Category / Research communication

Research Councils demonstrate the impact of their investments in latest impact reports

Research communication, Research news

RCUKlogoYesterday, the Research Councils published their impact reports for the 2014/2015 financial year, demonstrating the impact their investments have made on the economy, on policy and for society.

Each Research Council has produced its own report, showcasing specific examples of the impact of investment through their various awards, programmes and collaborations. The wide-ranging nature of the impact extends from furthering technological advances to combatting disease.

Collectively, the seven Research Councils invest £3 billion in research each year covering all disciplines and sectors, to meet tomorrow’s challenges today and provide the world-class research and skills that are the foundation of a strong and productive UK economy. This helps to achieve balanced growth as well as contributing to a healthy society and a sustainable world. It ensures the UK builds capacity, safeguards the long-term sustainability of research and remains a global leader in research and innovation. Additionally, by working in partnership, the Research Councils combine investments in a multitude of global societal and economic challenge areas to achieve even greater impact.

Highlights from the reports – particularly in boosting the economy, shaping policy and contributing to society – include:

  • Improving family lives and saving the taxpayer £1.2 billion: Secondary analysis of ESRC-funded survey data has helped local authorities in England to target interventions that support families with long-standing problems, turning around their lives and improving the life chances of children. The Troubled Families programme, praised by the Prime Minister after helping an estimated 116,000 families and saving the taxpayer £1.2 billion, was extended for five years from 2015.
  • Shaping international policy making and supporting vulnerable deaf communities: AHRC-funded research has supported the status of endangered sign languages in communities in India, new legislation in Finland, and increased transnational awareness of sign languages risk of endangerment.
  • Improving the UK’s resilience to environmental hazards by informing effective risk management: NERC’s annual investment of £12.8 million generates up to £127 million pa benefit from protecting properties, farmland and infrastructure through earlier warning of floods. Plus further health and cost-saving benefits from forecasting seasonal extremes, extreme weather, effects of volcanic ash on aircraft, protecting fisheries and preparing for climate change.
  • Informing Defra’s National Pollinator Strategy: Results from the Urban Pollinators Project informed Defra’s recommendations linked to the UK’s National Pollinator Strategy; a ten-year plan to tackle the decline in pollinator numbers. The city of Bristol is now developing a local Pollinator Strategy as an exemplar for UK and European cities. The project received £1.2 million in investment from the Insect Pollinators Initiative (funded by BBSRC, NERC, Defra, the Wellcome Trust and the Scottish Government).

The Impact Reports for each Research Council can be accessed from the following links:impact

 

SPARCing up the heart in flies…

BU research, Research communication, Research news, Uncategorized

The heart of a fly. Two cells wide and capable of beatign 5 times per second. Genes controlling the hearts contractile function are conserved in humans.

The heart of a fly. Two cells wide and capable of beating five times per second, the fly heart is helping us unlock the secrets governing our own heart’s function.

Research funded by the British Heart Foundation and conducted both here and at the Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Discover Institute near San Diego in California, is to be published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics.

The work identified a genetic pathway linking cardiac function with expression of a protein called SPARC (Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine). In humans, increases in SPARC accompany cardiac ageing, inflammatory disease, obesity and cancer. As a consequence SPARC is a potentially very important therapeutic target in a wide range of important clinical settings. Our work, which utilised the fly Drosophila, demonstrated that heart dysfunction (cardiomyopathy) could be cured by reducing SPARC gene expression. Establishing this link allows us to ascertain the mechanism by which SPARC contributes to cardiac function in humans. Whilst the human heart is significantly more complex than that of a fly, their early development and function are controlled by similar genetic pathways; evolution may have added to the human heart but it has not changed its fundamentals. Hence, we’re able to learn a lot about ourselves by studying this simple, yet very sophisticated, little insect.

BRIAN training dates now available!

BRIAN, BU research, Post-award, Research communication, Training

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following the recent BRIAN upgrade, we are happy to inform you that the system is now functioning as normal. In the unlikely event that you do encounter any problems following the upgrade, please do email BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk and a member of the team will be able to assist you.

We have also lined up a couple of BRIAN training dates in June and July. Please see details below:

28 Jan 2016 – 9.00am to 10.30am – S102, Studland House, Lansdowne Campus

24 Feb 2016 – 2.00pm to 3.30pm – C203, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus

16 Mar 2016 – 2.00pm to 3.30pm – S102, Studland House, Lansdowne Campus

5 April 2016 – 9.30am to 11.00am – C203, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus

25 May 2016 – 10.00am to 11.30am – S102, Studland House, Lansdowne Campus

Please get in touch with Organisational Development to book a place in this training. If you have further queries regarding this training, please get in touch with Pengpeng Hatch (01202 961354).

 

BU’s Big Issues: the use of technology in sports: giving athletes an Olympic advantage.

BU research, Research communication

As part of Interdisciplinary Research Week, the Faculty of Management’s Dr Andrew Callaway and Shelley Broomfield and the Faculty of  Science and Technology’s Dr Bryce Dyer will be holding a debate on the use of technology in sport.

ACallawaySBroomfieldThis will take place on Thursday, 28th January at 2pm-3pm in KG03, Talbot Campus and refreshments will be available from 1:30pm.

With the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics fast approaching, all eyes will soon be turning to the world’s elite athletes and their astonishing sporting achievements. Sporting technology forms a key part of their preparation and can help to make significant improvements in performance.BDyer

Join us to hear from three of BU’s sports researchers – and competitive athletes in their own right – to learn more about the ways technology can improve athletic performance for both elite athletes and people taking part in sports for fun.InterdisResWeek2

Book your place

Wellcome Trust visiting BU

BU research, Funding opportunities, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week funder visit:wellcometrust_logo

Who: Harriet Martin and Chris Hassan, The Wellcome Trust

Where and when: Executive Business Centre, Monday, 25th January – 12-14:30

What: Harriet and Chris will be joining us to talk about The Wellcome Trust’s most recent collaborative project ‘Hubbub’ and why working across various disciplines, sectors and organisations is important to them as funders. The Wellcome Trust’s philosophy is ‘good health makes life better’. We want to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive.

Book your placeInterdisResWeek2

British Academy visiting BU

BU research, Funding opportunities, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week Funder visit:british_academy_logo

Who: British Academy Interdisciplinary Policy, The British Academy

Where and when: Talbot Campus, Wednesday, 27th January – 14.30 -15.30

What: The British Academy will be joining us to share emerging findings from a project they are carrying out on interdisciplinary research.

They are looking at how the whole higher education and research systems supports such research in terms of publishing, research funding, academic careers, teaching and beyond.

Book your placeInterdisResWeek2

BU’s Big Issues: Protecting the environment: humans vs. nature

BU research, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week debate:giraffe in the city

Who: BU’s Big Issues: Protecting the environment: humans vs. nature. Professor Adrian Newton, Professor Chris Shiel, Associate Professor Jane Murphy, Dr Juliet Wiseman and Dr Dawn Birch

Where and when: Executive Business Centre, Wednesday, 27th January – 18:30 – 19:30- (wine reception from 18:00)

What: Protecting the environment and living more sustainable is a laudable aim, and one that many of us support, but how easy is it to change human behaviours and what does it cost?

Join us to hear how research being led by BU’s academics is making a difference to our local area, through developing an understanding of how local environments are changing in response to human activities, and how we can all live more sustainably by changing the way we source our food.

Book your placeInterdisResWeek2

IRW Inspirational Speaker: Professor Jane Falkingham

BU research, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week speaker:JFalkingham

Who: Inspirational Speaker: Professor Jane Falkingham, University of Southampton

Where and when: Executive Business Centre, Thursday, 28th January – 18:00-20:00 (wine reception from 17.30)

What: Professor Jane Falkingham is Director of the ESRC Centre for Population Change and Dean of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Southampton. Through a career spanning almost 30 years, her research pursues a multi-disciplinary agenda combining social policy and population studies, which span both developed and developing countries. Much of her work has focussed on the social policy implications of population ageing and demographic change, and what this means for the distribution of social and economic welfare.

Come along and hear about Jane’s exciting career.  Book your placeInterdisResWeek2

BU’s Big Issues: Threats in a changing world

BU research, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research week debate:SDBAchmannBRichards

Who: BU’s Big Issues: Threats in a changing world. Professor Barry Richards and Dr Sascha-Dominik Bachmann

Where and when: Executive Business Centre, Tuesday, 26th January – 18:30 – 19:30 (wine reception from 18:00)

What: Global security is rapidly becoming one of the biggest challenges facing our society. From the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, to the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, to continuing unrest in the Middle East, security issues are rarely out of the news. Join some of BU’s leading academics in this area to discover how their work is changing the debate and shaping thinking around the future of global security.

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IRW training with Professor Matt Bentley

BU research, Research communication, Research Training

Who: Interdisciplinary Research Training Session with Professor Matt Bentley, Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice, Faculty of Science and TechnologyMatt Bentley

Where and when: Talbot Campus, Thursday, 28 January – 09:30-11:00

What: This 90 minute training session will give attendees the opportunity to find out more about interdisciplinary research including:

  • What is interdisciplinary research
  • What counts as a discipline
  • The reasons why it is becoming increasingly important both inside and outside the university (e.g. by funders, policy makers etc.).
  • How it might impact on your research practice?
  • The potential and the challenges of this type of work.
  • The role it has in institutions and careers.
Book your placeInterdisResWeek2

IRW Researching with Children and Young People: Method and Mayhem

BU research, Research communication

Who: Ashley WoodfallAWoodfall

Where and when: Executive Business Centre, Monday, 25th January – 16:00-18:00

What: This ‘catalyst’ event is an opportunity for anyone with an interest in research with children and young people to:

  • meet BU researchers from across the university
  • share experiences and future research ambitions; and
  • develop future research partnerships

Operating in a ‘bring and buy’ spirit, this event recognises the benefits of sharing knowledge and expertise across different disciplines. The event is open to all those interested in research with children and young people whatever their research interests, affiliation or tradition.

Book your placeInterdisResWeek2

Deadline Soon – 2016 Celebrating Impact Prize

Research communication, Research news

2016 Celebrating Impact Prize

  • Open to all ESRC projects – excluding previously winning projects
  • Previously unsuccessful entrants welcome to resubmit
  • Prior winners may also submit new research impacts
  • Streamlined application process
  • £60,000 total prize money available

Now in its fourth year, the Celebrating Impact Prize is an annual opportunity to recognise and reward ESRC-funded researchers who have achieved, or are currently achieving, outstanding economic and societal impacts. It celebrates outstanding ESRC research and success in collaborative working, partnerships, interdisciplinary projects, engagement and knowledge exchange activities that have led to significant impact.

They particularly welcome interdisciplinary projects, those involving the use of big data resources or infrastructure, and impacts from institutions submitting for the first time.

The 2016 Celebrating Impact Prize has six categories, each representing areas covered by the ESRC; with sole winners in each category receiving £10,000 to further support their research or further impact activities.

In addition to the cash value of the prize, winners are invited to attend a prestigious ceremony held in June 2016 and to join a community of world-leading researchers and policy makers collectively championing the vital role research plays in shaping society and tackling global challenges.

The call for applicants closes Friday 29th January 2016 at 3pm.

Interested parties should read the following information, and submit their work for consideration via the ESRC forms on impact prize page

Submissions may be considered within the following categories, and applicants are welcome to apply to up to three categories per project, filling out a separate application for each:

Outstanding Impact in Business

This prize will recognise outstanding research which has brought about impact with business. This could include a direct benefit to an individual business through innovation or direct change in practice or management structures, or through skills and training. It could also include benefits to a range of businesses as to how a common challenge might be addressed, with evidence of take up. Entries should be supported by evidence of the business benefit.

Outstanding Impact in Public Policy

This prize will recognise research that has contributed to the development of UK public policy, at the local, regional or national government level. This could include direct changes in policy or changes to how decision-makers view issues. Entries should be supported by evidence that the research has been taken up and used by policymakers.

Outstanding Impact in Society

This award will recognise research that has made a contribution benefiting society more widely or a specific group of the public. This could include impacts from working with local or community groups, charities or the wider society. Entries should be supported by evidence that the research has made a difference.

Outstanding International Impact

This award will recognise research that has achieved impact at an international level across countries in business, policy or societal issues. Applicants to the Outstanding International category must demonstrate collaboration across multiple countries. Applicants whose research occurs within the same country as the resultant impact are ineligible for this category and should consider the above categories only.

Outstanding Early Career Impact

This award will recognise student researchers who have achieved or show potential in achieving outstanding impacts in any of the above categories. Applications are welcome from current students and those who have submitted their thesis within the last three years.

Impact Champion

This prize will recognise an individual who has a significant personal track record in supporting and enabling others to achieve impact. The nominated individual could be: an advocate of innovative approaches and behaviours; and/or mentor and inspire others to collaborate and co-produce research for maximum impact. The nominated individual does not have to be an academic and may be working in an administrative role within a centre, department, school, or university. Applications are welcome from anyone who wishes to nominate an ESRC-supported individual.

Information on previous Winners, their research, impact case studies, FAQs and the event may be found here.

For further information please contact:

ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize team
Ed Vollans, Impact Prize Communications Officer
Susie Watts, Deputy Head of Communications
Email: impact@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone: 01793 414697

 

IRW: Take a trip to the flicks part 2

BU research, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week film:

Who: Are you there? Lizzie SykesLSykes

Where and when: Coyne Lecture Theatre, Talbot Campus, 16:00-18:00

What: In 2014 Lizzie Sykes was awarded an Arts Council funded residency at Mottisfont, a National Trust property and gardens in Hampshire. Mottisfont is a place where artists have met and worked for hundreds of years.

‘Are You There?’ is a short film made from inside the Mottisfont residence. It is performed by Louise Tanoto, and is a response to how it feels to be alone in the house and to be inescapably linked to it in a private and intimate way: -free from expected codes of physical behaviour that such a formal space normally represents.

Following the film there will be a chance for Q & A.

Book your place

IRW musical extravaganza

BU research, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week music performance:

Who: Emerge music group performanceASeddonTDavisATroisi

When and where: Talbot Campus, Friday, 29th January – 17.30 – 18.30

What: BU’s Emerge Research Centre has a research music performing group, a creative space where each person develops their own instruments and music based on personal research into sound as well as gesture and technology as part of their creative practice.

The experimental music and sound-art event features a soundtrack of electronic atmospheres, noisescapes, pulses and rhythms, tones and drones. It will include an exploration of hardware-hacked devices, simple electronic instruments, data networks and basic sensors to augment and inform laptop improvisations, immersive fixed-media soundscapes and live visuals

Performers include:

David Borgo, http://musicweb.ucsd.edu/~dborgo/David_Borgo/Bio.html
Anna Troisi, http://www.annatroisi.org/
Antonino Chiaramonte, http://www.antoninochiaramonte.eu/
Rob Canning, http://rob.kiben.net/
Bill Thompson, www.billthompson.org
Ambrose Seddon, http://www.ambroseseddon.com/
Tom Davis, http://www.tdavis.co.uk/

Visuals by Kavi, https://vimeo.com/user324972

Book your place

IRW: Take a trip to the flicks part 1

BU research, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week film:

Who: Raven on the Jetty feature film, Written and Directed by Professor Erik Knudsen EKnudsen

Where and When: Talbot Campus, Tuesday, 26th January – 16:00-18:00

What: In the midst of separation, one boy’s silent longing has the power to change everything.

On his ninth birthday, Thomas travels with his mother to visit his estranged father who, since an acrimonious divorce, has abandoned urban living in favour of an isolated rural life in the English Lake District. The bitter separation of his parents is not something Thomas understands, nor does he understand his own dysfunctional behaviour as a silent cry for help. As a digital native city boy, Thomas’s encounter with the natural world, and his gradual understanding of the pivotal connection he provides for his, ultimately, lonely parents, leads to realisation and discovery. There are things his parents don’t know about each other that only he can reveal. Perhaps he has the power and the means to change everything. (Fiction: 88 minutes. 2014).Raven on the jetty

Following the film there will be a Q & A Session with the Director.

Book your place

BU’s Big Issues IRW: the use of technology in sports: giving athletes an Olympic advantage.

BU research, Research communication

Interdisciplinary Research Week debate: SBroomfieldACallawayBDyer

Who: Dr Andrew Callaway, Dr Bryce Dyer and Shelley Broomfield

Where and when: KG03, Talbot Campus, Thursday, 28th January – 14:00 – 15:00 (refreshments from 13:30)

What: With the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics fast approaching, all eyes will soon be turning to the world’s elite athletes and their astonishing sporting achievements. Sporting technology forms a key part of their preparation and can help to make significant improvements in performance.

Join us to hear from three of BU’s sports researchers – and competitive athletes in their own right – to learn more about the ways technology can improve athletic performance for both elite athletes and people taking part in sports for fun.

Book your placeInterdisResWeek2