Professor of Archaeology Tim Darvill has been shortlisted for Archaeologist of the Year 2018 by Current Archaeology magazine.
It is the 10th annual Current Archaeology Awards, celebrating the projects and publications that have been in the magazine over the past 12 months.
Professor Darvill, who is also Director of the Centre for Archaeology and Anthropology at BU, said: “It is a real honour to even be shortlisted for such an award and, of course, wouldn’t be possible without the colleagues I’ve worked alongside.”
Tim has directed many projects, including an excavation in 2008 at Stonehenge together with Geoff Wainwright. Today, Timothy is the only person alive who’s directed an excavation inside the monument’s stones.
Outside of the UK, he has led projects in Germany, Russia, Greece, Malta and the Isle of Man.
Tim has also published widely on archaeology and has given local, regional and national TV and radio interviews on the subject.
Voting closes on 5 February 2018 and the winners will be announced on 23 February.
You can find out more information and cast your vote for Archaeologist of the Year here.
Tuesday saw the annual NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC) members training day in London. The learning outcomes of the day were:
To provide overview of the pilot work being undertaken in preparation for EU Clinical Trials Regulation
To introduce the REWARD Alliance and,
To consider how ethics committess can encourage researchers to engage more fully with the scientific literature both before and after studies are conducted
The morning focussed on updates on ethics regulatory procedures, the EU (see link below for slides) and changes in the Data Protection Act (but not the law of confidentiality) that have implications beyond healthcare research. There is also movement for a Public Involvement in Ethical Review (PIER) service, as well as adopting ‘e-consent’ for participation in health research.
The afternoon focussed on the REWARD Alliance and how ethics committees (and researchers) can help reduce waste in research. This group was established to promote a series of articles on research published in early 2014 in The Lancet.
As a researcher and ethical reviewer, the day was insightful, interesting and relevant. Knowledge of the REWARD Alliance, particularly how researchers should diligently plan and prepare projects with clear pathways to dissemination. Although publishing demands differ between academia and industry (including pharmaceutical companies), all research should be designed fom the outset with clear outputs to communicate the findings.
If you would like further information from the day, send me an email.
IF you currently have a good working relationship with an industry partner and you are seeking funding opportunities for future/further collaborations, you and your industry partner might find the funding opportunities below useful. Please note that some of these will require working with industry with some of the funders specifically targeting the industry partner as the lead.
This new fund is aimed at helping support small businesses with a bright idea to develop their concepts in partnership with researchers or academic institutions. These support small food and drink business innovators with an idea to develop their concepts in partnership with researchers or academic institutions. The competition, run on behalf of Defra by the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), will support projects of three to six months.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, GB
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is calling for tenders for its industrial fuel switching market engagement study. The tenderer will focus on the potential for low carbon fuel switching across industry, identifying a range of potential technologies that through fuel switching can reduce the carbon intensity of industry and should include a review of the existing evidence, starting with the 2050 Roadmaps; identifying the types of process technologies that require a fuel (energy) and determine the potential for fuel substitution to a low carbon fuel; develop a list of technologies with future market potential and support the technology developers in detailing the potential carbon saving.
The European Commission is launching a Call for proposals for a preparatory action in the field of digital transformation of European industry for a maximum amount of €1.494.000
The European Commission is launching a Call for proposals for a preparatory action in the field of digital transformation of European industry for a maximum amount of €1.494.000
The aim of the preparatory action is to develop a coherent, coordinated and sustainable approach to enhance the engagement of all relevant stakeholders interested in the digitisation of European industry (business, academia, research organisations and civil society) and to inform, prepare and help them develop projects designed to face the new transformations.
The debate about the proliferation of fake news and disinformation campaigns launched towards European democracies from Russia is gaining momentum as the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation are gearing their efforts to challenge both fake news and disinformation campaigns. Upon the invitation of the EU and the NATO, Dr. Pawel Surowiec, of the Faculty of Media and Communication, addressed the audiences of both both institutions, and spoke at events concerning challenges to strategic communication brought about by fake news and disinformation campaigns. On 7 December, 2017, at the conference entitled ‘Myth and Reality: Countering Disinformation in Visegrad 4’ (Warsaw), the Faculty’s researcher participated in a panel discussion focusing on solutions to the disinformation campaigns, and offered an expert intervention on hybridisation of soft power and strategic communication during the conference held on 23-24 November, 2017 at the Annual Plenary, Club of Venice – the European Council’s network of strategic communicators.
We have seen kindness and service excellence everywhere at BU this week. Our Random Acts of Kindness week has included free donuts to students in our halls of residences, and a visit by the Anthony Nolan Trust to sign up Life saving Heroes to help save lives. Another highlight of the week – the CEL student co-creation awards and seeing Max Schultz, Faculty of Management BABS student collect his certificate and cheque. Max is working with Lois Farquharson and Susanne Clarke, to develop a kindness project looking at embedding a kindness culture with higher education.
The kindness group – an informal group of staff from across BU with an interest in promoting kindness have been busy preparing for our BU Kindness Summit on the 14th February in the EBC. This all day event inspired by the Service Excellence Conference in April 17, will bring together academic staff, professional support staff and students who share an interest in making an impact through kindness.
So far we are delighted to be able to include research and professional practice topics from academics across BU aligned with promoting kindness. Topics include developing toolkits in the social care sector, kindness as a brand value, kindness and happiness in increasingly digital environments, and we will also be showcasing our student co-creation work. Helen Palmer, Culture and Sport Lead in Student Services will talk about the impact of our Random Acts of Kindness week. We are also hoping to invite some well know thought leaders to our event too.
Dr Carole Pound and Dr Caroline Ellis-Hill will be leading workshops to explore how humanising frameworks can be adapted for higher education across disciplines and consider how approaches taken by programmes within HSS can be applied to other programmes across BU to improve student and staff experiences. This workshop will be inspiring and guaranteed to lift your spirits.
Other surprises for the day will include themes such as an introduction to Ubuntu philosophy – human kindness. As well a chance to learn something new and appropriate to valentines day.
If you would like to share your area of interest, research, learning and teaching, practice or life experiences within the context of kindness, please do get in touch with Susanne Clarke, Lois Farquharson, or Lee-Ann Fenge, we would love you to join us.
Booking pages to come along to this event will be live soon
Here is a roundup of the latest projects submitted to the SPB:
SPB085: Website redevelopment for a national healthcare society
The current website has limited functionality, is unattractive and paid members get limited benefits for their money. Benefits for paid members such as access to a confidential discussion forum and free webinars are underused. Carry out a baseline assessment of the organisation and members’ needs in order to make recommendations for adjustments to the website. Propose and implement changes to the website based on this assessment.
SPB086: Internal communication strategy to increase the use of a national healthcare society’s website by its members
The organisation is looking to encourage members to more effectively utilise the online content provided with their membership. Benefits for paid members include access to a confidential discussion forum and free webinars. Create an internal marketing strategy to increase the usage of the website by their members. This project can be undertaken in conjunction with SPB087: Marketing plan for a national healthcare society.
SPB087: Marketing plan for a national healthcare society
The organisation is looking to increase the usage of their website by non-members. Create a marketing strategy to increase the usage of the website and raise awareness of the organisation. This project can be undertaken in conjunction with SPB086: Internal communication strategy for a national healthcare society.
SPB088: Online marketing plan for a local charity
Based in Poole, Dorset, Harbour Challenge Outdoor Adventure Centre is a registered charity offering affordable access to a wide range of land and water based outdoor adventure activities to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. As a charity, the organisation relies on income from the activities they provide. Identify social media marketing opportunities to enable the charity to reach a wider audience and maximise their internet presence. Provide a list of recommendations on how this can be achieved as well as relevant marketing materials.
SPB90: Marketing plan for a local charity
The Leonardo Trust is a registered charity set up to make life a little easier for those who care full-time for others. Presently, The Leonardo Trust benefits 250 carers in Dorset per year. Their aim is to double this reach through paid advertising and marketing. Develop a marketing strategy to expand the reach of The Leonardo Trust to increase community engagement.
SPB91: Explore funding opportunities for The Happiness Course
The Happiness Course is an 8 hour course based on positive psychology and delivered over 2 or 4 weeks (or a weekend). Explore ways The Happiness Course can raise fund or attract investors in order to be able to offer the course to those who need it for a low cost.
SPB92: Marketing plan for The Happiness Course
The Happiness Course is an 8 hour course based on positive psychology and delivered over 2 or 4 weeks (or a weekend). Compile a low-cost marketing plan to enable The Happiness Course to reach a wider audience in the local area. Include recommendations on how to implement the plan.
SPB93: Promotional videos for a digital print company
RPM Digital Print was started in 1991 and has grown into a fully integrated print and multi-channel marketing communications service provider. Create two short videos (2 minutes each) to showcase the work of the company. The first video will introduce the company, their location and printing products. The second video will be based around their marketing technology. These videos will be featured on the website and on social media.
Apply now:
Projects are available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at BU and can be used for dissertations, assignments, unit, or group work. Send us an email to request a project brief and application form.
In this public lecture Professor Debbie Holley will explore the impact of technology as an enabler as our students navigate their way through increasingly complex and ‘messy’ lives, juggling debt, work, caring responsibilities and study. Technology is not only a tool, but offers insights into the lives of others, and possibilities of building networks and studying in different spaces. What should our response as educators be?
This interactive lecture will be preceding by a one hour ‘suite of innovation’ where attendees will be able to try out some of the innovations in learning BU offers its students, including Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, augmented reality, Mentimeter and BU’s new Virtual Learning Environment ‘Brightspace’ . Our Learning Technology team will be on hand to help you get set up to tweet the event (#TalkBU), to download Google Cardboard App, Zappar App and chat about their work.
Professor Holley is the Professor of Learning Innovation and the Head of our Centre for Excellence in Learning at Bournemouth University. A passionate educator, she is a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. A JISC ‘Digital Expert’, she leads on digital innovation to encourage students to blend and personalise their learning inside and outside the formal classroom. Internationally her work is acknowledged through her research into the student experience and education futures.
Stay tuned on the Research Blog for further information on how you can apply for the funding to recruit a student research assistant for a co-created output.
Please direct any questions to Rachel Clarke, KE Advisor on 01202 961347 or email sra@bournemouth.ac.uk
On Thursday 25th January 2018, BU’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO) will be hosting a Food STEAMLab.
Which means…?
We’re seeking to come up with novel research which addresses challenges in the future of food. With increasing pressure on food sources and the food industry, we need to consider how food security can be guaranteed for the future. Potential areas to address this challenge may include but are not limited to, malnutrition/nutrition, agriculture, logistics, robotics, supply chain, new forms of food, sustainability, political/economic problems, food policy, food waste & recycling, and climate & the environment.
So, who should attend?
STEAMLabs cover broad themes to ensure that they are open to everyone from all disciplines. So if you think you have something to contribute then come along. If you think that they don’t include you then please have a chat with your RKEO Facilitator who can explain how your research could make a vital contribution to new ideas and approaches. In order to encourage wider partnerships, each STEAMLab will include academics from other universities, as well as representatives from industry and other sectors.
What do I need to prepare in advance? What will the STEAMLab entail?
Absolutely nothing in advance. During the session, you’ll be guided through a process which results in the development of research ideas. The process facilitates creativity, potentially leading to innovative and interdisciplinary research ideas. These ideas will be explored with other attendees, and further developed based on the feedback received.
What if I don’t have time to think about ideas in advance?
You don’t need to do this but it will help. Attendees will come from a range of backgrounds so we expect that there will be lively conversations resulting from these different perspectives.
What about afterwards? Do I need to go away and do loads of work?
Well… that depends! The interactive day will result in some novel research ideas. Some of these may be progressed immediately; others might need more time to develop. You may find common ground with other attendees which you choose to take forward in other ways, such as writing a paper or applying for research funding. Your Research Facilitator will be on hand to support you as you develop bids for funding.
What if my topic area is really specific, and doesn’t really relate to food?
Your contribution will be very welcome! One of the main benefits of this type of event is to bring together individuals with a range of backgrounds and specialisms who are able to see things just that bit differently to one another.
So, is this just networking?
Definitely not! It is a facilitated session with the primary intention of developing innovative research ideas, which also enables the development of networks. It gives you the opportunity to explore research ideas which you may develop over time, together with the chance to find common ground with academics from across BU and beyond.
How do I book onto this event?
To take part in this exciting opportunity, BU staff should request a place by emailing RKEDevFramework as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
This event will be held in the EBC, Lansdowne Campus.
If you have any queries prior to submitting your application, please contact Lisa Gale-Andrews, RKEO Research Facilitator.
The fees and funding discussions continue with some interesting developments this week.
Firstly, there was a written response by the Minister -responding to the Resolution of the House on 13th September 2017 on tuition fees (the non-binding one that was essentially passed unanimously because no Conservative MPs attended). The statement included a few important points and some hints:
Maximum grants and loans for living and other costs will be increased by forecast inflation (3.2%) in 2018/19.
For the first time, students starting part-time degree level courses from 1 August 2018 onwards will qualify for loans for living costs.
I expect to lay regulations implementing changes to student finance for undergraduates and postgraduates for 2018/19 early in 2018. These regulations will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
The Department of Health will be making a separate announcement on changes to student finance for postgraduate healthcare students and dental hygiene and dental therapy students in 2018/19.
Bournemouth University’s annual undergraduate research conference – Showcasing Undergraduate Research Excellence (SURE) – returns for a third year in March 2018
As well as giving students a supportive platform to showcase the quality of work they do, it gives others at BU an insight into the excellent research undertaken by our undergraduates. Not only is it a unique opportunity to further develop skills, prizes will also be available which include a fee waiver for a Master’s course at BU for the best overall contributor.
All undergraduate students at BU are eligible to apply, as are recent graduates. Examples of research could be anything from preparing for a dissertation or an essay to work carried out during a placement year to volunteering or work with academic societies. The key criteria is to be able to evidence critical thinking through the work.
The submission deadline for abstracts is 21 December. Please do encourage your students to apply.
You can download two lecture slides showing the benefits of taking part in SURE here..
Abstracts will be accepted for oral or poster presentations. If a student would like to present your research through another medium – a film, art exhibition or performance – please contact sure@bournemouth.ac.uk initially.
The deadline for submitting abstracts is Thursday, 21 December, 2017.
Prizes
Best overall contribution – a fee waiver to any BU Master’s
Best original research via oral presentation – 4 x £350 funding (1 per Faculty) for students to attend and present their research at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research
Best poster, demonstration or art installation: 4 x £25 Amazon voucher (1 per Faculty)
Conference attendance
SURE 2018 will take place on Wednesday 7 March 2018. Registration for the conference will open in January 2018.
Staff and students from across BU are encouraged and welcome to attend.
Doctoral College – 10th Annual Postgraduate Conference
Are you a PGR or do you know a PGR looking for an opportunity to share their research with peers and academic colleagues? If so, then the 10th Annual Postgraduate Conference hosted by the Doctoral College is the opportunity for you.
*All prizes will be in the form of Amazon Vouchers
Successful oral presentations will be supported by a one day masterclass in presentation skills and successful poster presentations will be supported by a masterclass in creating an academic poster.
Registration to attend the conference will open on Monday 8 January 2018.
Our BU briefing papers are designed to make our research outputs accessible and easily digestible so that our research findings can quickly be applied – whether to society, culture, public policy, services, the environment or to improve quality of life. They have been created to highlight research findings and their potential impact within their field.
In recent years, motion capture data (mocap) have been widely used in computer games, film production and sport sciences. The great success of animated and animation enhanced feature films, such as Avatar, provide compelling evidence for the values of mocap techniques. However, even with the most expensive commercial mocap systems, there are still instances where noise and missing data are inevitable.
This paper examines the motion refinement problem and presents an effective framework to solve it, demonstrated by extensive experiments on both synthetic and real data. The experiment shows that the proposed method outperforms all competitors not only in predicting missing values but also in de-noising most of the time.
Gene editing to eradicate unwanted animal populations, deep water lasers for trawling the sea, radiation threats from next-generation mobile phone networks and how to protect the 44% of the Earth’s surface covered by no-mans-land oceans.
These are among the 15 environmental challenges and trends cited by a diverse group of 24 researchers and experts tasked with identifying the as yet little-understood issues that could have a big impact on our natural world in the coming year.
This was the ninth NERC-funded Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation & Biological Diversity, led by William Sutherland, Professor of Conservation Biology at Cambridge University, and published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
The annual report looks at new developments and threats that authors believe could present risks and opportunities in the coming year. The international team reviewed 117 potential emerging issues, whittling down to the 15 they believe may have the biggest impact – positive or negative – but are the least well-known.
Click here to see what the 15 emerging issues for 2018 were identified as.
When you include those centrally funded and locally delivered projects, this government is spending more per head on transport in the northwest than we are in the southeast.
Chris Grayling, Sectary of State for Transport, 21 September 2017
There is a widely held view, fuelled by the media, that the north of England is hard done by when it comes to transport spending. Over 70,000 people recently signed a petition to the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, calling for more investment in transport in the north. Grayling has responded by saying the figures used to make this assessment are misleading, and that the northwest region now receives more transport spending than the southeast.
The issue of transport spending is awash with statistics. A recent House of Commons document confirmed that public spending on transport in absolute, per person and modal average terms is higher in parts of the north than in the southeast region outside London but not in the capital itself. In the 2015/16 financial year, transport spending per person was £401 in the northwest, £380 in Yorkshire and the Humber, and £299 in the northeast. For the southeast, it was £365 per head, while for London it was £973.
The think tank IPPR North has estimated that from 2016/17 onwards, the figures will be £680 for the northwest, £190 for Yorkshire and Humber, and £220 for the northeast. The southeast will get £226 and London £1,040.
So Grayling is right to say the northwest is doing well right now compared to the southeast (not including London), which is receiving similar amounts to the other northern regions. But this ignores the fact that London still receives far more than any other part of the country.
The problem with these kind of figures for individual years is that they can skew the overall picture of spending. For example, money for large infrastructure projects such as Crossrail in London and the southeast, and Manchester’s Metrolink programme, tend to be allocated to the particular years when the projects are completed.
Looking at all the spending data over a longer period of time is a better indicator of the gap between north and south. In terms of total transport spending, the southeast has actually received 13% more than the northwest since 2011/12. And looking at bus and rail services, London has received over five times more public spending in the last five years than the northwest.
But the real picture is even more complicated than this. Transport infrastructure in London is not just for Londoners. Many people in the southeast benefit hugely from London transport spending, especially those who commute in every day. Yet people from elsewhere in Britain also benefit when they visit, as do millions of international tourists.
London is very different from the other English regions, with much greater population density and a more mobile workforce. Its transport serves a different, wider purpose and also benefits from local government funding because of devolution. So a like-for-like comparison is inherently misleading.
The government’s recent budget has also gone some way to further reducing the north-south divide. The northeast will receive £337m for new rolling stock on the 40-year-old Tyne and Wear Metro network. Greater Manchester has been promised £240m to ease road congestion. A £1.7 billion fund will improve links between city centres and suburbs across the country. But the lack of news about the much-needed modernisation of the Manchester to Leeds transPennine route put on hold earlier this year is very disappointing, and Leeds still desperately needs a new mass transit system.
Verdict
It might come as a surprise for those in the northwest and Yorkshire to hear that they get about the same amount of transport spending (or more) than the southeast, but at the moment it is technically true. The northeast, meanwhile, remains the poor relation in every measurement of spending. But these simple facts don’t take account of the much higher spending in London or the very different circumstances by which this money is allocated.
Review
Derek Robbins, Senior Lecturer in Transport and Tourism, Bournemouth University
This is a comprehensive review of current transport investment and expenditure, well illustrated by published data. It can be difficult to separate data from political spin and government PR, which have the unnerving tendency to portray funding that has already been allocated as if it were newly announced. But the underlying premise of this article that transport investment in the northwest and Yorkshire has increased is well made.
I take greater issue with the conclusion that recent announcements have gone some way to further reducing the north-south divide. As the article illustrates, long-term investment is a better indicator, and the north still has some considerable catching up to do. The new projects are only a first step. I would also describe the lack of progress towards a modernised and reliable transPennine rail route as more than disappointing, given that it is an essential investment for future economic growth in the north.
While I also accept that London is different, I think the benefits of the capital’s transport links to the other English regions can be easily overstated.
The Doctoral College would like to present the December monthly update
This monthly update is for PGRs and their supervisors to outline upcoming research skills and development opportunities including events, workshops and networking opportunities supported by the Doctoral College. In this update we would like to introduce the inaugural 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) event, R.E.D talks, the Researcher Development Programme for 2017-18 (January to July sessions now bookable), and the 10thAnnual Postgraduate Conference.
We are very happy to announce that our Keynote Speaker for the 10th Annual Postgraduate Conference is Professor Lee Miles from the BU’s Disaster Management Centre. With the deadline soon approaching, don’t forget to submit an application for oral, poster and photography presentations to present your research to your peers and colleagues.
These exciting development opportunities are taking place now so check out our application processes and booking information to advance your current skills, knowledge and networks.
New research was published this week titled ‘The Hidden Story: Understanding knowledge exchange partnerships with the creative economy’. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded the project, led by Kingston University in collaboration with University Alliance and four other institutions.
The research analyses institutional knowledge exchange data relevant to the Creative Industries from across the Alliance Universities. This is used as the basis for a new methodology for understanding the extent, nature and impact of universities’ knowledge exchange partnerships within England and Wales’ Creative Economy.
In addition to a dedicated website and the forty-page main report, there are briefings tailored to national, regional and university leaders, as well as those wishing to use the data taxonomy and evaluation tool.
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Dr. Pawel Surowiec, of the Faculty of Media and Communication, addressed the audiences of both both institutions, and spoke at events concerning challenges to strategic communication brought about by fake news and disinformation campaigns. On 7 December, 2017, at the conference entitled ‘Myth and Reality: Countering Disinformation in Visegrad 4’ (Warsaw), the Faculty’s researcher participated in a panel discussion focusing on solutions to the disinformation campaigns, and offered an expert intervention on hybridisation of soft power and strategic communication during the conference held on 23-24 November, 2017 at the Annual Plenary, Club of Venice – the European Council’s network of strategic communicators.
Our 
New research was 
Connecting Research with Practice: FoodMAPP Secondment in Austria and France
Health promotion paper read 8,000 times
The Beautiful Work Challenge: On Birth
Free event on Solutions to Inequalities in Dementia Diagnosis and Care
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call
ERC Advanced Grant 2025 Webinar
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Published
Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme pre-Published
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease