BU Research Blog | Research communication

March 6, 2019

Public engagement grants from the British Pharmacological Society

Funding opportunities, Impact, Public engagement, Research communication Adam Morris

The British Pharmacological Society are offering public engagement grants to support innovative pharmacology outreach and public engagement activities. To be eligible you must have been a British Pharmacological Society member for at least 12 months.

There are two types of grant;

Main grants of up to £1,500 – this scheme is run once annually – you have until 30 April to apply.
Seeding grants of up to £250 – this scheme is open all year round.

Find out more and apply.

If you would like advice on planning an activity or submitting your application, contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer).

March 6, 2019

‘Curiosity’ funding from Wellcome and Children in Need

Funding opportunities, Impact, Public engagement, Research communication Adam Morris

‘Curiosity’ provides funding for organisations who want to run exciting and engaging science activities aimed at disadvantaged children and young people. Working and thinking in scientific ways can help them gain confidence and develop life skills, and spark their curiosity in science.

It is a partnership between BBC Children in Need and Wellcome.

Level of funding:

Up to £10,000 a year for a small award. Up to £40,000 a year for a large award.

Duration of funding:

Up to 3 years

Deadline:

12 April 2019

Find out more and apply.

If you have any questions, please contact BBC Children in Need. If you would like advice on planning an activity or submitting your application, contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer).

March 6, 2019

Outreach grants for promoting molecular bioscience – deadline Tues 9 April

Funding opportunities, Impact, Public engagement, Research communication Adam Morris

The Biochemical Society are offering grants of up to £1,000 to support scientific outreach activities that communicate the excitement of molecular bioscience to young people and the community.

Grants are intended to assist with the direct costs associated with an event and expenses incurred (e.g. transport and/or teacher cover).

There are two round of applications per year, in September and April.

Applications for the current round are now open – deadline Tuesday 9 April 2019.

Stuck for ideas? Read about the work of previous outreach grant recipients.

Find out more and apply now.

If you would like advice on planning an event or submitting your application, contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer).

March 6, 2019

Outreach grants for promoting ecology – deadline Wed 20 March

Funding opportunities, Impact, Public engagement, Research communication Adam Morris

British Ecological Society

You can now apply for outreach grants of up to £2,000 from the British Ecological Society.

Grants can support projects that:

Increase public understanding of, and engagement with, ecology
Stimulate discussion about ecology and its implications for society
Inspire and enthuse people of all ages about the science of ecology, especially those not previously interested
Develop skills in communicating the science of ecology

Deadline

The first grant round of 2019 is now OPEN, with a deadline of Wednesday 20 March 2019.

Please note awards will be made in May, the project start date should therefore be after May 2019.

Find out more and apply now.

If you would like advice on planning an event or submitting your application, contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer).

March 6, 2019

Apply to the Engage Researchers Academy – ten days left

Events, Public engagement, Research communication, Training Adam Morris

The NCCPE’s Engage Researchers’ Academy is a year-long professional development programme for researchers with a passion for public engagement.

The programme creates a challenging but supportive environment for delegates to reflect upon what it means to be an engaged researcher, and to explore the quality and value of engagement. It also supports participants to develop the skills and experience to work with others and improve the impact and relevance of their research.

Applications close on Friday 15 March 2019.

Apply now

What?

The first Engage Researchers’ Academy cohort will meet in Bristol for three two-day sessions. Academy one focuses on Engaged People, Academy two looks at Engaged Practice, while Academy three explores Engaged Quality and Value.

Each Academy session offers a stimulating mix of presentations led by leading engaged academics, research funders and policy makers; practical workshops and masterclasses; debate and discussion; opportunities to practice skills; and peer-supported learning. Mentors with expertise in public engagement with research, impact, evaluation, and community engagement are available to provide one-to-one support.

“I didn’t convey very well to the facilitators how useful the course was, and how skilled their teaching is, it has really energised my relationship to research, shaken it up and made me realise how much I still have to learn…Just thank you – for being patient and witty and wise” – 2018-19 delegate

Where?

Bristol

Who?

The Academy is aimed primarily at early to mid-career researchers with experience of engaging the public with their research. It aims to equip participants with understanding, skills and practical experience to enhance the impact of their engagement and to become leaders in engaged research. It is suitable for academics based at higher education institutions or research institutes in the UK. In order to attend, you must have the support of your departmental, college or faculty lead.

When?

12-13th June 2019
16-17th October 2019
19-20th February 2020

Fees

£990

(Early bird places available for £800)

NB participants will need to cover their own travel and accommodation

Benefits

Access to the latest thinking and analysis about how to capture the value of public engagement in the context of the REF
Enhanced knowledge, skills and confidence to become leaders in engaged research
Opportunity to improve practice by experimenting with innovative tools and techniques in our Masterclasses
Access to mentors, a peer support group, and alumni network across a wide range of disciplines

March 4, 2019

BU research featured in Science Week at the Bournemouth Natural Science Society

Events, Public engagement, Research communication Adam Morris

Professor Jan Wiener will be giving a talk entitled Navigation, Ageing and Dementia: minimising spatial disorientation in the built environment at the Bournemouth Natural Science Society (BNSS), as part of their Science Week series of events.

Prof Wiener is Head of the Wayfinding Laboratory at Bournemouth University, and co-head of the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC).

The talk will cover the perception and information processes involved in human navigation behaviour, how our environment and our age impact on this process and the different experiments used to investigate it.

The talk will be on Tuesday 19 March at 7.30pm at the Bournemouth Natural Science Society.

Also part of Science Week at BNSS will be talks on the Mysteries of Bird Migration by Dominic Couzens, and Plankton Journeys by Dr Anna Hickman from Southampton University.

March 4, 2019

11th Annual Postgradaute Research Conference

BU research, Doctoral College, Events, Featured, PG research, Research communication nstewart

March 3, 2019

Interdisciplinary and REF2021

BRIAN, BU research, Centre for Excellence in Learning, Featured academics, Global engagement, humanities, international, Knowledge Exchange, open access, Publishing, Research assessment, Research communication, Research Integritiy, research integrity, Training, Uncategorized, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Over the past decades interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary research has grown in popularity. REF2021 promises that all types of research shall be assessed on a fair and equal basis, including interdisciplinary and collaborative research. New to REF 2021 compared to REF2014 is the Interdisciplinary Research Advisory Panel (IDAP) which has been established to advise the REF team and panel chairs on interdisciplinary research. Furthermore, REF2021 will: (1) appoint at least two members to specifically oversee the assessment of interdisciplinary research in each UoA (Unit of Assessment) to ensure equitable assessment; (2) allow universities to flag-up outputs in the submission system with an ‘interdisciplinary identifier’; and (3) require an discrete section in the environment template on the submitting UoA’s structures to support interdisciplinary research.

Many academics from all disciplines can at some point benefit from working with other scholars from other disciplines. Interdisciplinary research can bring new insights and understanding across disciplinary boundaries. Novel interdisciplinary research can transcend disciplinary boundaries to address sophisticated and so-called wicked problems in society. We would argue that some disciplines are more open to interdisciplinary approaches, and we would argue that the discipline of Public Health as a multi-faceted discipline is probably the most interdisciplinary of all.

Having decades of research experience between us we also recognize that there can be difficulties arising from researchers trained in different individual disciplines trying to work together. We have highlighted some of these issues which interdisciplinary research in Public Health needs to consider and, where necessary, address before they become barriers in an article published this month in Health Prospect [1]. In this Open Access article we remind the reader that doing interdisciplinary research is not an easy option. Interdisciplinary research may involve a mixed-methods approach and could be underpinned by conflicting, and according to some incommensurable, research philosophies.

We argue, for example that in an interdisciplinary team topic specialists face potentially challenging demands on their range of skills and knowledge. For example, sociologists are required to have a broad knowledge at hand to represent the social science perspective in a study of a disease they know little about, designed by clinicians with a health services research outcome in mind. We also suggest that Public Health researchers have to be versed in both qualitative and quantitative methods. Working multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary means that they have to be able to understand the methods of the epidemiologists (e.g. ‘interrupted -time series’ or ‘nested-case control studies’) and those of health service researchers (e.g. ‘double-blind randomised controlled trials’) and have the whole range of qualitative methods at your command to improve the quality of the overall study.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Dr. Pramod Regmi & Dr. Nirmal Aryal

(all based in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences)

Dr. Pratik Adhikary &Prof. Padam Simkhada

(both BU Visiting Faculty)

Reference:

van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Adhikary, P., Aryal, N., Simkhada, P. (2019). Interdisciplinary Research in Public Health: Not quite straightforward. Health Prospect, 18(1), 4-7.

March 1, 2019

Predatory journals and conferences – how your library team can help

conferences, Research communication, research integrity jlopezblanco

Predatory journals are those which charge fees without proper editorial and publishing services. In order to help you, library and learning support offer quite a lot of guidance on spotting predatory journals and conferences.

Familiarising oneself with journal rankings and bibliometrics is also a good way of recognising good-quality journals.

Remember that BU library subscribes to Web of Science and Scopus, two of the most important citation databases. These can be accessed through our alphabetical list of databases. Web of Science and Scopus index some of the most quality journals.

Scimago is another good source of information to confirm the quality of a journal. This resource contains additional indices of journals.

In case of doubt regarding a journal, please contact your faculty library team.

February 28, 2019

Dr. Aryal funded to attend international workshop on migration & health

BU research, conferences, Featured, Featured academics, Impact, international, Research communication, Uncategorized, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Dr. Nirmal Aryal in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences has been selected to participate in an international workshop targeting early career researchers (ECRs) on ‘Engendering research and reframing policy debate on migration & health and intersectional rights’ to be held in Kathmandu (Nepal) from 25th to 28th April 2019.

This workshop is jointly organized by several universities in the UK, India as well as the International Organisation for Migration, as well as the Migration Health and Development Research Initiative(MHADRI). There will be 18 ECRs from South Asia and South East Asia and Nirmal is one for the six from the UK. The organizers will fund flight to and accommodation in Nepal.

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

February 26, 2019

Forthcoming RKEDF events

Events, Research communication, Research news, RKE development framework Theresa

We have some great events coming up over the next few weeks to help support you in your research activity within the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework (RKEDF).

We have also grouped the RKEDF events around your needs, so if, for example, you are an Early Career Researcher or need to know about external funding, you can click on the link to find all the RKEDF sessions that may assist you. You can also find related events by using the link on each session’s page.

March

Friday 1st March	RKEDF: Introduction to the Logframe Approach
Monday 4th March	RKEDF: Technical Bid Writing Workshop
Wednesday 6th March	RKEDF: Achieving Policy Impact in the UK Parliament
Friday 8th March	RKEDF: Research Outputs – Writing Day
Monday 11th March	RKEDF: Writing Academy – Day 1 of 3
Wednesday 13th March	RKEDF: Introduction to NVivo: Setting up your qualitative data
Thursday 14th March	RKEDF: Advanced NVivo: Analysing your data
Wednesday 20th March	RKEDF: BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants Guidance Session
Wednesday 27th March	RKEDF: EndNote Desktop for Managing References and Writing for Publication
Wednesday 27th March	RKEDF: Research Data Management

April

Tuesday 2nd April	RKEDF: Advanced Literature Search Techniques
Wednesday 3rd April	RKEDF: Measuring the Impact of Your Research with Advanced Citation Tools
Wednesday 3rd April	Understanding how Students with ADHD Learn
Monday 8th April	RKEDF: Writing Day – Systematic and Scoping Reviews
Thursday 25th April	RKEDF: Research Impact and the Research Excellence Framework (REF): An Introduction

The above list does not include events where attendance requires faculty nominations / applications or are part of the Early Career Researcher Network schedule for 18/19. The BU Research Council Development Scheme and the Career Pathway will both be commencing shortly – Heads of Department are advising us of nominations for both these schemes.

You can see all the Organisational Development and RKEDF events in one place on the handy calendar of events.

Please note that all sessions are now targeted, so look closely at the event page to ensure that the event is suitable for you. In addition, RKEDF events now require the approval of your Head of Department (or other nominated approver). Please follow the instructions given on the event page and the template email for you to initiate the booking request.

If you have any queries, please get in touch!

February 26, 2019

As if 15 years of oil price volatility was not enough… energy markets now need to deal with Brexit

BU research, Research communication Rachel Bowen

The next in our series of Fusion inaugural lectures will take place on Tuesday 26 March in the Executive Business Centre on Lansdowne campus. Professor George Filis from the Faculty of Management will be speaking.

During the course of this inaugural lecture, Professor George Filis will present recent developments relating to energy markets (with particular focus on the oil market). This will include some of the potential drivers behind the increase in oil price volatility over the last 15 years. Professor Filis will also look at the political economy of the oil market, with particular emphasis on the current status of the “petrodollar system”, the developments in Venezuela and whether Brexit could signal the onset of another turbulent period for the oil market.

Professor George Filis is a specialist in energy and financial economics. Currently, he is working towards the development of new modelling frameworks for forecasting energy prices. In particular, he looks at the predictive information of different asset classes on oil prices and oil price volatility. Professor Filis has also served as a consultant for the US Energy Information Administration and the Bank of Greece.

You can book your free tickets here.

February 25, 2019

Wellcome Trust Genome Campus inviting applications for a Public Engagement Masterclass – 8-10 July

Public engagement, Research communication, Training, Uncategorized Adam Morris

Applications are now invited for a Public Engagement Masterclass being held 08-10 July 2019, at the Wellcome Genome Campus, UK.

Designed to support researchers from all disciplines who aspire to be research leaders in their fields, this course will provide the tools to help establish a reputation for quality and embedded public engagement in the context of a research portfolio.

Supported by all the major UK funders of research and facilitated by leading UK and European engagement specialists, the course will empower researchers through a mix of inspirational case studies, practical sessions and bespoke support to develop a personalised and proactive public engagement plan.

Researchers receiving funding from Wellcome, UKRI, Royal Society or European schemes may be eligible for bursaries or funding. All application and bursary requests MUST be received by 16 April.

Find out more and apply now

Sessions include:

Public engagement with research in context, across the UK and European settings
Leadership in public engagement
Quality in public engagement
Audiences and their expectations
The power of partnership
Evaluation
Funding and the role of PE in grant making
Working with education audiences
Exploiting links with the priorities of the city or region
Collaboration with the third sector – including cultural bodies and museums
Ambassador for the embedding of PE within a research group, project or field
Interventions for the advocacy of wider institutional culture change towards PE

February 22, 2019

HRA help guides – data and technology

BU research, Clinical Governance, data management, Guidance, NHS, Research communication, Research Ethics, research integrity, Research news Suzy Wignall

An updated Code of Conduct for the application of data-driven technologies in the NHS was published on Tuesday of this week – the code ‘sets out what the NHS expects from companies who are developing new technologies for the health system, and what they can expect in return.

In order to assist applicants and researchers, the HRA have created new pages that set out the approvals process for data-driven technology research.

The section incorporates two pages of support –

I’m developing medical software – this signposts further information to distinguish whether your software may be a medical device and therefore may need Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorisation
I’d like to use patient data – this signposts further information in the form of a joint guidance document by the HRA, MHRA and NHS Digital

The help pages will be added to the Clinical Governance section of the blog, for ease of access.

February 22, 2019

Research transparency – HRA response to the Science and Technology Committee

BU research, Clinical Governance, data management, Knowledge Exchange, NHS, Research communication, Research Ethics, research integrity, Research news Suzy Wignall

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee released a report last year on clinical trials transparency, as it was evident that a nearly half of clinical trials fail to publish their results. In their report, the committee made a number of recommendations to the Health Research Authority in order to rectify the situation.

At the time the HRA issued a response but today have published a further statement which sets out their commitment to research transparency. This is especially pertinent given the article published simultaneously in BMJ Open, which details the numbers of clinical trials that are publicly registered, compared with those that have received favourable opinion (approval) from a UK NHS research ethics committee.

BU has access to the ClinicalTrials.gov system so get in touch if you would like access. This is a great opportunity to register your study and study results in the public domain. It is free to register your study.
Despite the name, the system may be used for other clinical research projects.

February 22, 2019

Get an insider’s view on how to influence policymakers in Parliament

BU research, Events, Impact, Knowledge Exchange, policy, Research communication, Training Amanda Edwards

If you would like your research to have a real impact on policy decisions at a national level, you may want to book onto Achieving Policy Impact in the UK Parliament – a special workshop run by Sarah Foxen of the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST), the UK parliament’s knowledge exchange unit.

This event takes place on Wednesday March 6 on the Talbot campus and there are only a few remaining places left. You’re advised to book promptly, using this link here, as the room capacity is only 30. We are delighted Sarah is able to come to Bournemouth for this one-off training event – her role as POST’s Knowledge Exchange Manager means she is perfectly placed to offer an insider’s view on how to get your research taken up by policymakers in Parliament. The workshop aims to:

demystify the process by which academic research can influence public policy
explain how policy impacts can be evidenced
examine what it is that policymakers are looking for in terms of academic research.

There will also be an opportunity in the afternoon session for participants to prepare and deliver a pitch to Parliament and gain invaluable advice on what policymakers are looking for and what is the most effective way of achieving policy impact for your research.

You can read a recent article Sarah wrote for the Wonkhe blog here: (How to have REF-able policy impact). In it, she outlines a joint initiative between Parliament and Research England which aims to ensure a shared understanding of what parliamentary impact is, and how it can be evidenced in REF 2021.

For any further information on the workshop and details of the programme, please contact Amanda Edwards, Impact Officer, RDS on x61308 or by email: aedwards@bournemouth.ac.uk.

February 21, 2019

Soapbox Science 2019: Call for Speakers

Public engagement, Research communication, Uncategorized Adam Morris

Soapbox Science

Soapbox Science are looking for women researchers, from PhD students to professors, from entry-level researchers to entrepreneurs, to inspire the public with their work and enthuse others about their area of science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM).

You’ll have the opportunity to engage with a wide cross-section of the public including those who haven’t had the chance or means to meet a scientist or the opportunity to find out what science happens in their area. It could boost your profile through participation in an international movement, an invitation to write a blog along with potential local and national media coverage. This year there are over 40 events in 14 countries.

Soapbox Science uses an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” and they welcome applications from trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who for the purpose of this event feel comfortable being female-identified.

Interested but nervous? Read an organiser sharing her thoughts on the most common worries.

Deadline – Friday 1 March, 2019.

Find out more and apply.

February 21, 2019

Public Engagement Training at the Royal Society

Public engagement, Research communication, Uncategorized Adam Morris

The Royal Society

The Royal Society has some training opportunities coming up in March for researchers who want to find out more about public engagement and school engagement.

Introduction to public engagement

12 March 2019, 10am – 4.30pm

This course will enable you to take part in, or create, public engagement activities that are research-led and relevant to you. Designed with early-mid career researchers in mind, the course includes sessions on the benefits of public engagement, what ‘good’ looks like and understanding audiences, as well as how to create public engagement activities that grow out of, and complement, your research.

The course will be delivered by Dr Steve Cross in an interactive and participatory style, combining discussion, reflection and activity based approaches.

Find out more about the course and how to register.

Engaging with schools

21 March 2019, 10am – 5pm

This course offers early-mid career researchers the opportunity to share experiences and learning with like-minded scientists, to explore approaches for engaging more effectively with schools and young people, and to reflect on your own activities and aspirations for working with schools.

The course will be delivered by Dr Ceri Harrop and Dee-Ann Johnson and will include sessions on understanding the school environment, exploring teacher and pupil expectations, considering learning methodologies and practical tips for pitching, designing and delivering engaging activities in schools.

Find out more about the course and how to register.

Costs

Each course costs £150+VAT. The course fee and travel expenses are covered for Royal Society fellowship holders, including the University Research Fellowship, Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, Newton International Fellowship and Industry Fellowship.

If you have any questions please email public.engagement@royalsociety.org.

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