delivery plan for 2016/17 .

This  includes:

  • a new sector focus that is easier for industry, investors and government to work with
  • a 5-point plan to underpin activity across these sectors and drive productivity growth
  • clearer funding programmes that are easier to navigate
  • improvements to the way Innovate UK connects businesses to knowledge and partners
  • a stronger regional presence

With evidence of :”focusing ever more closely on scaling up SMEs” …

Clearer sector support has been established and these include four groups:

  • emerging and enabling technologies
  • health and life sciences
  • infrastructure systems
  • manufacturing and materials

Funding competitions for businesses are also to be simplified.

There will be 2 broad funding competitions covering each sector group per year, and 2 open competitions for applications from any sector or technology area. There will be other programmes and competitions in partnership with other government organisations.

Click here fore more information. 

Download the Delivery Plan.

Creative England – latest funding opportuntites

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

Creative England is dedicated to the growth  of the creative industries. A key aim is to investin talented people across games, TV, film and digital media.
Latest funnds, garnts and loans currently available by Creative England and their partners can be found here.
If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact RKEO with adequate notice before the deadline.

Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

If thinking of applying, why not add notification of your interest on Research Professional’s record of the bid so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

VOOM 2016: Pitch to Richard Branson to win a share of £1M in prizes

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange

VOOM 2016 takes place over 14 weeks, including a huge public vote, a 29-hour Pitchathon (a Guinness World Records attempt, in fact), and a series of competitive face-to-face workshops.

Competition finalists will have the opportunity to pitch to Richard Branson and the six winning businesses will share over £1 million (€1.2 million) in prizes, plus additional support.

There are two categories:

  • START-UP – aimed at early stage start-up businesses
  • GROW – for businesses with revenue that are looking to grow

The winner of each category will receive social and PR support, a broadband and telecoms package, a carriage wrap on Virgin Trains, mentoring, financial advice, a £50,000 (€60,000) cash prize and much more. There are also prize packages for four runners up.

Crowdfunder are offering you the chance to run a crowdfunding campaign on top of (and as an integral part of) your competition entry. So while you are working hard to secure public support for your entry, you could also raise money at the same time.

The competition also allows you to put yourself forward for awards within your category:

  • The Impact Award – for businesses that put social and environmental impact, as well as profit, at the heart of their business
  • The Great Award – for businesses that fly the flag for Great Britain
  • The Crowdfunder Award – for those businesses that run a crowdfunding campaign in parallel with their competition entry

Key dates:

Public vote opens: 5 April 2016

Applications close: 10 May 2016

Voting closes: 23 May 2016

Find out more at https://www.vmbvoom.com

Digital vision of future local government – connecting our lives in 2025

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, Research themes

nesta_logo

The report , Connected Councils, explores how councils can use digital tools to transform the way they work and save a potential £14.7 billion every year.

Digital technologies, from apps to online platforms, can help councils provide better services for their residents and mobilise communities to work alongside these services, as well as find new ways of collecting and analysing data, which could have a significant impact on the quality of future services.

Through a series of case studies the report imagines what life might be like in 2025 for ‘digital by default’ councils and their citizens – from retirees to young graduates and new parents.

Key Findings

Local government has made huge progress in enabling residents to carry out basic transactions online. But most councils have a long way to go to deliver smooth, frictionless services and fully digitise their back offices. Digitisation isn’t just about developing digital services; depending on the level of ambition, digital tools can help:

  • Save money and deliver better outcomes by intervening earlier and helping people manage their own conditions.
  • Transform the way that councils work internally, commission services and partners, diagnose and solve problems, use public space, and attract talent.
  • Make services smoother and easier to access, more personalised and user-responsive.
  • Put residents at the heart of local problem-solving and decision-making and create an environment which supports businesses to startup and scale.

The 2025 vision

Like the best tech companies, future councils will be lean, agile and data-driven. Siloed services will be replaced with multi-agency teams that form around specific local challenges. A truly mobile workforce has freed up public space. Almost all transactions take place online. Instead of two-dimensional council websites, interactive platforms connect users with third-party apps and services, and stream personalised content on local democracy, jobs and services.

Relational services (such as social care) still rely heavily on face-to-face contact. But digital tools help people to manage their own long-term conditions and connect to a broader network of support, such as peer mentors, health coaches, friends and family, volunteers and group-based activities. Digital technologies have helped councils take a more ambitious approach to place-shaping. A larger share of public contracts go to high-growth SMEs. Councils systematically engage residents in decisions about how services are commissioned, delivered and evaluated.

Read the report in full.

 

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Being Human festival – Call for Applications

Knowledge Exchange

The third Being Human festival will run 17-25 November 2016 and is now inviting applications for 2016.

The theme for 2016 is ‘Hope and Fear’. Applicants are encouraged to consider events around the theme, but they’re open to other ideas as well.

They are offering grants to support activities across the UK that communicate research in the humanities in accessible, engaging and fun ways to non-academic audiences.
There are a number of ways to get involved, from organising one event or coordinating a small programme, to becoming a Being Human ‘Festival Hub’. Have a look at the full call for applications to find out more.

Need some inspiration? Check out they gallery from last year.

The deadline for applications is 5pm May 16th.

Science Stalls for Einstein’s Garden at the Green Man Festival 2016/ Camp Bestival

Knowledge Exchange

Call for Proposals 

Science Stalls for Einstein’s Garden at the Green Man Festival 2016 – Deadline 21 March

The Green Man Festival is held near the Black Mountains in Wales and attracts 20,000 festival goers. The festival has earned a reputation as one of the great independent festivals in the UK. The 2016 festival dates are 18/19/20/21 August. For more information see www.greenman.net

Einstein’s Garden is a fusion of science, art and nature. It  has a diverse programme of performances, workshops and installations that use creativity, play and participation to engage people with science and research in unexpected ways. www.greenman.net/explore/areas/einsteins-garden

They are looking for organisations that would like to bring a stall to Einstein’s Garden with the aim of engaging festival audiences with science. Stalls can explore fundamental scientific ideas or phenomena, the process of science or current scientific research. It is essential that stalls include as much interactivity and participation as possible for festival goers and that they embody the creative and playful spirit of Einstein’s Garden.

The Einstein’s Garden theme for 2016 is COMPLEXITY. It is not essential for science stalls to directly relate to the theme, but it may help to shape your ideas.

The fee for standard stalls (up to 4mx4m) is £250 plus VAT. Fees for larger stalls will be negotiable on a case-by-case basis. There will be a limited number of free pitches available for small organisations.

RKEO can support you with funding attendance at the festival and cover materials, equipment, travel and subsistence expenses. – please contact Naomi Kay (nkay@bournemouth.ac.uk)

The stall must be set up by 4pm on Wednesday 17th August (for a site-wide health and safety inspection) and your stall must be open from 12 midday until 7pm on 18th August and from 10am until 7pm on 19th, 20th and 21st August. There will be no power available for stalls and no generators are allowed in Einstein’s Garden so if your stall does need power you must provide your own renewable energy.

If you would like to apply to run a science stall in Einstein’s Garden please complete the online form here: https://marcatoapp.com/forms/greenman/einsteinsgarden/new by Monday 21st March.

The Green Man Festival will provide up to 6 festival passes for successful applicants but we are unable to cover any expenses or provide meal vouchers. Please note that information about Science Stalls will be included on the Green Man Festival website but will not be included in the festival programme.

Camp Bestival

We’re also looking for potential activities to run at Camp Bestival, however these would need to be child friendly and would be more workshop based than drop ins – Please contact Naomi Kay (nkay@bournemouth.ac.uk/ 61342) for more information.

Regional Digital Business Drop-in – Bournemouth

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange

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The next monthly regional drop in session run by the Knowledge Transfer Network for the creative, digital and design community is to take place in Bournemouth. The event involving the KTN and Innovate UK is aimed at all digital innovation companies across various sectors in the region, looking to access funding and grow. A great networking opportuntity on your doorstep!

Date: Thursday 17 March

Location: Bournemouth

For more information and to register  – check out this link

 

Creative Digital & Design – Horizon 2020

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange

Innovate UK have put together a very useful list of upcoming funding calls relating to Horizon 2020 funding. There are also links to other sources of information including events and their Guide to Horizon 2020 and Other InnovateUK_LogoA_Interim_RGBx320govuk[1]European Funding for the Creative Industries.

This information is provided freely to members of the _connect Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) Creative Digital  & Design. There are currently 16 KTNs plus many other groups. Whatever your discipline, there will be a group to which you can contribute and promote your research interests.

Why not take a look and register to receive updates direct to your inbox? 

New HEIF project commences: The Wessex Portal and the Dorset Coast Digital Archive

Knowledge Exchange

The Wessex Portal was created three years ago and it is an online community to better promote the environmental and heritage assets of the region. The purpose of the website is to highlight work undertaken in Wessex and allow a platform to promote events, volunteering and job opportunities with key stakeholders. Alongside the website, The Wessex Portal promotes the content to a wider audience using social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Mailchimp which are regularly updated to engage with, and reach out to the public and the local community.

Dorset Coast Digital Archive

The Dorset Coast Digital Archive (DCDA) is part of the Wessex Portal. The DCDA is an extensive archive of photographs, newspaper articles, aerial images and historical maps of the Dorset coast that date back as far as 1740. The aim of the DCDA is to showcase this archive and ask members of the public to contribute their own photos to this collection.

A sample image from the archive of a stranded whale on Bournemouth beach from 1890 (Source: Bournemouth University Library)

A sample image from the archive of a stranded whale on Bournemouth beach from 1890 (Source: Bournemouth University Library)

The Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (SciTech) is leading this project. The Archive will promote information and understanding of how the Dorset coast has changed over time. Through support from the HEIF 5 + 1 funding, it will be possible to fully develop the Archive and make is accessible on the internet. The Archive will also be a valuable teaching tool. The current stage of the project involves categorising over 3000 images to make them available online.

Any questions regarding the project can be addressed to Professor Genoveva Esteban gesteban@bournemouth.ac.uk or Research Assistant Katie Thompson i7430967@bournemouth.ac.uk

Big Data in Health and Care – ‘Using data to gain new insights’

Business Engagement, conferences, Knowledge Exchange

Data-science-history

Date: Tuesday 19 April

Location: St. Mary’s Stadium – Britannia Road Southampton, Hampshire SO14 5FP GB – View Map

Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm

About the event:

Big Data in healthcare is being used to cure disease, improve quality of life, avoid preventable deaths and more importantly plan primary prevention strategies. With the UK population increasing and all of us living longer, through initiatives such as the Vanguards, models of care are rapidly changing, and many of the decisions behind those changes are being driven by data.

This Big Data conference, chaired by Richard Samuel, (Fareham and Gosport, South-Eastern Hants CEO) will provide an overview of Big Data from experts within the field, as well as practical examples of how Big Data is being used to improve the way that we deliver services. A Big Data expo will be accessible throughout the day and in the afternoon a variety of plenary sessions will gather feedback from participants to help shape future actions.

To register: Click here

If you have any questions or queries regarding the event or any specific access needs please do not hesitate to contact Katie Cheeseman – Digital Health Programme Manager katie.cheeseman@wessexahsn.net                                                                                     

 

Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team: How we’ve been flying the KEIT high this month.

Business Engagement, Festival of Learning, HEIF, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, student research

After a cracking start to 2016 in January, the Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team (KEIT) within RKEO have been working hard and continuing with the successes this month.

Public Engagement

The Festival of Learning is fast approaching us (25-29 June) and Naomi and Katie have been busy scheduling in the events that will make up the festival.

Business Engagement

Rising to the challenge of “What will Marty McFly may need in 25 years?” as part of interdisciplinary research week held in January, members of KEIT worked closely with the facilitators to deliver a successful sandpit that involved a number of local businesses including Bournemouth Borough Council, We Are Base, LV= and Barclays Digital eagles. With some great ideas evolving in terms of future collaborations amongst academics and business partners this provided a great networking opportunity for those that attended.

As the current HEIF funding round completes its half way milestone of 12 months funding (1/8/15 – 31/7/16), a number of the 13 projects are beginning to generate potential impact case studies alongside further UK and EU funding proposals. HEIF projects continue to feature in the news with Dr Sarah Bate’s research on super recognisers being published in Scientific American being one of the latest. HEIF projects are also gaining presence on BU’s research website with a project on Roman Britain being the first to go live with more planned.

For the March submission date, we have two potential KTPs.  Both SciTech and the Faculty of Media are working towards each submission, respectively.

NEW – Student Project Bank

We have a new recruit this week within KEIT.  Charlene Steele has joined us from SciTech specifically to work on the new Student Project Bank initiative.  If your students work with organisations as part of the modules they take, please do contact Charlene to find out more about this initiative and how we can help.

Student Engagement with Research

The student engagement page is now live on the Research website, it can be found here. It explains all student facing research activities from the Research Spotlight feature to 14: Live the monthly research talk.

Research Communications

New research project pages are now avaliable on the research website and are a great place for academics to add content about their latest research projects e.g. staff lists, project background and latest news.

Team KEIT (RKEO)

If you’re feeling inspired by this blog post and would like to get involved with some of our projects then feel free to get in touch:

Genna West – Knowledge Exchange and Impact Manager

Rachel Bowen – Research Communications Manager

Rachel Clarke – Knowledge Exchange Adviser (KTP)

Jayne Codling – Knowledge Exchange Adviser

Naomi Kay – Public Engagement Officer

Charlene Steele – Project Co-Ordinator (Student Project Bank)

Katie Breadmore – Public Engagement Event’s Organiser

Oliver Cooke – Student Engagement Coordinator

To find out more about us and what we do, take a look at our team page.

Kites