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Making the Most of Writing Week Part 3: Research grant applications – choosing a funder

Guidance, writing

Since next week (25-29 July) is Writing Week in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (but anyone interested in health research can come and see us), we’ll be giving you some tips on ways to make the most of the dedicated writing time as well as letting you know which members of the BU Clinical Research Unit team can help you and when they are available (see table below).

availability

In yesterday’s post we covered how we can help you build a research team. Step 3 focuses on choosing a suitable funder for your research project. You may be an established researcher with several grants already under your belt and a fair idea about the funders that are appropriate for your area of research. Whatever stage you’re at it’s important to target the right funder. Ensure your research idea fits with the funder’s strategic aims and priorities. Do they fund solely quantitative research, or do they prefer a mixed-methods approach? Do they have open investigator-led calls or commissioned calls only? Although it’s not all about the money, ensure the funder has a sufficient funding limit for your project – an under-costed project will be obvious to a funder and is unlikely to be successful.

If you’re not sure where to start Lisa Gale-Andrews (lgaleandrews@bournemouth.ac.uk) can help identify suitable health research funders for your project. She will be available all day Monday-Thursday during Writing Week if you’d like to pop in (R506).

There’s more to come on grant applications over the next few days including research design, and the importance of patient and public involvement (PPI).

Making the Most of Writing Week Part 2: Research grant applications – building a team

Guidance, writing

Next week (25-29 July) is Writing Week in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. A whole week dedicated to freeing up some time for academic writing. So, how can you make the most of this opportunity? Over the next few days, we’ll give you some tips on ways to spend your Writing Week as well as letting you know which members of the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU) team can help you and when they are available.

Writing Week is not just about writing papers – it also provides an opportunity to finally start thinking about that piece of research you’ve been dying to do. In BUCRU we have a wealth of expertise to support health research, and several members of our team are also members of the NIHR Research Design Service (more to come on that in a later blog). The next few posts cover our speciality subject – research grant applications.

Step 2 is thinking about your research team. You might have a great idea for a research project, but do you have the right people to ensure a strong, supportive team who can deliver the research? Depending on your research question, you might need a multi/interdisciplinary team of academics from different disciplines, clinicians, nurses, Allied Health Professionals etc. You may have a good network around you already, but what do you do if you don’t? Lisa Gale-Andrews is Clinical Research Co-ordinator in BUCRU, and can help facilitate research collaborations particularly with clinicians in the local health service and with academics across Faculties. Please contact Lisa (lgaleandrews@bournemouth.ac.uk) if you’re looking for contacts and for support in building your research team. She will be available all day Mon-Thurs during Writing Week if you’d like to pop in (R506).

There’s more to come on grant applications over the next few days including choosing a funder, research design, and the importance of patient and public involvement (PPI).

NERC Peer Review College call for membership 2016

ANERCpplication deadline: 15 August 2016

NERC is recruiting for Peer Review College (PRC) members, core panel members and panel chairs to refresh its current membership and support its peer review processes. College members have a vitally important role in the peer review of discovery science grants and provide specialist advice, either by reviewing individual grant applications or by acting as panel members and panel chairs. College membership provides an excellent opportunity to represent the NERC community and hold a critical position, providing the subject expertise which is essential to the effectiveness of the NERC’s decision-making processes.

NERC are looking for members with experience in all types of environmental sciences, including observational sciences. Those selected will play a vital role in determining the research that NERC funds and in maintaining its quality.

In particular, NERC would like to enhance membership with the following areas of expertise:

  • Aerosol science
  • Argon-argon dating
  • Atmospheric convection
  • Atmospheric modelling
  • Climate modelling
  • Geo-dynamo
  • Geological carbon storage
  • Marine biology
  • Meteorology (weather prediction / extreme events / techniques)
  • Multiphase fluid flow
  • Physical oceanography
  • Plant biology
  • Population modelling
  • Satellite retrievals
  • Science based archaeology
  • Sea ice
  • Solar terrestrial physics
  • Statistical ecology
  • Theoretical ecology

NERC is committed to the principle of providing equal opportunities for all. NERC are keen to attain more diversity in our public appointments, so would welcome applications from a range of candidates from all backgrounds and from across all sectors of our diverse communities.

All appointments would start from 1 January 2017.

We are seeking candidates for the following roles:

Panel chairs

Nine exceptional individuals are required to take on the key role of chairing our discovery science moderating panels and fellowship sift and interview panels in each of our panel portfolio areas.

In the first year of appointment, successful applicants will act as deputy to the existing chairs, before taking up the post of chair themselves in January 2018. Chairs will be recruited for four years (one year as a deputy plus three as a chair). They will be required to attend an annual chairs meeting and must be prepared to hold the dates that will be provided for future moderating panel meetings.

PRC chair application form (Word, 56KB)

Core panel members

Individuals are required to join the core membership of each of our panel portfolios areas.

Core members are needed to join the existing panel portfolios. These members will be asked to complete reviews in the same way as other Peer Review College members but will have lead responsibility for attending moderating panel meetings to ensure consistency within and between different panel areas and funding schemes.

PRC core application form (Word, 56KB)

Peer Review College members

New college members with a high level of expertise and experience.

PRC members will have a lead responsibility for completing reviews as part of the peer review process but will be asked to attend moderating panels meetings where their expertise is required, according to the proposals submitted.

PRC member application form (Word, 54KB)

Conditions of membership

In accepting the invitation to join the college, all members are expected to agree to NERC’s terms and conditions for membership.

College terms and conditions (PDF, 71KB)

Application process

All roles are open to any members of the environmental sciences community who meet the criteria for membership. Recruitment to the core membership will be focused on members of the PRC who have performed well with reviewing and on panels, and who meet any extra criteria for the PRC core. Recruitment to the chair roles will be mainly from the core membership. In exceptional cases, there may also be a case for inviting other individuals, who have previously contributed significantly to NERC peer review, to cover particular expertise needs or to help address the current gender imbalance.

NERC require detailed information about each candidate’s expertise, experience and suitability for the roles on offer, as detailed in the membership criteria.

Criteria for membership (PDF, 73KB)

Each application must be supported by a senior colleague within a higher education institution or other research organisation. The supporting statement can be associated with different organisations if appropriate.

Email the completed form to by 15 August 2016, along with a CV (maximum two sides A4 including a list of publications).

Applicants will be informed of decisions in October 2016.

Selection process and criteria

NERC welcome UK-based applicants / nominees from all research backgrounds who are ready to make the necessary commitment to the peer review process. NERC will consider how applicants / nominees fit our criteria for membership for each role.

They also need to ensure coverage of NERC’s wide remit and to avoid over-representation from any single department or organisation. Therefore they cannot always invite even excellent candidates to join the college when they apply.

NERC Peer Review College chairs and members of Science Board will be involved in the selection of Peer Review College members. Membership will be posted on the NERC Peer Review College website when the recruitment has been finalised.

Further information

Further information on college membership is available online or by contacting:

Andy Adams
Peer review college manager
01793 442503

Emma Devine
Peer review college co-ordinator
01793 411792

Making the Most of Writing Week Part 1: Be Prepared!

writing

Next week (25-29 July) is Writing Week in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. A whole week dedicated to freeing up some time for academic writing. So, how can you make the most of this opportunity? Over the next few days, we’ll give you some tips on ways to spend your Writing Week.

Step 1 is to set a goal for the week… but make it realistic. Unless you are one of the lucky people who find it easy to write, you won’t be able to produce a whole grant proposal/manuscript in that time but you can make a start. Go through that list of jobs you’ve been putting off until you “have more time” and decide how you will spend your week.

Don’t forget the BU Clinical Research Unit team are here to help not only HSS researchers but anyone involved in health research. Below is a list of who is available and how each of us can help.

availability

Royal Academy of Engineering Public Engagement Awards

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange

If you have an imaginative idea that helps engineers to communicate their expertise and passion to a wider audience – The Royal Academy of Engineering invites applications for its public engagement awards. These support projects that engage the public with engineers and engineering. Projects should aim to achieve the following:

•inspire public engagement with engineering;

•stimulate engineers to share their stories, passion and expertise in innovative ways with wider audiences;

•develop engineers’ communication and engagement skills;

•create debate between engineers and people of all ages to raise awareness of the diversity, nature and impact of engineering.

Awards are worth between £3,000 to £30,000 per project.

 

The latest round of the Ingenious scheme is now open to applications, and the closing date is 4pm on Monday 17 October 2016.

Find out more at: http://www.raeng.org.uk/grants-and-prizes/ingenious-grant or contact Naomi Kay for more details: nkay@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

UKRO – ERC Starting Grant Information and Proposal Writing Events

Funding opportunities

UKRO logo​​​In its capacity as UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC), the UK Research Office, in partnership with the hosting institutions, is holding two events for researchers who are interested in applying for the next ERC Starting Grants call. The events are scheduled as follows:

•University of York, Monday 5 September 2016, 13:30 – 17:00

•King’s College London​, Tuesday 6 September 2016, 10:00 – 13:00

​​The scheme is designed to support Principal Investigators (PIs) at the stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme. To be eligible for the 2017 call, the PI must have been awarded their PhD between two and seven years prior to 1 January 2017 (extendable in certain strict cases).

The next ERC Starting Grant call is not yet available on the Participant Portal but please refer to the ERC website for all information about this and other ERC calls.

BU staff can also register, via BU subscription, on the UKRO website to receive announcements concerning EU funding direct to your own inbox – make sure that you hear first!

If you are considering applying, please contact Emily Cieciura, REKO’s Research Facilitator: EU & International, in the first instance.

British Academy announce call closing dates

Funding opportunities

british_academy_logoThe British Academy have released their latest call closing date information for various schemes.  Details of these can be found on the ‘Standard Funder Calls’ page of the research blog.

More detail on each of the calls is shown below:

  • Mid-Career Fellowships Outline Stage
  • http://www.britac.ac.uk/british-academy-mid-career-fellowships
  • Scheme Opens: 10th August 2016
  • Deadline for Applicants: 14th September 2016
  • Deadline for Institutional Approval: 15th September 2016
  • Deadline for Referees: 22nd September 2016
  • Result of Outline Stage Announcement: December 2016

 

  • BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships
  • http://www.britac.ac.uk/baleverhulme-senior-research-fellowships
  • Scheme Opens: 12th October 2016
  • Deadline for Applicants: 16th November 2016
  • Deadline for Institutional Approval: 17th November 2016
  • Deadline for Referees: 24th November 2016
  • Final Award Announcement expected: 31st March 2017
  • Earliest Award Start Date: 1st September 2017
  • Latest Award Start Date: 1st January 2018

 

  • Wolfson Research Professorships
  • http://www.britac.ac.uk/wolfson-research-professorships
  • Scheme Opens: 28th September 2016
  • Deadline for Applicants: 23rd November 2016
  • Deadline for Institutional Approval: 24th November 2016
  • Deadline for Referees: 1st December 2016
  • Final Award Announcement expected: 31st March 2017
  • Earliest Award Start Date: 1st September 2017
  • Latest Award Start Date: 1st January 2018

 

  • Postdoctoral Fellowships Outline Stage
  • http://www.britac.ac.uk/british-academy-postdoctoral-fellowships
  • Scheme Opens: 24th August 2016
  • Deadline for Applicants: 5th October 2016
  • Deadline for Institutional Approval: 6th October 2016
  • Deadline for Referees: 13th October 2016
  • Result of Outline Stage Announcement: January 2017

 

  • BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants (Autumn 2016)
  • http://www.britac.ac.uk/baleverhulme-small-research-grants-0
  • Scheme Opens: 1st September 2016
  • Deadline for Applicants: 12th October 2016
  • Deadline for Institutional Approval: 13th October 2016
  • Deadline for Referees: 27th October 2016
  • Final Award Announcement expected: 31st March 2017
  • Earliest Award Start Date: 1st April 2017
  • Latest Award Start Date: 31st August 2017

 

  • BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants (Spring 2017)
  • http://www.britac.ac.uk/baleverhulme-small-research-grants-0
  • Scheme Opens: 12th April 2017
  • Deadline for Applicants: 24th May 2017
  • Deadline for Institutional Approval: 25th May 2017
  • Deadline for Referees: 8th June 2017
  • Final Award Announcement expected: 31st August 2017
  • Earliest Award Start Date: 1st September 2017
  • Latest Award Start Date: 31st March 2018

Please note that this is not a final list of all the schemes that will be opening this year.  Timetables for other schemes are being finalised by the British Academy.  If you are interested in applying for any of these calls then please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer in the first instance.

BU’s Dr Inventor team to present their research at SIGGRAPH

conferences

Dr I A5_Flyer

A team of researchers from BU’s National Centre for Computer Animation will soon be presenting ‘Dr Inventor’ at SIGGRAPH in California.  Dr Inventor is the first web-based system that supports the development of scientific creativity via a computational approach.

The project stemmed from the idea that new technologies have real potential to increase scientific creativity and to overcome some human limitations.  When considering ways around an issue, we often get stuck on the problem rather than solution and tend to be limited by our own perceptions, biases and memories.  By harnessing the power of technology and existing research information available on the web, Dr Inventor overcomes some of these issues by acting as a personal research assistant.

Dr Inventor can provide researchers with a report of a variety of relevant concepts and approaches by drawing on information from web resources, allowing a researcher to take into account a much wider range of perspectives.  The programme can even assess the quality and novelty of these resources by analysing these against recognised research approaches and established quality metrics.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Dr Inventor is its ability to replicate human creativity – to a degree – and suggest new research ideas.  By trawling through huge amounts of resources and ideas, Dr Inventor can generate new concepts and angles for research.

The project was funded by the European Commission and has seen the team work with partners from all over Europe to develop the concept. For more information about the project, please visit project website (http://drinventor.eu​)

Dr Inventor Exhibition at SIGGRAPH 2016  ( 26th – 28th July) Booth 255Dr I logo
Dr Inventor Tech Talk – (Wednesday, 27 July 2016; Time: 10:30am to 11:30am)
Dr Inventor Fast Forward – (Monday 25th July) Ballroom B, 3:45-5:15 pm

Transforming the Printing Industry with Cutting-Edge Technology

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, flatbed printers have emerged as a prominent trend in the printing industry. These advanced printing machines offer unparalleled capabilities, versatility, and efficiency, revolutionizing the way businesses and individuals approach printing. In this article, we will explore the features and advantages of flatbed printers and their impact on various sectors. And in case your printer runs out of ink, you may just call a local company that offers ink refill services.

The Rise of Flatbed Printers:
Flatbed printers have gained significant popularity due to their ability to print on a wide range of materials, including rigid substrates like wood, metal, glass, and acrylic, as well as flexible media such as fabric and vinyl. And to preserve and secure these flexible materials after printing, it is advisable to place them in custom paper cores, especially during transport. Unlike traditional printers that require paper or specific media, flatbed printers like grand format flatbed printers have a flat printing surface where the material is placed directly. This allows for greater flexibility, creativity, and customization in printing applications.

Versatility and Wide Range of Applications:
Flatbed printers excel in their versatility, offering the ability to print on diverse surfaces and materials. This makes them suitable for various industries and applications. In the signage industry, flatbed printers are used to create eye-catching and vibrant displays on rigid boards and panels. In the packaging industry, they enable high-quality printing directly onto corrugated boxes, cartons, and even three-dimensional objects. Additionally, flatbed printers are widely used for creating promotional materials, personalized gifts, interior decor, and even fine art prints.

High Precision and Quality Output:
One of the key advantages of flatbed printers is their ability to produce high-resolution prints with exceptional detail and color accuracy. These printers utilize advanced printing technologies, such as UV-curable or solvent inks, coupled with precise printhead technology, to achieve stunning print results. The flatbed design ensures precise registration, allowing for sharp and accurate printing on various materials. Whether it’s intricate graphics, text, or high-resolution images, flatbed printers deliver impressive print quality that meets the demands of professional printing applications.

Efficiency and Productivity:
Flatbed printers offer significant advantages in terms of efficiency and productivity. Their ability to print directly on substrates eliminates the need for additional mounting or lamination processes, saving time and resources. The flatbed design also allows for simultaneous printing of multiple items, increasing throughput and reducing production time. Moreover, flatbed printers often incorporate automated features, such as automatic media loading and unloading, as well as advanced print management software, optimizing workflow and enhancing overall productivity.

Flatbed printers have emerged as a trend in technology, transforming the printing industry with their versatility, precision, and efficiency. With the ability to print on various materials and deliver exceptional quality output, these printers have found applications in diverse sectors, from signage and packaging to personalization and art. As technology continues to advance, flatbed printers are expected to further revolutionize the printing industry, enabling businesses and individuals to unleash their creativity and meet the growing demands of the digital age.

Sensor-integrated urometer for measuring real-time urine output (HEIF funded project)

Business Engagement, HEIF, innovation, Knowledge Exchange

File 29-06-2016, 18 24 05

The project team from the Faculty of Science & Technology has received Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) to undertake a series of activities aimed at encouraging university and the public sector to harness the benefits of advanced assistive technologies. (The HEIF  project started last year and is due to finish at the end of July.)

The nature of HEIF funding encourages knowledge exchange and support to develop a broad range of knowledge based interactions between universities and colleges and the wider word, which result in economic and social benefit to the UK.  In current clinical practices, urinary output measurement and supervision are prevailing medical intervention treatments for patients suffering from critical illness, aging bladder, post-surgery urination difficulties and long-term bedridden. However, the urinary output is still measured and monitored manually by healthcare staff, which is extremely time-consuming and prone to undesirable human errors commonly, arose in these repetitive and monotonous tasks. The project aims to invent an automatic device for remotely monitoring of urinary output, which features real-time remotely wireless catheter fall-off and flow rate monitoring, urinary output minute-by-minute monitoring and real-time states visualization.

The project team is made up of a number of researchers and students from multidisciplinary domains in addition to academics. The team (Prof Hongnian Yu, Mr Arif Reza Anwary; Mr Daniel Craven, Mr Muhammad Akbar, and Mr Pengcheng Liu) has recently presented their three developed prototypes at the collaborator’s site (Royal Bournemouth Hospital). The feedback and comments from the hospital staff are very positive. Dr Simon McLaughlin, the project collaborator from the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, said ‘The project looks to have progressed well. The work is excellent and the one of the prototypes is almost ready to deploy.’

The team  hope to continue to consolidate the current developed prototypes and build on top of them to invent the commercially acceptable products.

Eurostars? – Celebrities, footballers or EU funding scheme for SMEs?

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities

If you are working with SMEs, you may know that Eurostars is a scheme which assists small businesses to access funding.

eurostarsEurostars supports international innovative projects led by research and development- performing small- and medium-sized enterprises (R&D-performing SMEs). With its bottom-up approach, Eurostars supports the development of rapidly marketable innovative products, processes and services that help improve the daily lives of people around the world. Eurostars has been carefully developed to meet the specific needs of SMEs. It is an ideal first step in international cooperation, enabling small businesses to combine and share expertise and benefit from working beyond national borders.

Eurostars is a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission, co-funded from the national budgets of 36 Eurostars Participating States and Partner Countries and by the European Union through Horizon 2020. In the 2014-2020 period it has a total public budget of €1.14 billion.

The role of SMEs for the economy has never been so important. Eurostars aims to bring increased value to the economy, higher growth and more job opportunities.

If you are working with a research-active business or have the opportunity to contact a potential industrial partner undertaking research, this site and the explanatory video found there, might just be the good news they have been waiting to hear!

N.B. As universities are not eligible to be funded through this competition in the UK, such partners must be in a position to self-fund. In addition, to be an eligible project, an SME has to do at least 50% of the work and no one partner or country can do more than 75% of the work. The university input, therefore, is limited and the partnering activity may be approved through benefits in kind, such as reputational, access to SME and relationship building, further joint funding strategy with the company, and academic experience of working with an industrial partner. These factors will need to be considered alongside the 0% fEC return.

 

Thinking of working with a applicant SME? Please contact Emily Cieciura and Jayne Codling in RKEO so that you can access our support and assistance.

Conservation Research?

Knowledge Exchange

Public engagement opportunity for academics and PGRS!

On September 14th we are running a lecture day in the EBC with a conservation theme, open to the public and members of the U3a (University of the 3rd Age). We are looking for speakers to present an hour long lecture. It’s a brilliant opportunity to share your research/area of expertise to the public and can open some thought provoking discussion.

If you’re interested in being a part of the lecture day, please contact Katie Breadmore: kbreadmore@bournemouth.ac.uk/61356

 

 

UKRO Conference Report – important EU funding updates

Funding opportunities, Guidance, international

UKRO logoThe UK Research Office (UKRO) is the European office of the UK Research Councils. It delivers a subscription-based advisory service for research organisations (in the main UK HEIs) and provides National Contact Point services on behalf of the UK Government. UKRO’s mission is to maximise UK engagement in EU-funded research, innovation and higher education activities. One way UKRO supports this mission is through the annual conference.

The slides are publicly available via the UKRO website. To access further subscriber-only information, including events notifications and news, BU staff members can register today!

The 2016  UKRO Annual Conference took place at Glasgow ​Caledonian University in Glasgow on Thursday 30th June and Friday 1st July 2016.​​ Please follow the links below to access slides and other information from the event:

Conference Programme​​

​Biographies of Speakers​

Presentations:

Thursday 30 June 2016

Opening plenary session

Horizon 2020: Are We On the Path to Success?​
Mr Wolfgang Burtscher (DG RTD, Deputy Director General)

European Research Council: An Update and Future Directions​
Mr Theodore Papazoglou (ERCEA, Head of Unit, Support to the ERC Scientific Council)

Parallel sessions 1

A) Horizon 2020 Health Challenge: Zika, Ebola & Antimicrobial Resistance
Ms Line Matthiessen (DG RTD, Head of Unit, Fighting Infectious Diseases and Advancing Public Health)

B) Being Ethics Ready and Compliant
Ms Maria Filipa Ferraz De Oliveira (ERCEA, Head of Ethics Sector)

C) Horizon 2020 Funding for Research into Migration and Mobility​
Ms Elisabeth Lipiatou (DG RTD, Head of Unit, Open and Inclusive Societies)

Parallel sessions 2

A) Marie Skl​odowska-Curie Actions Reporting: IT’s That Time of the Year Again…
Ms Cathy Souto Enriques (REA, MSCA Project Advisor)

B) Funding Research for a Secure Society
​Mr Graham Willmott (DG HOME, Head of Unit, Innovation and Industry Security)​

Friday 1 July 2016

Open Innovation: The Future of EU Innovation Funding? Ideas for Creating a European Innovation Council
Ms Sophie Laurie (NERC, Associate Director of Innovation and Translation)​
Mr Matthew King (DG RTD, Head of Unit Open Innovation)​​

Parallel sessions 3

A) Open to the World: Co-Funded Calls and How it Works in Practice
Mr Diego Sammaritano (DG RTD, Policy Officer, R&I Cooperation with China)

B) Open Science: Opening Up Scientific Information in Horizon 2020
Ms Joy Davidson (Collaborative Research & Services Provision Manager, University of Glasgow)

Parallel sessions 4

ELO Profiles for the Future of EU Funding
Ms Angela Noble (University of Edinburgh, Manager – Europe)
Ms Philippa Shelton (University of the West of England, Bristol, Senior Research Business Development Manager)
Ms Kimberly Cornfield (UCL, Head of EU Proposal Management)​

Managing Intellectual Property in Horizon 2020​
Mr Jakub Ramocki (EU IPR Helpdesk, Intellectual Property Advisor)

If you would like to discuss potential EU funding activity, please contact Emily Cieciura, RKEO’s Research Facilitator: EU & International. To see related articles, just search for ‘UKRO’ on the BU Research blog.