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Nominate your outputs now for the mock REF internal review

BRIAN, open access, Publishing, Research assessment

The first internal Research Excellence Framework (REF) preparation exercise is now taking place. Academic staff are invited to submit from one to four outputs (published since 1 January 2014) and these will be reviewed by a panel of internal expert reviewers.

The review exercise is open to all academic staff and if you wish to be considered for the review and have not yet nominated your outputs, please do so through this link as soon as possible:

https://bournemouth.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/mock-ref-light-touch-internal-review-individual-outputs

The nomination form will close on 19th October 2015.

Refer to this blog post for more info:

http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/ref/mock-ref-internal-light-touch-review-exercise-autumn-2015/

Research Funders’ Guide

Funding opportunities, Guidance

The Research Funders’ Guide was launched last week on the Research Blogs ‘Research Toolkit’ (hover over the link to see what is available to assist you with your external application for funding).map of science

This has since been updated to include success rate data and past awards for the Research Councils.  These are a good indication of what the Research Councils are interested in and what they’re prepared to invest in.  If you’re interested in applying to a Research Council then do have a look around.

In addition, we’ve tidied up the charities so that the major funders are now shown at the top and also contain links to past awards and some have the quick guides that RKEO have produced to help internal applications understand the process at BU.

Do also have a look at the Research Lifecycle on the blog to see how RKEO can support you with your research plans.

Real-time Physics for Games

We would like to invite you to the latest research seminar of the Creative Technology Research Centre.

Speaker: Dr Wen Tang

 

Title:   Real-time Physics for Gamescompare-b

 

Time: 1:00PM-2:00PM

Date: Wednesday 14th October 2015

Room: KG03 LT, Kimmeridge House, Talbot Campus

 

 

Abstract: “Without accurate physics simulation, even the most beautiful game feels static and lifeless”- PhysX.

Developing fundamental computational algorithms and software pipelines that can truly unleash the power of physics simulation in computer games has been a major research activity in computer graphics.

This talk will present soft body simulation algorithms and a scalable software framework that are capable of handling simulation realism and computational efficiency to satisfy unpredictable user interactions and fast responses in computer games. Soft bodies such as cloth and solid deformable objects offer special visual effects in film, computer games, virtual reality and medicine. These objects are not only computationally expensive to simulate due to a wide range of material properties, but are also difficult to design and to control the simulation effects. This talk will also describe the latest research direction in how to develop institutive tools by deriving mathematic expressions using simple curves. Designers can then edit physics via direct modifications of curve profiles since they represent underpinning physical behaviour of the soft bodies.

 

We hope to see you there.

Launch of the BU Undergraduate Research Assistantship programme 2015/16

student research

Following on from a successful pilot, I am delighted to announce the launch of BU’s Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) programme.  This programme is managed via the Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO), is funded by the Fusion Investment Fund and offers paid employment opportunities for approximately 55 BU undergraduate students to work in a research position that is directly related to their academic studies or career path, under the guidance of experienced academics, within our clusters, centres and institutes.  The programme will enable students to assist academic staff with their research projects as well as provide valuable research experience to enrich their student experience.

In 2015/16, the scheme will be made up of two programmes; a semester-based programme and a summer programme.

Each programme will have a two stage application process; 1) Academic Application Form 1516 and 2) student recruitment for approved URA positions.

These URA vacancies will be available for BU students only, where URA applicants must be able to work in the UK and be enrolled during the time of their assistantship. Staff can only have one active URA application in operation at any one time.

We are now accepting applications from academic staff for URA positions.  The closing date for academic applications has been extended to 25th October 2015.  Completed application forms should be sent to urap@bournemouth.ac.uk  Before submitting your application, please see the following criteria for selecting staff applications for funding.

Please note that applications are now open for both the semester-based programme and the summer programme, with a further round of applications for the summer programme opening in 2016.

If you have any queries, please contact Rachel Clarke, KE Adviser (KTP) on 01202 961347 or email clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk

Latest funding programmes: innovation in urban spaces, IoT security, quantified self and more

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

knowledge_transfer_networks

Check out the latest funding opportuntities, events and news within these sectors and more.

Knowledge Transfer Networks have been set up to connect people. Aiming to speed up innovation , solve problems and find markets for new ideas.

Established to foster better collaboration between science, creativity and business, KTN has specialist teams covering all sectors of the economy – from defence and aerospace to the creative industries, the built environment to biotechnology and robotics. KTN has helped thousands of businesses secure funding to drive innovation. And we support them through their business cycle to see that investment through to success.

Why not sign up to receive information relevant to your area of interest and research.

Check out the website for more information. 

Team BU develop game based app in just 24 hours

innovation, PG research

photoWell done Team BU (Chi Zhang, Erika Borkoles, Sarah Collard, Gary Head, Barry Squires and Clare Farrance) for taking part in the Sport England hackathon* last weekend. We had just 24 hours to develop our concept and build a prototype app to help 18-25 year olds become more physically active.

We developed a location based game app called ‘Nudge’ and incorporated social gamification strategies to encourage sustained physical activity adherence. We also sought strategies to help those who are already active in this age group encourage their inactive peers to participate.

The hackathon was a great experience and an excellent opportunity to collaborate across BU faculties and services.

A special mention needs to go to Chi who programmed through the night to make sure we had a working prototype. Hiring an experienced flutter developer can save you a lot of time and money and enable developers to solve complex problems at the last minute.

The winning team will be announced at the Sports Technology Awards in April 2016 and awarded a bursary of £10,000 to help them build the app.

Well done Team BU and fingers crossed for next April!

 

* A hackathon is a portmanteau of the words “hack” and “marathon”, where “hack” is used in the sense of exploratory programming.

ESRC Festival of Social Science, Financial Scamming Event, 10th November 2015

Info Days, Research themes

FSS_banner-edit

Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults from Financial Scamming

Date: Tuesday 10th November 2015 9.45 – 3pm
Location: Hamworthy Club Ltd, Magna Rd, Wimborne BH21 3AP

The National Centre for Post-qualifying Social Work is pleased announce that it will be hosting a FREE event on safeguarding vulnerable adults from financial scamming as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science.

Financial scamming and mass marketing fraud (MMF) are growing aspects of financial crime, and those working to protect vulnerable adults needs to develop increased awareness and understanding of the challenges it poses. The Office of Fair Trading estimates that UK consumers lose about £3.5 billion to scams each year. These threats take on many forms, including doorstep scams, phone scams, postal scams and increasingly scams via the internet.
This ESRC Festival of Social Science event will showcase recent research and best practice responses dealing with the threat posed by financial scams. This event will bring together staff from key agencies and the public to explore research and best practice to tackle this issue.

Speakers

Louise Baxter – The National Scams Team
‘The National Trading Standards Scam Team – What is being done to identify, protect and prevent future harm to victims of mass marketing fraud’

Sean Oliver – Croydon Council and Trish Burls Trading Standards
‘Safeguarding Social Work and Trading Standards, Joint Working: Research and Experiences from Croydon Council’

Rebecca Rogers – BU Cyber Security Unit
‘Protecting the vulnerable from cyber-crime’

Phil Mawhinney – Policy Officer – Consumer & Community, Age UK
Only the Tip of the Iceberg: Scams and Older People

After lunch there will be an opportunity to work with others to explore new ways of working together to tackle financial scams and to explore and the ways in which agencies can develop strategies to support vulnerable adults who are at risk or are victims of financial scams.

Staff from the National Centre for Post-qualifying Social Work will also showcase the recently updated National Safeguarding Framework for Adults

Places are limited and can be booked by CLICKING HERE

CLICK HERE to see the flyer, feel free to print it out and share with your colleagues.

For further information on the event please contact

Dr Lee-Ann Fenge – Deputy Director NCPQSW

lfenge@bournemouth.ac.uk

Reference

Office of Fair Trading (2009) The psychology of Scams, Office of Fair Trading: London 

Open Data Mash Up Challenge – win development support!

Funding opportunities

Jisc, which is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body whose role is to support post-16 and higher education, has announced that it is looking for ideas for an app that uses open data sets to support university students through their learning journey. jisclogo

The app should help students navigate key points in their ‘student journey’ – from first thoughts about choosing a course through to leaving and looking for a job. Examples of questions they might seek answers to include: choosing a course and finding out what funding support is available; finding accommodation; locating library resources, lab equipment or computers; searching for work placements, jobs or volunteering. Winners will have their idea selected for development at an open data mashup day and win development support worth £5,000.

UK based developers, students and university staff can apply. The deadline for submitting ideas is 30th October 2015 and the mashup day is on 17th November.

You can find out more information here, which includes how to enter (by uploading a 3 minute video and short description).

Grant Success for BUCRU

Awarded & submitted bids

bucru identity

Sarah Thomas from the BU Clinical Research Unit is part of a multi-disciplinary research team on a grant recently funded by the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society that starts this month. The grant is entitled “Which treatments are effective for fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS): A systematic review with process and meta-analyses” and was submitted in response to a national commissioned call. The project is led by Prof Rona Moss-Morris at King’s College London (KCL) and involves other collaborators at KCL as well as Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. The main aims of the project are to provide an overview of current evidence and make recommendations for the design of a future clinical trial for fatigue in people with MS. This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with other leaders in the field and further develop expertise in the area of MS-fatigue.

https://www.mssociety.org.uk/ms-research/research-blog/2015/09/let%E2%80%99s-put-fatigue-rest

DROP IN – Mock REF: Be in it to win it!

BRIAN, open access, Publishing

hurdle

Emma Crowley from Library services will be holding a drop-in session to support academic colleagues in submitting their open access outputs to BURO via BRIAN ahead of the Mock REF submission deadline.

  • When: Monday 12-10-2015
  • Time: 10:00-11:00
  • Location: S102

Please feel free to bring your digital outputs with you so they can be submitted at the session.

Research Staff Association (RSA) – NEW regular coffee morning

The first Research Staff Association (RSA) coffee morning will be taking place on Wednesday the 28th October, in the café area of the EBC (Lansdowne Campus) from 10 to 11am.

This is an informal opportunity to meet other research staff over coffee and cake, discuss your work and share ideas for future collaborations. It will also provide an opportunity to make suggestions toward a planned RSA seminar series that will act as a conduit for researchers of the University to showcase their work. For catering purposes please email mheward@bournemouth.ac.uk to confirm your attendance.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Kind regards,
Michelle Heward and Marcellus Mbah (RSA Staff Representatives)

MRC refreshed Guidance to Applicants

Guidance

MRC have launch a refreshed Guidance for Applicants, published in a new and improved format on their website: logo_mrcwww.mrc.ac.uk/funding/guidance-for-applicants.

To improve communication with their community (applicants and research offices) they have been investigating ways of making the guidance more interactive and intuitive.

The main improvements to the guidance are:

* Hyperlinks from content pages

* Relevant forms made easier to find and download

* The option to print a PDF copy of the document

* More tables to make information easier to read

* Special considerations split into:

* Ethics and approvals

* Proposals involving animal use

New and revised sections:

* Research council facilities updated to include Ion Beam Centre, University of Surrey (section 2.9)

* New guidance added on common reasons for returning applications to research offices (section 2.10)

* Updated guidance on application costing: please be aware that some historical data may have been removed (section 3)

* Updated guidance on costing of applications involving MRC units and institutes (NOT university units) (section 3.2)

* New guidance for eligible individuals from MRC University Units and the Francis Crick Institute who wish to apply for MRC grants as either a lead or co-applicant (section 3.3)

* New section: Research involving cohort resources (section 3.5)

In addition, a new ‘Updates’ section on the main page will inform you of any major changes made to the guidance and allow MRC to keep the guidance fully up-to-date. These updates will be linked to the relevant section in the guidance to help you navigate to the relevant page. Copies of historical changes will also be available from this section.

Please have a look through the pages to familiarise yourself with the refreshed format and the new and revised sections: www.mrc.ac.uk/funding/guidance-for-applicants.

MRC would welcome your feedback on the new guidance. Please send any comments to the Research Funding Policy and Delivery team:  RFPD@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk.

The value of university-business collaborations to the UK economy

Business Engagement, innovation, Knowledge Exchange

 

Technology in the hands

 

As organisations make submissions to the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review 2015, Director for Employment & Skills at CBI, Neil Carberry, outlines the case for investment in universities.

Productivity levels and skills are considered  two of the greatest challenges. This is where universities and their graduates – and their relationship with UK business – come in.

The latest CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey, Inspiring Growth, illustrates the magnitude of the skills emergency. Two out of three businesses surveyed expect their need for staff with higher level skills to grow in the years ahead, but more than half of them fear that they will not be able to access enough workers with the required skills. Even more disturbingly, it is the high-growth, high-value, high-potential sectors which are under most pressure – including construction, manufacturing, science, engineering and technology.

UK productivity has for a long time lagged behind most other developed countries. There are a number of causes, including low skills levels in many sectors, but a fundamental driver of productivity growth is innovation, where the UK is held back by low levels of public and private investment and an unbalanced ecosystem in which the infrastructure for supporting commercial innovation does not match the world-class research base.

Click here to read the full blog post.

http://blog.universitiesuk.ac.uk/2015/09/22/the-value-of-university-business-collaborations-to-uk-economy/

 

New careers guidance resources for research staff

career-developmentThis week our new careers guidance resources for research staff have gone live on the Research Blog. They include detailed guidance on how to progress from a research career to an academic career, drawing on a wide range of resources. There is also information on other career pathways, including administration/management within HE and research careers outside of HE.

We will be adding to the resources to ensure they are as useful as possible and will be adding some case studies for different career pathways over the following months.

You can access them here: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/researcher-toolbox/researcher-development/careers-guidance-for-research-staff/.

Writing Space – Talbot and Lansdowne

Publishing, writing

Writing-Group

Image from www.blog.taaonline.net

Writing can be difficult and lonely at times. Getting out and away from your usual distractions can help boost your productivity. Sometimes, it’s nice to write amongst a group of other like-minded colleagues, working quietly together and gently encouraging each other to soldier on.

The following quiet writing spaces have specifically been arranged for this purpose, in both the Talbot and Lansdowne campuses on Wednesday afternoons, 1pm to 5pm. Please see below for details:

Screen Shot 2015-10-05 at 22.43.59Please click on this link to download the schedule in a printable .pdf file.

Talbot and Lansdowne – Writing Space

The idea is to work quietly on research/ professional practice related activities. Distractions must be kept to a minimum, so turn off your email system; no mobile phones or talking. If you really have to talk then be considerate for others and do it away from the group.

There is no need to book so whenever you feel like writing, just turn up!

Undergraduate Research Assistantship programme 2015/16

Funding opportunities, student research

Following from a successful pilot, the Undergraduate Research Assistantships (URA) scheme will continue in 2015/16.

The scheme will be made up of two programmes; a semester-based programme and a summer programme. Each programme will have a two stage application process; 1) academic applications for a URA and 2) student recruitment for approved URA positions. Staff can only have one active URA application in operation at any one time.

Semester-based programme

This placement is flexible where the student will work for a maximum of either 75 hours or 100 hours (to be requested on the academic application form) during the spring semester between 18th January 2016 and 21st March 2016.  This programme will have the capacity to accept at least 25 individual placements (where placements are 100 hours) and two groups of three students (per group), where each student will work for a maximum of 75 hours (i.e. one project would have three students working a combined total of 225 hours).

Summer programme

This placement is for successful students to work full-time (37 hours per week) for six weeks between 13th June 2016 and 31st August 2016. This programme will have the capacity for approximately 25 placements.

Once applications are open, staff will apply for the funding via an application form. A panel of representatives from the University Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee will review all staff applications and decide which applications to continue to the student recruitment stage of the scheme.

Approved academic applications will be advertised as URA positions to students with student applications being received, processed and managed centrally within the Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO) and distributed to the relevant academics after the closing date. The academics will be responsible for shortlisting, interviewing and providing interview feedback to their own candidates.

BU academic staff will be invited to apply for a URA to assist with their research projects in October 2015.

If you have any queries about this scheme, please contact Rachel Clarke – clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk or 01202 961347.