The Estate Management Statistics annual report has found that academics in the UK have more office space than people working in other sectors and it will take a “cultural change” to make them use their space more efficiently. The report says that office-space norms in the UK higher education sector are “completely at odds” with those in other sectors and that there is significant of scope for rationalisation. The report also states that while other sectors have moved from the concept of private offices to shared spaces, some academics still view having their own office as the “norm for their discipline and method of teaching, and perhaps a status symbol”. The EMS recommends institutions make departments more accountable for use of space by charging them for it. What do you think about this?
Category / Research news
Universities Week – Big Ideas for Society
This week is Universities Week 2011, a national campaign demonstrating the benefits of universities within UK society! Today focuses on universities’ historical contribution to the big society, long before this phrase became commonly used. Thriving university towns and cities will be highlighted by demonstrating how universities give back to the local and national community.
A new report out today shows the social impact of universities is worth over £1.31 billion in the form of health and wellbeing, citizenship and political engagement, and that universities benefit everyone not just those who go to university to study. The report, published by leading independent thinktank nef and Universities UK (Degrees of Value: How universities benefit society) attempts for the first time to put a monetary value on some of the ways that universities contribute to society at a local and a national level, using Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology. These values are above and beyond the economic contribution that universities make.
BU makes a significant contribution to society through many initiatives, such as:
- sponsoring St Aldhelms Academy in Poole
- providing volunteering opportunities for staff and students via The Hub
- exercise classes, sports facilities, tournaments, children’s summer camps, etc, offered by SportBU
- citizenship days for local school children are run by the Centre for Global Perspectives
- the Atrium Art Gallery showcases work by local and national artists, offers free entry and is open to the public
You can read the full report here.
Universities Week – Big Ideas for Business
This week is Universities Week 2011, a national campaign demonstrating the benefits of universities within UK society! Today focuses on the growing relationship between small or mid-size businesses and universities.
Universities and businesses collaborate in thousands of partnerships throughout the country. These relationships help to boost the local economy throughout the UK.
Universities support start-up organizations through tailored programs, as clients, and as suppliers of their local workforce.
As part of Universities Week a report has been published by Universities UK that shows that universities can increase the success of small businesses, drive innovation and employment, and boost the local economy. You can read the full report here.
BU works in partnership with many businesses exchanging ideas and knowledge. You can read more, including case studies, on our BU Business Services website.
Creative & Digital Economy Theme
I’d like to update colleagues on the Digital Hub HEIF-funded project which runs in its current format to the end of July. Picking up on an earlier post by John Oliver of the Media School, the Hub is currently providing a lead on this important theme across the university with colleagues from the School of Tourism, Media School, DEC, Applied Sciences and the Busines School involved – it is by any definition a cross-university project. There have already been several tangible outputs:
- The Hub has just secured £70k of funding for three projects related to digital tourism and online consumer behaviour – two of these projects are a collaboration between Dr Philip Alford (School of Tourism) and Dr Jacqui Taylor (DEC) and are inter-discplinary projects involving psychology and digital marketing (in a tourism context);
- The Digital Hub website is up and running with the current objective of building a community of experts around the digital theme;
- The Hub has also embraced social media and has both a Facebook page and a Twitter feed (LinkedIn is under development);
- The Hub has two events planned – both aimed at external organisations (businesses, charities, public sector): A Digital Dinner which will be an invitation-only event designed to showcase our expertise around this theme; a Digital Day event on the 19th July at Kimmeridge House which, although showcasing our expertise, will be more of a consultative event and an opportunity for us to listen to what organisations’ needs are around the CDE theme. After the keynotes the central value-added proposition of the event is to feature breakout seminars where Digital Theme leaders will present but also use them as an opportunity to engage with organisations.
- Both events feature Tiffany St James as a keynote speaker. Tiffany is currently retained by Microsoft, The Guardian, Channel 4 and built the world’s first social media laboratory as a managed service for Euro RSCG London, one of the UK’s top integrated advertising agencies. She is a Special Advisor to the British Interactive Media Association and Advisor to the Speaker of the House of Commons. And as a bonus she is a BU graduate! This will give the Digital Hub at Bournemouth University great profile and form a positive association.
If you’re interested in being involved the BU digital community then send me an email (Philip Alford: palford@bournemouth.ac.uk)
Universities Week – What’s the Big Idea?
This week is Universities Week 2011, a national campaign demonstrating the benefits of universities within UK society. The campaign highlights the impact universities in the UK have on the individual, the local community, its businesses, and the future of the UK, just to name a few. Each day of ‘Universities Week’ has a theme which highlights a unique aspect of the country’s universities and their influence on the economy, culture, society, and the future.
A number of events will be taking place throughout the week around the country and case studies of research projects with the potential to have a huge impact will be highlighted on the website.
Sharing Big Ideas
Monday’s theme highlights the extensive knowledge that universities hold and how it influences UK society.
Universities have been asked to submit a selection of ‘facts’ they teach in their courses from history to zoology and the most engaging have been compiled into an online application called ‘FactShare’. Generate your own factoid from the website.
Cloud computing shared services
Through the University Modernisation Fund HEFCE are funding a new cloud computing programme, which will be managed by JISC. The programme encourages universities and colleges to share flexible computing resources delivered over the internet by external service providers. Read about the overview of the programme to discover more.
Tyndall climate centre moves into China
The University of East Anglia says the new Tyndall Centre Fudan will help China shift to a low-carbon economy. The institution is an expansion of the university’s Tyndall research centre in the UK, in cooperation Fudan University in China. It has received a 15-year funding commitment from the Chinese central government and the Shanghai City government.
“It is our intention to combine the interdisciplinary strengths of all the UK universities in the Tyndall Centre and the excellence of Fudan University in order to better address some of the challenging problems which climate change is throwing at us,” said Trevor Davies, co-director of Fudan Tyndall, in a statement. “It is an exciting opportunity for both countries.”
The UK Tyndall Centre is led by the University of East Anglia, in collaboration with the Universities of Cambridge, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Southampton and Sussex.
EPSRC goes for open access
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has announced that it is implementing a new policy to increase research data availability and accessibility.
Under the policy, from 1 September all EPSRC-funded research papers submitted for publication must be made available on an open access basis. The council said in a statement on 3 June that the rules are not set in stone: it is up to each researcher to choose what approach or forum to use.
Funding for ‘risky research’ foreseen at the ESRC
The Economic and Social Research Council is set to announce changes to its funding schemes, according to the blog Research Fundermentals. Reporting on an ESRC event in London on 2 June, Phil Ward, research funding manager at the University of Kent, said the council would introduce a mechanism for funding innovative or risky research. This would involve a pilot stage, which, if successful, would be followed by a second stage of funding, said Ward.
According the blog, the council announced that its Centres and Large Grants schemes would have a strong steer towards areas of priority, such as analysing economic performance, influencing behaviour and social mobility. According to Ward, full details of the changes will be made available on the council’s website in the next few weeks.
Research missing in NHS reform?
The Association of Medical Research Charities has joined a coalition of charities and organisations calling for research to be better embedded and supported within the NHS. In a response to the government’s “listening exercise” on the future of the healthcare system, submitted on 31 May, the group propose that the duty to promote research be included throughout the NHS. The health secretary should take on a duty to promote research within his remit, and incentives to carry out research should be developed, it adds. The exercise is a response to criticisms of the coalition government’s plans to shake up the NHS.
Parliamentary group flags natural resources crisis
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has published briefing notes on Evidence Based Conservation and Landscapes of the Future, which looks at tackling limited resources in the future. The reports, intended to guide MPs, look at policy structures that might help the UK meet future challenges and how evidence can be used to support decisions within conservation.
Up in Arms?
University of Oxford investments in arms companies have been criticised by a group of students, graduates and lecturers in this week’s Lancet. Freedom of Information requests made by the Oxford Anti-War Action group show that between 2008 and 2010 the university invested £4.5 million of its assets, through third-party funds, in BAE Systems, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and other UK and US arms manufacturers. The group has not said which other UK universities it believes invest their endowments in arms firms.
Meanwhile, another university is in hot water over its financial associations. Cancer Research UK has criticised Durham for accepting donations from British American Tobacco and claim that the tobacco industry seeks to gain unwarranted respectability by association with credible bodies such as universities.
Glasgow crowned green ‘super city’ of the future
Research commissioned by the HSBC, has found that thanks to its strong research and engineering capabilities, Glasgow will grow into a renewable-energy “super-city” in the coming decade. The report, Future of Business, was published on 2 June. It is based on a survey of some 500 British entrepreneurs and business managers from small and medium-sized companies.
Lecture Series – Reminder “Saving the Sound – Spreading the Word”
A reminder that Professor Sean Street will be holding a lecture “Saving the Sound – Spreading the Word” on Wednesday 8 June with registration from 5 pm at the EBC.
Despite the fact that the recording of sound and image is a relatively young science, the capacity and potential for electronic media to act as both chronicle and witness to our lives is enormous. The Centre for Broadcasting History Research in the Media School at Bournemouth University, has been working to save, preserve and digitise archives in a wide variety of forms, as well acquiring paper collections relating to media regulation and history, for more than 10 years. In this lecture I want to argue that these are the new historical documents of our time, as important in their own way as the precious texts and artefacts preserved in our national archives, museums and libraries.
There remains however in some cases the issue of making these valuable collections more widely available; matters relating to intellectual property rights restrict how much and how widely we can ‘spread the word’. There will come a time when such access is easier than it is today; in the meantime, it is important that we concentrate on preservation, and continue to enhance our teaching and learning as much as possible with these precious recordings. It is our responsibility as custodians on behalf of future generations, to ensure that the voice of the yesterday and today is saved securely, in order that it can provide a vital witness for tomorrow’s educational experience at every level.
Further details can also be found on the Research Blog’s Upcoming Events and the University’s Lecture Series Webpage
Peer to Patent website aims to strengthen applications
The Intellectual Property Office launched a Peer to Patent website on 1 June, enabling the science and technology community to view and comment on patent applications. The office will upload some 200 applications in computing during a six-month pilot scheme, commentating that a similar scheme has been successfully run in the US and Australia.
“Patent applications granted after using the Peer to Patent website review will be potentially stronger, giving businesses better protection to grow their innovative ideas. This will give the IPO access to a wider body of knowledge when deciding whether a patent should be granted,” said IP minister Judith Wilcox in a statement. “The pilot will give experts the opportunity to comment on patent applications and share their vital expertise before patents are granted. It will also mean that inventions already known in the wider community will be filtered out more readily,” she added.
Academics campaign for no-confidence vote in Willetts
Academics and students at the University of Oxford have launched a campaign urging universities across the country to bring forward motions of no confidence in the universities minister, David Willetts—and the University of Cambridge has joined in.
Questionnaire launched on future of researcher development
The research careers development body, Vitae, is inviting post-docs and other research staff to complete a questionnaire on the future of research careers. It especially wants to find out how do to ensure that the UK can continue to produce a flow of highly skilled researchers in economically challenging times. Together with other organisations, including Research Councils UK, the Confederation of British Industry and universities, Vitae will draft a national professional and career development strategy for researchers from 2012 to 2017. Submissions are due by 8 June
Small university fears confirmed in funding allocations
Pleas from smaller universities to revise proposed changes to the Higher Education Innovation Fund have been ignored, with confirmation on 26 May that 31 institutions are to lose their funding. The changes follow the government’s decision to reform HEIF to focus on the highest-performing universities working with businesses. HEFCE’s statement
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