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Grant reviewer for research funders

During 2024 I had the opportunity to continue to work as international expert for three research funding organisations from across Europe and Central Asia, reviewing research proposals in the fields of events, tourism and hospitality:

 

✍️ Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ)

✍️ Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia (SFRS)

✍️ Kazakhstan’s National Center of Science and Technology Evaluation (NCSTE)

 

While reviewing proposals is often time consuming, engaging as an external reviewer has been a very rewarding experience:

👉 It gives me insights into grant writing and review processes in contexts different from that of the UK. In particular, it teaches me that it is often important to consider the research context of those countries, and adapt expectations and assessment practices to it.

👉 Reviewing proposals from various institutions and countries keeps me aware of the latest developments and innovative methodologies in events, tourism and hospitality.

👉 Through my detailed feedback, I can contribute to help researchers in these countries improve the quality of their research projects and their grant writing skills.

👉 By influencing which projects receive funding, I also play a small part in directing research efforts toward areas of significant societal need and impact.

Dr. Miguel Moital

Principal Academic in Events Management

Dapartment of Sport & Events Management

BUBS

Opportunities in health and social care research

student research

We’re excited to share information about the NIHR INSIGHT (Inspiring Graduates and Early Career Professionals into Research) South West Central Collaboration, a programme aimed at fostering research engagement among early career health and social care practitioners in the South West of England.

This collaboration, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), is led by University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, and co-hosted by Bournemouth University (BU), with support from collaborators across the region.

UWE Website: Health and Care Research – MRes – UWE Bristol: Courses

BU Website: NIHR INSIGHT South West Central Programme | Bournemouth University

Find out about how one Current BU MRes student is using this programme to develop her clinical research career.

Key Opportunities:

  • Fully Funded MRes Studentships:These are available for early-career colleagues (within 5 years of registration/work) in fields such as nursing, midwifery, allied health professions, social work, public health, pharmacy, chiropractic, osteopathy, and healthcare sciences.
    • Applications Open:2nd January – 31st March 2025 for September 2025 entry.
  • Research Engagement Working Group:An opportunity for eligible colleagues to engage with research, whether they intend to apply for the studentship this year or not. Here is the link to join this group: https://forms.office.com/e/amdSpuBy6J?origin=lprLink

Further details on the programme website: NIHR Insight Programme for South West Central (insight-southwestcentral.net)

Please also find a shortened link to the website: https://tinyurl.com/yaus96fs

If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to contact the programme team at insight.swcentral@uwe.ac.uk.

 

Important announcement regarding publishing in PLOS journals

open access, Publishing

The decision has been made to not renew our subscription to the PLOS flat fee publishing deal in 2025. This means that authors of outputs accepted for publication in a PLOS journal after the previous agreement end date of 31st December 2024 will be required to pay an open access article processing charge (APC).

Any authors who have already submitted an article to a PLOS journal which is still under consideration should contact openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk immediately.

Authors who were considering publishing in a PLOS journal, but have not yet submitted their manuscript, should explore the seven other transformative agreements which BU is signed up to, which enable BU authors to publish open access for free or at a discounted rate. Authors that still wish to publish with a PLOS journal must apply to the open access publication fund before submission of their manuscript.

For all related enquiries, please email openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk 

Doctoral College PGR Research Culture and Community Grant – Applications Open

PG research

The Doctoral College is delighted to offer a second round of funding for the PGR Research Culture and Community Grant (RCCG). This grant is intended to support PGR-led activity across researcher development, research culture and research community building initiatives.

This grant can be used to fund a social event, training activity, analysis workshop, digital skills session, writing session or other activity to enhance the PGR journey experience. In addition to community building, the purpose of the grant is to enable PGRs to gain transferable skills and experience in planning, organising, promoting and implementing such activities.

Several events supported by the first round of funding took place in December 2024, including ‘Building Your Research Toward High-Quality Manuscripts’ forum, organised by Shadeepa Karunarathne and Aashish John from the Faculty of Science and Technology.

We are pleased to share Shadeepa’s experience and thoughts following on from the successful running of his RCCG funded event:

As I near the final stages of my PhD journey at Bournemouth University, I felt inspired to give back to the community that has supported me over the years. Recognizing the challenges many postgraduate researchers (PGRs) face in producing high-quality manuscripts, I initiated a forum titled “Building Your Research Toward High-Quality Manuscripts – Guidance from the Highest Ranked BU Scientists.” This event aimed to bridge the gaps in collaboration and offer practical guidance to help PGRs elevate their research output.

The forum brought together some of BU’s top-performing academics to share insights on critical aspects of academic publishing, including structuring manuscripts, conducting effective literature reviews, addressing facility limitations, and navigating the peer-review process. I am immensely grateful to Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Dr Hari Pandey, Prof. Jian Zhang, and Prof. Matthew Bennett, who generously shared their expertise as resource people, making the sessions incredibly insightful and impactful. Their guidance offered participants actionable strategies to refine their research and produce manuscripts worthy of high-ranking journals.

Organizing this forum was a first for me, and I couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of Aashish John, my co-organizer, whose collaboration was instrumental. My sincere thanks also go to Enrica Conrotto and the Doctoral College for their guidance on planning and execution, as well as the PGR Community and Culture Grant for funding the initiative.

The response to the event was overwhelmingly positive, with a full house of 40 participants and glowing feedback highlighting its relevance and practicality. Many attendees emphasized how beneficial it was and expressed a desire for more such sessions in the future.

Shadeepa Karunarathne (FST)

If you would like to apply for the new round of funding, full details can be found on the Doctoral College Brightspace, including the application form.

  • Applications opened Monday 13 January 2025
  • Applications close Monday 24 February 2025

If you would like to discuss your ideas before submitting your application please contact:

pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

The Doctoral College

Cohort-based bidding approach- AHRC Catalyst

Funding opportunities

We are excited to introduce a new approach to enhance the quality of grant applications, inspired by the success of our BA Small Grants internal peer review process. Over the past two years, this process has delivered excellent results, and we aim to adapt it for specific UKRI calls that are relevant to this approach, such as the AHRC Catalyst and Curiosity (in later rounds) awards.

Going forward, we will adopt a cohort-based approach that leverages the repetitive nature of these calls (four times a year up to cohort 6), and potential other similar calls. 

Key elements include:

  1. Mandatory Training Workshop: A session to discuss call requirements with interested academics and establish cohort-based support (If you are not able to attend the planned Mandatory Training, please get in touch via PreAwardEnquiries@bournemouth.ac.uk)- the workshop will address the catalyst application sections, support available and the internal process.
  2. Faculty Pre-Approvals: Faculty-level quality approvals will be mandatory before initiating costings or ITBs.
  3. Additional Funding Development Support: Where relevant, cohort members may also seek other external funding development support to enhance their applications
  4. Internal Peer Review Panels: Applications will undergo review by nominated internal reviewers, with assessor allocation managed in consultation with DDRs.

Pilot
As the pilot, we have identified the end of round six of the AHRC Catalyst call and with the current update of opening of the calls to no deadlines, we have set the pilot internal deadline to the end of April.

You can also find all relevant information about the new scheme on the RKE Sharepoint site.

If you have any questions, please contact Eva Papadopoulou

 

Mandatory Training

Date: 30 January 2025, Thursday

Time: 10am to 11.30am

Microsoft Teams link to join the Mandatory Training – Join the meeting now

 

 

New Cocreation and codestruction research just published 

New Cocreation and codestruction research just published 

Vasil, M., Chopdar, PK, Das, SS, & Buhalis, D. (2025). Value co-destruction behavior in peer-to-peer accommodation: evidence of dark triad, moral disengagement, and host incivility. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2025.2449870
 
ABSTRACT

Drawing on value co-destruction literature, moral disengagement, social exchange and trait activation theories, this study investigates the role of dark triad traits, moral disengagement, and host incivility on peer-to-peer accommodation guests’ value co-destruction behavior. Data was collected from 428 Indian Airbnb customers and analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Results show that among dark triad traits, only psychopathy directly influences value co-destruction behavior. However, all three dark traits lead to value co-destruction behavior through moral disengagement. Host incivility positively influences value co-destruction behavior and also moderates the relationship between psychopathy and value co-destruction behavior. The study offers a comprehensive understanding of the antecedents of guests’ value co-destruction behavior in peer-to-peer accommodation. The findings suggest that P2P accommodation managers need to instill moral accountability among guests and foster civil behaviors among hosts to prevent value co-destruction.

FoodBioSystems DTP are advertising 39 fully funded tax-free 4-year PhD studentships

PG research, student research

FoodBioSystems DTP are advertising 39 fully funded tax-free 4-year PhD studentships
Could this be the right opportunity for you?

We have projects on offer at our 7 partner universities.

We are looking for applicants who can apply their science to projects in research areas that span the entire food value chain including:
agricultural sciences, applied chemistry, artificial intelligence, biochemistry, bioinformatics, biological science, data science, environmental chemistry, food science & production, genomics, livestock farming and welfare, machine learning, marine sciences, mathematics, microbiology, nutrition, plant science and soil science.

All projects are advertised on the FoodBioSystems DTP website.

You can apply for up to TWO projects at any of our partner universities. Apply via our online application form https://foodbiosystemsdtp.grantplatform.com/ (opens 20 December).

Deadline for applications: Monday 3 February 2025 (10.00 GMT).

We offer a guaranteed interview scheme and an applicant mentoring scheme to students from eligible ethnic groups who hold UK fees status and who meet our academic eligibility criteria. Deadline for applicant mentoring scheme is 17 January 2025 (10.00 GMT).

Visit the DTP website to download applicant information, to find more information about the DTP training programme and profiles of our current research students.

RKEDF January digest

Training

A very happy New Year to all from the RKEDF team!

Book now for RKEDF training in January 2025 

Click on the titles to find further details and book your place 

 Compelling Impact Narratives for Funding Success  

Tuesday 28 January 10.00-12.00 – in person, Talbot campus 

Struggling to effectively communicate the potential impact of your research in funding applications? Our training session, Impact and Funding Bids, will equip you with the practical tools and knowledge to develop effective plans of impact, articulate these in proposals and increase your success rates. 

This session is intended for academics working on a proposal at the time of the session. It could be an early-stage idea, or a specific proposal for a funder. Please bring your proposal with you to the session to work on.  

 Future Leaders Fellowship – Meet Matt! 

Tuesday 28 January 14:00 – 15:00 – in person, Talbot campus 

Meet Professor Matt Ryan, Professor of Governance and Public Policy from Southampton University, who will be visiting for an ‘in person’ talk and networking session on the Talbot campus. His research crosses several disciplinary boundaries and focuses on democratic innovation, participation in politics and policymaking, as well as improving social research methods.  

 Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit 

Do you want to refresh your researcher skills? Have a look at the Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit (on demand online modules).  Further information on how to access Epigeum courses can be found here

 

 

 

Please help us in avoiding any waste of resources; make sure you can attend or cancel your booking prior to the session. For any further information, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk   

Future Leader Fellows UKRI Round 10

The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships will grow the strong supply of talented individuals needed to ensure a vibrant environment for research and innovation in the UK. The scheme is open to researchers and innovators from across business, universities, and other organisations and from around the world.

This scheme is looking for early career researchers and innovators who are either:

  • looking to establish or transition to independence
  • developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting.

UKRI are offering funding to support ambitious research or innovation programmes across UKRI’s remit. The fellowship will enable fellows to tackle ambitious research and develop their careers.

There is no minimum or maximum award value.

Your project can last for up to four years, with the option to apply to renew for a further three years.

The external deadline for this call is 18th June 2025.

BU internal competition:

​For Round 10 we are running an internal process at BU to ensure we support and encourage submissions from the highest standard of candidates. For this round, BU is capped at a maximum of 3 applications.

The focus is to ensure candidates are eligible and have a high chance of success, providing them with comprehensive advice and support, to develop a high-quality programme of research and proposal for submission. Applications are welcome from internal academics (both as prospective fellows and/or mentors of prospective fellows) and external academics to be hosted by BU.

Prospective applicants should complete an Expression of Interest form and send to Research Development by COB on 11th February 2025. A panel of subject experts and Deputy Deans of Research will review each EoI and selected applicants will be notified by 28th February.  All documents relating to this internal competition are available on the I Drive here: I:\RDS\Public\FLF Round 10 or please contact Eva Papadopoulou or Kate Percival.

Selected applicants will then be supported to progress with their application and receive internal and external support as required.

A briefing on this call will be held on  21st January 2025 at 11am, including an overview of the scheme and a Q&A session. For those who cannot attend on the day, please email and we can share the slides. Please email Eva Papadopoulou or Kate Percival if you would like to attend. We also have Professor Matt Ryan (previous FLF) visiting on 28th January 2025 at 2pm at the Talbot Campus.

Process for selecting applications timeline:

Date Action
7th January 2025 Internal Launch of Call 
 21st January 2025 Future Leaders Briefing and Q&A for Fellows and mentors – at the Funding Development Briefing.
 28th January 2025 Professor Matt Ryan, previous FLF visiting
 3rd February 2025 Call Opens
11th February 2025 COB EoI deadline
24th February 2025 EOI Panel Meeting
28th February 2025 Notify successful Internal FLF/s

Please contact Eva Papadopoulou or Kate Percival with any queries on the above.

Digital dementia care: How social media is shaping experiences of dementia

We’re thrilled to invite you to the second online seminar in the new ADRC series. This session will feature Dr. Catherine Talbot from Bournemouth University, presenting: Digital dementia care: How social media is shaping experiences of dementia.

With a rapidly growing population of people affected by dementia and increasing global emphasis being placed on early and timely diagnosis, it is vital to explore creative ways of supporting those affected. Social media has potential to mitigate some of the challenges associated with dementia, by facilitating social connectivity and access to information. Despite these possibilities, research in this area is scarce, and social media platforms are not designed with the specific needs of people with dementia or their carers in mind. In this talk, Dr Catherine Talbot will present the findings from her British Academy funded research, which aimed to explore the attitudes of people with dementia and their carers towards engaging with social media. She will also discuss how educational and technological initiatives can empower people with dementia to use social media safely and effectively.

The seminar is open to all Bournemouth University staff, students, community organisations, and anyone interested in the topic.
Please keep an eye out for upcoming seminars throughout 2025!
See you there!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/88106186753?pwd=G65UYAra4oQjjNN76HauXxsBmI0oib.1
Meeting ID: 881 0618 6753
Passcode: $30@u6Af

New editorial Journal of Asian Midwives

international, open access, Publishing, writing

This weekend a new issue of the Journal of Asian Midwives appeared online [1].  Its latest editorial focuses in part on research ethics.  The editors highlight the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidance for best practices in clinical trials [2].  The new WHO guidance was picked up at the 24th FERCAP International Conference “Maximizing Benefits through Responsible Conduct of Research” held in November 2024 in Nepal.  FERCAP is the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in the Asian and Western Pacific Region.

FERCAP reminded us that research as a social activity should improve health and quality of life for both targeted and general populations.  One notable message from this recent conference was the need for shorter and more comprehensible consent forms to make them user-friendly without sacrificing clarity. The other interesting development is that of so-called “decentralized clinical trials”. Decentralized or point-of-care trials can increase the diversity of clinical trial enrollment by increasing its accessibility, for example where elements of the trial are delivered at home and/or data are collected electronically by trial participants instead of researchers. These are exciting new developments in thinking about research ethics.

The Journal of Asian Midwives is Gold Open Access and hence freely available online.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen, E., Musaddique, A.,  Jan, R. (2024) Editorial – Dec 2024. Journal of Asian Midwives, 11(2):1–2.
  2. World Health Organization (2024). Guidance for best practices for clinical trials. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240097711 (accessed Jan. 2025)