Below is a list of committee inquiries with current open calls for evidence. Please contact Emma Bambury-Whitton if you would like to discuss submitting evidence.

Commons Select Committee inquiries

• Scrutiny of the Government’s Supply Estimates | Procedure Committee | Deadline: Friday 25 March 2016 (extended to Friday 29 April 2016)
• Support for ex-offenders | Work and Pensions Committee | Deadline: Friday 8 April 2016 (extended to Friday 22 April 2016)
• Recent pensions policy developments | Work and Pensions Committee | Deadline: Sunday 10 April 2016
• Short Money | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee | Deadline: Tuesday 12 April 2016
• Business views on EU referendum | Business, Innovation and Skills Committee | Deadline: Friday 15 April 2016
• Environmental impact of microplastics | Environmental Audit Committee | Deadline: Friday 15 April 2016
• 2020 renewable heat and transport targets | Energy and Climate Change Committee | Deadline: Monday 18 April 2016
• Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination | Women and Equalities Committee | Deadline: Monday 18 April 2016
• Graphene | Science and Technology Committee | Deadline: Monday 18 April 2016
• Smart meters | Science and Technology Committee | Deadline: Wednesday 20 April 2016
• The future of Jobcentre Plus | Work and Pensions Committee | Deadline: Friday 22 April 2016
• Countries of Culture | Culture, Media and Sport Committee | Deadline: Friday 22 April 2016
• The future of the Severn River crossings | Welsh Affairs Committee | Deadline: Friday 22 April 2016
• Multi-academy trusts | Education Committee | Deadline: Monday 25 April 2016
• Inquiry into Government accounts | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee | Deadline: Friday 29 April 2016
• Science communication | Science and Technology Committee | Deadline: Friday 29 April 2016
• Robotics and artificial intelligence | Science and Technology Committee | Deadline: Friday 29 April 2016
• Homophobia in Sport | Culture, Media and Sport Committee | Deadline: Friday 29 April 2016
• Energy revolution | Energy and Climate Change Committee | Deadline: Tuesday 3 May 2016
• Powerhouses and engines: Government policy and regional growth | Business, Innovation and Skills Committee | Deadline: Friday 6 May 2016
• Disability employment gap | Work and Pensions Committee | Deadline: Monday 9 May 2016
• Science in emergencies: chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents | Science and Technology Committee | Deadline: Friday 20 May 2016
• Regenerative medicine | Science and Technology Committee | Deadline: Tuesday 31 May 2016

Lords Select Committee inquiries

• The sustainability of Channel 4  | Communications Committee | Deadline: Wednesday 20 April

Monday

Tier 2 visas

The government has responded to the Migration Advisory Committee review of Tier 2 migration. The government has announced it will exempt PhD positions and those switching from a Tier 4 student visa to a Tier 2 visa from the immigration skills charge.  You can view the response to a written question by The Minister of State for Immigration here.

UK universities overseas

Universities that deliver transnational programmes in countries with dubious human rights records have been warned that they are putting more than their reputations at risk. Human rights warning for universities operating overseas. Human rights warning for universities operating overseas. (THE).  

Tuesday

University cooperation

A report by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education has revealed that negative views of universities based on their perceived “lower prestige” might also be harming efforts to bring together universities, business and government to boost local economic growth. Status anxiety ‘harms university cooperation’. (THE).

Wednesday

Prevent

Research Professional reports that universities risk ignoring laws about protecting freedom of speech in their attempt to protect students against being radicalised. Cultural cold wars (Research Professional).

Thursday

REF

The extent to which the next REF should focus on overall university performance has emerged as a key battleground between the Russell Group and University Alliance. The Russell Group have argued for more emphasis on critical mass at the institutional level, whereas University Alliance have argued that aggregation of assessment at institutional level would destroy dynamism. Universities clash over future of REF. (THE).  

Friday

Student Loans

The private company that took over 250,000 loans from the Student Loan Company has left graduates in turmoil after it wrongly sent letters demanding early repayments. Student loans firm Erudio leaves graduates fuming over latest error (The Guardian).

EU Students

Students from other European Union countries attending UK universities generate £3.7 billion for the UK economy and support more than 34,000 jobs across the country, according to analysis from Universities UK. You can view the report here.

Innovate UK

Innovate UK is to reorganise its funding programmes to address concerns that they are too complex and to make it easier for the agency to work with universities, businesses and the research councils. Innovate UK embraces simplification. (Research Professional).

Congratulations to Emma Hallewell, Physiotherapy Lecturer and her colleagues at Southampton for their recent open access publication in Medical Engineering and Physics titled:

Upper-limb stroke rehabilitation using electrode-array based functional electrical stimulation with sensing and control innovations. Med Eng Phys 2016; 38: 366-379.

http://www.medengphys.com/article/S1350-4533%2816%2900025-4/abstract

Here at RKEO we are always trying to improve the services and information we provide to our audience and the research blog has been our main tool for communicating news to our audience. The research blog has been running since its first post back in March 2011, which makes it a strong 5 years old!

With this historic achievement of age it doesn’t  mean that there isn’t room for improvement. If you have the time it would be greatly appreciated if you could fill out thisquick survey about the research blog. This will allow us to improve the site and in turn provide a better service for you!

Here at RKEO we are always trying to improve the services and information we provide to our audience and the research blog has been our main tool for communicating news to our audience. The research blog has been running since its first post back in March 2011, which makes it a strong 5 years old!

With this historic achievement of age it doesn’t  mean that there isn’t room for improvement. If you have the time it would be greatly appreciated if you could fill out thisquick survey about the research blog. This will allow us to improve the site and in turn provide a better service for you!

Here at RKEO we are always trying to improve the services and information we provide to our audience and the research blog has been our main tool for communicating news to our audience. The research blog has been running since its first post back in March 2011, which makes it 5 years old this month!

With this historic achievement of age it doesn’t  mean that there isn’t room for improvement. If you have the time it would be greatly appreciated if you could fill out this quick survey about the research blog. This will allow us to improve the site and in turn provide a better service for you!

The final 3 Minute Presentation (3MP) event for the academic year will be held on Thursday 19 May 2016, 18:00, Talbot Campus.

If you haven’t already heard about this event it provides postgraduate researchers, staff and post-docs opporunitities to collaborate, gain research exposure and celebrate being a part of research in a fun dynamic way.

We have 10 presentation spots left (2 for post-docs) and if you’d like to challenge yourself into presenting your research in 3 Minutes please email pgevents@bournemouth.ac.uk for an application form. All presentation spots are decided on a first come serve basis and the deadline for all applications is Monday 9 May 2016.

To attend the event please book here: 3MP ticket

We hope to see you there

Best wishes

The Graduate School team

On Monday the 14th of March 2016, Dr Wen Tang of Creative Technology Department, Faculty of Science and Technology has given an interview on Radio Wimborne  talking about Virtual Reality and Games. The interview was a featured programme in Tammy and Ben’s Wimborne Magazine programme featuring ‘Geek Week’.

The 18 minutes interview discussed the impact of virtual reality and games technologies to our everyday life.  The fast advent of technological development in computer graphics hardware and software technologies has led the rapid expansion and acceptance of virtual reality and computer games into our everyday lives. Dr Tang has also discussed the use of digital gaming in non-leisure contexts such as military training and education.

Monday

Graduate Earnings

The Bank of England has said that those leaving university could expect to earn more over their working lives than people without academic qualifications, but that the wage premium had been cut from 45% to 34% between 1995 and 2015. Growth in university education is affecting graduate earning power (Guardian).

Tuesday

Degree Apprenticeships

A new report published by UUK encourages universities, government and employers to develop degree apprenticeships. The report finds that degree apprenticeships are particularly attractive to non-traditional students, providing an opportunity for universities to support widening participation goals. You can download the report here.

Wednesday

Budget

The Chancellor, George Osborne delivered the budget which revealed the following for higher education:

• Direct government support will be available to adults wishing to study at any qualification level, from basic skills right the way up to PhD. During this parliament, loans will be introduced for level 3 to level 6 training in further education, part-time second degrees in STEM, and postgraduate taught master’s courses.
• From 2018-19, loans of up to £25,000 will be available to any English student without a Research Council living allowance who can win a place for doctoral study at a UK university- a consultation will follow.
• The government will also extend the eligibility of master’s loans to include three-year part-time courses with no full-time equivalent.
• The government will continue to free up student number controls for alternative providers predominantly offering degree level courses for the 2017-18 academic year.
• The government will bring together information about the wages of graduates of different courses and the financial support available across further and higher education to ensure that people can make informed decisions about the right courses for them.

You can view an article in the THE on the implications of the 2016 budget for HE here.

Thursday

UK and China

Organisations in the UK and China have developed a statement of principles aimed at enhancing the quality of transnational education (TNE) programmes between the countries. UK and China agree deal on ‘high-quality’ cross-border education. (THE).

Department of Education

The Education white paper has confirmed a shift to school-led teacher training. The paper revealed that Universities can support teacher training by conducting excellent research but new teachers are best trained in schools. Back to Schools (Research Professional).

Friday

Sexual Violence

A taskforce set up to crack down on sexual violence on campus has recommended the overhaul of much-criticised rules governing how universities deal with allegations. University leaders call for new rules on sexual violence allegations. (The Guardian).  

Quality

HEFCE has today published its new model and framework for quality assessment in the UK. The proposals introduce a two-track assurance process for new and established providers which will apply as of 2017/18, with piloting to take place in 2016/17. The framework will apply to England and Northern Ireland, with the high-level proposals to be taken forward in Wales subject to further consultation. You can view the new model here.