Category / Entrepreneurship & Economic Growth
Bournemouth University listed in top 800 global universities
Bournemouth University ranked just over the half way line in the top 800 universities in the world. Bournemouth University is in good company in the bracket (401-500) with other well-known universities such as the University of Cagliari (Italy), Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic), Curtin University (Australia), University of Waikato (New Zealand), Louisiana State University (USA) or the University of Tampere (Finland) to name but a few.
The full list of 800 universities is available here!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Your most popular paper this week was ….
Every week I receive an email telling me what my most accessed paper is on Academia.edu. As a research-active academic I would like this ‘top paper’ to be one of my research papers based on primary research or perhaps a systematic review. My second preference is that I would like it to be one of my few more theoretical papers and, if not that, then at least one of many methods papers I have published with colleagues over the past decade. But no, every single week a fairly basic ‘how-to-do’ paper is my most accessed paper. This week’s message is typical: “Your most popular paper for the week was Writing an academic paper for publication, which had 142 views.”
This how-to-write-an-academic editorial has been my most read paper for months now. It is a paper Prof. Vanora Hundley, Prof. Padam Simkhada (Liverpool John Moores University & BU Visiting Faculty) and I wrote in an attempt to help budding academics and postgraduate students in a low-income country to think about the process of drafting and writing a scientific paper.
Perhaps this paper is popular because there is a global need for it (Academia.edu also gives break down from where in the world the paper has been accessed). It is also possible that it is on course reading list or perhaps it is recommended on webpage somewhere. The paper is,of course, Open-Access which helps in terms of providing more people across the globe easy and free access!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Reference:
- Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V. (2013) Writing an academic paper for publication, Health Renaissance 11(1): 1-5. healthrenaissance.org.np/uploads/Pp_1_5_Guest_Editorial.pdf
BU PhD student publishes in Huffington Post
From Aspirations to Reality: How to Effectively Measure the Sustainable Development Goals
PhD student Ms. Sheetal Sharma in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) published an article in online newspaper The Huffington Post this week. In the article argues in order that the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are achieved in 2030 we set out clear he measurable guidelines and targets as well as mechanisms to facilitate that measurement. The measuring progress in itself is important as transparent measurement stimulates a culture of accountability.
With co-authors Prof. Zoë Matthews and Dr. Sylvia Szabo both from the University of Southampton, Sheetal argues that we need a Call to Action. Now is not the time for weakness, neither in the implementation nor in tracking technical progress. They state: “We cannot be conservative in our measurement of progress in the post-2015 agenda. The measurement framework must empower the implementation of the SDGs and improve equity, welfare and environment for all for greatest and most inclusive developmental impact.”
The proposed two-track SDG indicator framework for 2030:
• Track 1 could monitor political goals (about 30 impact indicators) to assess overall progress regionally and globally.
• Track 2 could include a larger number of technical indicators to measure the means of implementation or processes towards each goal (300 indicators, or more).
Sheetal Sharma is currently writing up her PhD thesis on issues around evaluation of a maternity care intervention in Nepal. She has submitted several papers based on her PhD work for publications. Her PhD supervisory team comprises professors Vanora Hundley, Padam Simkhada (BU Visiting Faculty) & Edwin van Teijlingen and doctors Catherine Angell & Elisa Sicuri (BU Visiting Faculty).
Well done!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Twitter: @EvanTeijlingen
Follow Sheetal Sharma on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sheetale
£300K funding for upcoming SBRI competition – Digital Forensics
The Home Office is planning an SBRI call on the subject of digital forensics and how it is used to support serious crime and counter terrorism investigations.
The aim of this funding call is to seek innovative proposals to enhance the capability of law enforcement to quickly recover and thoroughly investigate information stored on the seized digital devices of suspects under investigation.
More information on this funding opportunity.
Competition briefing event, 14th September, London
The event, which is free to attend, is an excellent opportunity for you to receive first hand information about the competition- application process, key dates etc. as well as meet and network with peers, potential partners, market leaders & innovators in the industry.
Institute for Small Business and Entrpreneurship Research and Knowledge Exchange (RAKE) Fund
ISBE Research and Knowledge Exchange (RAKE) Fund – Anchor Institutions
The Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Research and Knowledge Exchange (RAKE) fund is an initiative kindly supported by; the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Lloyds Banking Group, the Federation of Small Business (FSB), British Academy of Management (BAM) administered through ISBE. This initiative aims to encourage and support research activities from academics, third sector organisations, consultants and practitioners with the ambition of drawing together and generating an entrepreneurial community of practice to facilitate knowledge exchange and transfer.
Proposals are invited that explore ways in which anchor institutions and wider fee-based professional service providers can support small firms to develop their entrepreneurial capabilities.
For more information click here
Call closes 14 August.
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Project – ENEFOR
We would like to welcome you to our Marie Sklodowska – Curie project “ENEFOR”. We proudly present you our website (http://enefor.eu) and we look forward for a live discussion on the project’s output!
Festival of Enterprise this Saturday
On Saturday 18 July (this Saturday), BU hosts its first ever Festival of Enterprise – a free event designed to give help and advice to startups, SMEs, established businesses, budding business-minded teenagers or anyone wanting to turn a business idea into a reality.
The Festival is open to anyone and takes place in the Student Centre between 10am and 3pm. There will be four ‘sofa’ sessions – Marketing, Finance, Cyber Security and Creativity – with industry experts giving their advice and taking questions, all aimed at engaging with and supporting local businesses.
There are other activities taking place too – business ‘speed dating’ sessions, an Enterprise Den specifically for college-aged teens and a keynote presentation from local entrepreneur Steve Bolton.
If you’d like more information, visit the Festival of Enterprise webpages. And most importantly, please spread the word. If you know of anyone (colleagues, friends, family) who may benefit from talking about business and enterprise in Dorset then send them along.
International Funding: Malaysian Urbanisation
Malaysia-UK Research and Innovation Bridges Competition
Innovate UK, Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) are to invest up to £14.4 million in collaborative research and development projects to stimulate innovation in response to Malaysia’s urbanisation challenges.
This competition focuses on finding new commercial solutions to challenges that Malaysia is facing as climate change increasingly impacts upon its cities and its urbanisation trajectory, with the solutions expected to emerge through the translation of existing, excellent research.- health and well-being
- improving environmental resilience and energy security
- future cities
- agritech (used to solve explicit urban food and nutrition issues)
- digital, innovation and creativity
This investment from the UK side has been made possible through the UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills-managed Newton Fund.
The competition involves a two-stage application process.
Do let RKEO know if you intend to apply for this scheme so that we can support you, espcially with any business engagement requirements.
WAN speaker event: ‘Inspiring our futures: High profile women at BU’
A lunchtime Women’s Academic Network (WAN) event on the 4th June to participate in a panel composed of three senior, high profile BU women proved to be one of our most popular WAN events. This drew in a wide audience of female academics of all ranks from across all the Faculties of the University. We were additionally honoured to have in the audience our VC, Professor John Vinney and the PVC for Global Engagement, Dr Sonal Minocha.
The panel included Sue Sutherland (OBE) Chair of the University Board, Professor Gail Thomas, Dean of the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and Head of Centre Excellence Learning and Professor Christine Maggs, Dean of the Faculty of Science & Technology. The seminar topic focused on an interactive discussion of career progression, achievements and dealing with potholes, cul-de-sacs, obstacles and speeding highways along the way from the personal and professional perspectives of our three eminent speakers.
Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree opened by the event by welcoming the audience, introducing the speakers and warmly acknowledging all the support provided by panel members and her fellow co-convenors, Associate Professor Dr Heather Savigny and Professor Chris Shiel– not forgetting every member of the WAN community, whose numbers across BU grow weekly. This has helped to make WAN a powerful and exhilarating vehicle for achieving equality in diversity at BU.
The honesty, humour, courage and grit of the speakers in talking so candidly about their road to success was a revelation to the audience who were both moved and liberated to engage fully in discussions with the panel, plying them with questions, comments and sharing their own stories. This was the opportunity to demonstrate that strength in leadership lies in being able to reveal human vulnerabilities and aspirations – a lesson that was deeply inspirational to everyone in the room.
The VC closed the event with his own account – personal, unembellished and moving, staying on to discuss with WAN members his own vision for the future in respect of our shared aims. We, co-convenors, were delighted that the success of this event as another step towards assisting our fellow female colleagues on their paths to progress where the superb examples offered by our outstanding panel received a myriad of compliments from our enthralled WAN participants.
Reminder: Next WAN event Chaired by VC Professor John Vinney, 7th July, 5pm TAG02, Tolpuddle Annexe, Talbot Campus.
Topic: Getting to the top: A grand plan or serendipity?
Speaker: Professor Judith Petts, CBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise, University of Southampton
Please note: this is an Open WAN Seminar – all academics, irrespective of gender, are warmly invited to attend. For full details of, and registration for Event: Prof Judith Petts, PVC Southampton, please see https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/getting-to-the-top-a-grand-plan-or-serendipity-tickets-17003423698
Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree, Dr Heather Savigny & Professor Chris Shiel,
WAN Co-convenors
Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century
The BU Centre for Entrepreneurship participated in a high profile event at the EBC on Wednesday 20 May looking at Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century.
Attracting over 80 delegates, including CEO’s, Directors, entrepreneurs and BU students, the event was organised by Barclays and sponsored by BU and Saffrey Champness. It aimed to facilitate discussion with founders and experts from the South Coast and included an exhibition area where current and past BU students, Static Games, el RHEY and Cub-Bee-Hole, demonstrated their entrepreneurial skills by showcasing their own products and services.
Mark Painter, Centre for Entrepreneurship Manager, who welcomed the delegates on behalf of BU, said, ‘we were delighted to have the opportunity to support and take part in this event. The feedback from the delegates was extremely positive and I am looking forward to building on this activity and exploring other ways for us to work with organisations like Barclays and Saffrey Champness to support entrepreneurs’.
Craig Jamieson, Regional Director of Barclays Wealth & Investment Management introduced Matt Macri-Waller, Founder and CEO of Benefex, who gave an inspiring and entertaining insight into his own journey as an entrepreneur and his approach to tackling the various obstacles he has faced.
This was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Richard Heggie, Head of Proposition and Delivery for Entrepreneurs at Barclays Wealth and Investment Management, which provided a fascinating insight into the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the entrepreneurs of today and the future.
Panel member, Nigel Jump, BU’s Professor in Regional Economic Development, reminded delegates of the challenges facing the UK in terms of needing to increase productivity and observed that it will be the entrepreneurs who will drive UK economic growth. The other panellists were Matt Macri-Waller, Founder and CEO of Benefex, Nick Fernyhough, Partner of Saffery Champness, Georgina Hurcombe, Founder and Managing Director of LoveLove Films, and Richard Phelps, Managing Director, Accountable Executive for Entrepreneurs at Barclays.
Mark Painter added, ‘this event is another great example of the Centre for Entrepreneurship working in partnership with other organisations to help share knowledge and expertise and really demonstrates BU’s commitment to engaging with and supporting the business community.’
Bournemouth University Students in Santander 60 Second Pitch!
The Centre for Entrepreneurship is delighted to announce that Bournemouth University student Alice Parlett’s Bumblebee Nest business idea – called Cub-Bee-Hole – and Peter Ramsey’s student website – Move’m – have been short-listed as two of the 10 most outstanding business ideas for the Santander 60 Second Pitch. Vote for your favourite Student Business
Alice, a final year Industrial Design student at BU, recently attended the CfE’s Business Ideas Generator Hackathon and successfully pitched to our Dragon’s Den-style event for a small amount of funding to investigate an early prototype of her product. Alice’s business idea is conservation and stunning design beautifully interwoven with current market trends. The Cub-Bee-Hole is an aesthetically pleasing hive for bees that adheres to your window, allowing you to view the bees in action whilst encouraging nesting and reproduction in a safe, nurturing home for the bees.
Essential to our ecosystem, bumblebees are dying out. Yet, bumblebees pollinate 1/3 of our food! Alice’s product is a woven wicker bee home that sticks to your window, with a design that allows you to see the bees nesting and at work, whilst preventing the bees from being disturbed by you.
Targeting conservationists, gardeners, farmers, parents, this product is a registered design and could be seen at the Flower Shows, Chelsea stores and garden stores nationwide soon… with your help.
Stunning aesthetics – on trend – conservation-minded – raising awareness – educational – fun.
Alice is pitching for £1500 to create a prototype that she can use to launch her business.
Move’m are also a Bournemouth University student business who have set up a website that helps student find out about rental properties from other students reviews before starting a tenancy.
Have you ever moved in to a property to find that there is mould on the bathroom ceiling, the roof is leaking and the landlord isn’t answering his phone…ever!? These are things that were certainly not mentioned on the viewing, yet when you take the tenancy, it is too late.
Have you ever moved in to a property to find that there is mould on the bathroom ceiling, the roof is leaking and the landlord isn’t answering his phone…ever!? These are things that were certainly not mentioned on the viewing, yet when you take the tenancy, it is too late.
Move’m has created a website where any student can review his/ her experience so that the next tenant can be confident in the property that they are moving into.
Searching for the right student accommodation has never been easier… and Move’m need £1,500 to help them develop their business further to help more students
***At the time of going to press, Alice’s bumblebee Nest Concept business is in 2nd place with 109 votes to Ulster University’s Little Creation’s 171 votes. Move’m is currently in 8th place with 30 votes.***
Do you have time to vote for one of the student businesses? Registering is as simple as inserting your email address and password and you have just one vote, so please make it count by voting for your favourite student entrepreneurs – Vote for your favourite Student Business
We wish both businesses all the best of luck! #BUPROUD
The social sciences at BU
In response to an open email invitation, a group of social scientists from across BU met on Tuesday 17 March to discuss prospects for inter-Faculty collaboration. As in previous meetings between FMC and HSS colleagues, it was apparent that there were opportunities for more collaborative work than currently exists, and that there is considerable enthusiasm for developing links. A growing presence of the social sciences in BU, and of BU in the social sciences, was felt to be essential to BU’s development as a university with a rich intellectual community. If you haven’t received the report from this meeting by email, and would like to do so, please email Prof. Barry Richards (brichards@bmth.ac.uk)
Webb Ellis Cup visits Bournemouth University
The BU Centre for Entrepreneurship was delighted to welcome Rob Wingrove from RTH2015, who manage and operate the Official Hospitality programme for Rugby World Cup 2015, to the Executive Business Centre on the 23rd April.
Rob delivered a fascinating presentation which looked into three years of planning and development to deliver one of the largest commercial hospitality programmes for any global sporting event, and the marketing strategy and tactics implemented to achieve a forecast of over £110m in sales.
The audience were also delighted to have the opportunity to get up close to the Webb Ellis Cup, rugby’s most coveted prize, which had just returned from a journey around 15 countries as part of an international celebration of rugby.
Rugby World Cup 2015 is estimated to inject nearly £1bn into the British economy in 2015. With over 2.3m tickets up for sale, a global TV audience of 4bn and a record sponsor programme, Rob provided an interesting and detailed insight into how they have created one of the biggest corporate hospitality programmes in history in a saturated market.
Mark Painter, Centre for Entrepreneurship Manager, said, ‘we were absolutely delighted when Rob confirmed he would be able to find time in his busy schedule to visit us here at the Executive Business Centre. It was fascinating finding out more about the vital role hospitality will play in the success of RWC2015 and it was of course wonderful that Rob was able to bring along the Webb Ellis Cup’.
Mark added, ‘the feedback from the attendees was extremely positive and it is clear everyone really enjoyed the event.’
Rugby World Cup, the third largest global sporting event behind the Olympics and Football World Cup, takes place in England and Cardiff between 18 September and 31 October. The tournament will be hosted in 13 venues in 11 cities across the country.
The BU Centre for Entrepreneurship runs regular seminars and forthcoming events can be found at www.bucfe.com
Digital Business Briefing
A digest of useful information for digital businesses updated every month. The briefing highlights UK and European funding, support, events and training. Compiled by the KTN in partnership with Innovate UK, Catapults, Tech City, Nesta and Open Data Institute.
Creative Industries Business Briefing – April
Creative Industries Business Briefing
A digest of useful information for creative industries businesses updated every month. The briefing highlights UK and European funding, support, events and training. Compiled by the KTN in partnership with Innovate UK, Catapults, Tech City, Nesta and Horizon2020.
EU Radar – Societal Challenges – Smart, Clean and Energy Efficient
The following EU Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges’ calls are all closing after April 2015. If you are thinking of applying to any of these calls, please contact RKEO Funding Development Team as soon as you are able, so that we can help you with your submission.
The date given is the funder’s deadline with all closing at 17:00 Brussels local time, unless stated otherwise.
Smart, Clean and Energy Efficient
Competitive low carbon energy call 2 and 3 – both 5/5/15
Smart cities and communities – 5/5/15
Energy efficiency research and innovation – 4/6/15
Energy efficiency market uptake and Project development assistance – both 4/6/15
General / Multiple Topics
Horizon 2020 dedicated SME instrument phase 1 and phase 2 – deadlines – 17/6/15, 17/9/15 and 25/11/15
Please check the specific topics within this call which may meet your research funding needs.
For more information on EU funding opportunities, contact Paul Lynch or Emily Cieciura, in the RKEO Funding Development Team.
Upcoming CfE Event: The Business of Rugby World Cup 2015
Thursday 23 April 2015
5:30pm arrival for a 6pm start
Executive Business Centre, 89 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8EB
We are delighted to be welcoming Rob Wingrove from RTH2015 who manage and operate the Official Hospitality programme for Rugby World Cup 2015 to the BU Centre for Entrepreneurship.
Rob will be joining us to talk about the Official Hospitality programme Rugby World Cup 2015.
Rugby World Cup 2015 is estimated to inject nearly £1bn into the British economy in 2015. With over 2.3m tickets up for sale, a global TV audience of 4bn and a record sponsor programme how do you create one of the biggest corporate hospitality programmes in history in a saturated market. This presentation looks into three years of planning and development to deliver one of the largest commercial hospitality programmes for any global sporting event, and the marketing strategy and tactics implemented to achieve a forecast of over £110m in sales.
This is a free event for businesses, BU students, BU staff and BU Alumni. Refreshments will be provided, to find out more or to book your place please use the link below:
http://bucfe.com/events/the-business-of-rugby-world-cup-2015/













Join the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Wednesday 3 December 2025
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