Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Horizon Europe
12 February 2025
Looking to secure European funding? Then this Horizon Europe event is for you!
This session will cover:
For further information on this event please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk
Meet Matt!
Meet Professor Matt Ryan, Professor of Governance and Public Policy from Southampton University, who will be visiting on 28 January 2025, 2-3pm 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.
This event is part of our university’s preparations for the Future Leader Fellowship. Since January 2020 he has been a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow (keep an eye out for our upcoming UKRI Future Leader fellowships workshop) leading the Rebooting Democracy project, which aims to understand which innovations in public participation restore and sustain democracy. Matt has held visiting positions at the University of Canberra, as JQYA International Fellow at Geothe University- Frankfurt, and as a Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute. He is founding co-director of the Centre for Democratic Futures and Policy Director at the Web Science Institute.
We are pleased to announce there will be a new round of funding available for public engagement with research activity early in the new year. BU’s Engaged Research Seed Fund aims to continue our ambition to embed an engaged research approach across the university in order to improve the quality of our research and help us respond to societal needs.
We will be sharing guidance for applicants and information on how to apply early in January. As before, the fund will operate on a rolling basis and provide small, individual awards up to £500 to kickstart or develop engagement. It could be used, for example, to carry out a pilot activity to build networks in preparation for a funding bid or to develop an engagement activity for a new community.
Applicants will need to describe how the seed funding will lead to further engagement and how that engagement will be used to enhance external bidding or accelerate the translation of research into impact.
Between February and May 2024, we received 13 applications and funded 7 projects, totalling £3,131.
Engagement activities included: a collaborative workshop on psychosocial research and Shakespeare’s Pericles at the Young Actors Theatre, London; a hybrid pilot public lecture/debate on law and ethics entitled ‘Your rights to the right diagnosis in Dorset’; involvement in a community-run ‘Live Well with Pain Café’ session to gain lived experience perspectives; and a school-based event run in conjunction with Southwest Police Regional Cyber Crime Unit Prevent team.
Feedback from award holders:
“This funding truly enabled a pilot project that allowed us to explore a topic, try out some ideas, connect with partners and the public, and collaborate on a new research project”
“The Seed Fund was invaluable in realising [our] project… This proves that even small amounts of funding – like £500 – can make a huge difference in facilitating projects when the right conditions are there”
UKRI defines public engagement as ‘any activity that seeks to break down the barriers between research, innovation and society’, while Wellcome describes engaged research as ’embedding stakeholder perspectives across the research lifecycle – from agenda-setting, funding and research design through to implementation, monitoring and evaluation’.
“We know that when wider society is involved, research and innovation become more relevant and useful for everyone. For these reasons, a key priority for everyone working in research and innovation must be to forge deeper connections with wider society” UKRI Public Engagement Strategy
Public engagement with research encompasses a range of activity, with co-production at one end of the spectrum and public lectures at the other. To aid understanding of the many activities that public engagement encompasses, Wellcome have even created The Public Engagement ‘Onion’:
If you are interested in applying for the seed fund, you may want to look at the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement’s website for a wealth of free resources and advice on designing, delivering and evaluating public engagement.
For informal enquiries about the funding, please email Impact Manager Amanda Edwards.
This scheme offers five early career researchers the opportunity to be ‘researchers in residence’ where they will work with programme makers at BBC Radio 4 and produce a piece of writing to be recorded for radio.
If selected, you’ll also take part in learning and development opportunities with AHRC around working with the media, engaging the public with research and how to work with policy makers.
You’ll be an up-and-coming early career researcher with a passion for sharing ideas with the largest possible audience.
For further details: AHRC’s New Generation Thinkers 2025
Scope
AHRC are looking for applications from a diversity of backgrounds, research disciplines and institutions, particularly candidates who can demonstrate:
To get a good idea of what we’re looking for, we recommend you listen to work by previous New Generation Thinkers on the BBC website before you apply.
Who is eligible to apply
AHRC will hold a webinar on:
These will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.
We ran a workshop at BU late last academic year, slides available- give us a shout and if needed, we can run this workshop again at BU.
Let Eva Papadopoulou know if you are interested via email please.
Struggling to effectively communicate the potential impact of your research in funding applications? This training session on Tuesday, 28 January 2025 from 10am to 12noon, 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.
Key benefits:
Where: Fusion building. In-person only, not hybrid.
Journeys through Research
Last chance to book the final place for a one-off event
Are you curious about the stories behind successful research at BU? Want to hear from our academics about their journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the role the Research Development and Support (RDS) team has played in their success? This is your chance to gain invaluable insights, ask questions, and discover how RDS can support your own research aspirations.
Chaired by Jeff Bray, our speakers include Tom Wainwright, Jane Henriksen Bulmer and Alain Simons who will share their research experiences and discuss how RDS has helped them along the way. Get the inside scoop on top tips, common pitfalls, and how to find funding opportunities, plus what’s coming up in the research landscape.
To wrap things up, we’ll be hosting a relaxed networking lunch, giving you the chance to meet the RDS team in person, chat with fellow researchers, and connect those final dots in your own research journey.
Wednesday 11th December 2024 09:45-14:00
Tea and coffee from 9:45am, event starts at 10:00.
This in-person session on Wednesday 12 February 2025, 1pm to 2pm, is aimed at Academics, Researchers and PGRs with an interest in discussing work/life balance within Academic roles and careers.
The session aims to discuss approaches to setting and maintaining healthy work/life balance whilst also managing the demands of their role. It will follow an open, discursive model and invite responses from ECRs with input from the Academic leads.
By the end of the session, attendees will have acquired knowledge of models and techniques to healthy professional practice with regards to time management, wellbeing and working practices, and have had the opportunity to discuss their specific circumstances with peers and experienced Academic mentors.
For further information on this event please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk
Thank you to all of our presenters, poster exhibitors, session chairs and of course delegates who supported the 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference. It is always a highlight on the Doctoral College events calendar and we hope you all enjoyed the day.
We were thrilled with the energy and enthusiasm on the day, and we were delighted to see a strong turnout of PGRs and colleagues showing their support and helping to promote a positive research culture and community across BU.
Here is some of the feedback received:
“Always an uplifting and inspiring event. I highly recommend attending in any capacity – as a guest or contributor.”
“Loved the atmosphere”
“I enjoyed it all. I gained confidence in exhibiting my poster and enjoyed networking with others.”
If you attended, either as a presenter or delegate, we would love to hear your feedback via this anonymous feedback form.
Your feedback will help us improve future conferences so please let us know your thoughts, or just let us know what you liked most!
Feedback collection will close soon – 11 December 2024.
You can see some highlights of the day on LinkedIn #BUPGRConf24 and a video here.
Virtual Exhibition and Postgraduate Research Showcase
Did you miss the conference? Do not worry, you can visit our Virtual Exhibition on the BU website and in February you will be able to visit the Atrium Gallery to view a selection of the conference posters.
We will be holding a celebration event on Wednesday 5 February 2025, with more information to follow so watch this space!
The Conference Team
The Doctoral College team have been delighted with the large number of nominations that have come in recently for the ‘Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Awards’. We wish to extend our congratulations to all recipients who have received their award certificate.
Here are some of the wonderful nominations we have received:
“Elizabeth’s support is instrumental in advertising our suite of studentships, including the ESRC SW DTP. This is critical to supporting the recruitment of high quality PGRs and increasing our PGR numbers. Thank you :)”
“Thank you, Abier, for all of your support with organisation of the 2nd HSS PGR Conference. Your support for this event has had a positive impact on the sense of PGR community and connection that we have in HSS. Thank you.”
“Tash has supported the Doctoral College with the promotion of studentships for several years. Her quick response has been invaluable in the recruitment of high quality PGRs and in turn helping to grow the PGR numbers. I know Tash has moved on to a new role so wish her luck with that! Thank you.”
Why not make someone’s day and take five minutes and nominate a PGR, academic or professional staff member for a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award to say thanks and give recognition for their hard work?
These awards recognise the outstanding contributions to postgraduate research degrees at BU by any PGR, academic or professional staff member. They can be nominated throughout the year by any member of the postgraduate research community to anyone that they feel is exceptional, has exceeded expectations, and has had a positive impact on the postgraduate research culture at BU.
Eligibility
You can nominate anyone involved in postgraduate research at Bournemouth University to receive an award certificate. There are no award criteria, as long as the submission falls within the guidelines, whoever you’ve selected will receive a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award!
How to nominate
We’ve made it really easy for you to nominate someone for a Doctoral College Outstanding Contribution Award – it’s just a short online nomination form!
Book now for RKEDF training in December 2024
Click on the titles to find further details and book your place
For one final time in 2024, join this drop-in session 1pm-2pm on Wednesday 4 December, online. This is an open session for all BU ECRs and PGRs, to discuss any issues around career development, or the ECR experience with the peer network, and receive advice and guidance from the network’s academic leads.
Meet The Leverhulme Trust, at 1pm on Wednesday 4 December (online). The Trust has been funding research for almost 100 years supporting fundamental and higher-risk research. You will hear from the Director of Leverhulme about the funding schemes they offer, advice for applicants, Strategy and Looking into the future. Please send Eva Papadopoulou your questions in advance.
REDCap basic training – Book here
On 4 December, 9am until 1pm, in person at BGB – learn from REDCap expert, Will Crocombe, about data collection and management best practices in research and why REDCap is better that MS Excel or Qualtrics for almost every type of data collection, either through online surveys or direct entry into a database.
Advanced REDCap training Book here
On 5 December, 9am until 4pm, in person at BGB – this advanced, one-day, course for those with some REDCap knowledge will be led by our external REDCap expert, Will Crocombe, and will cover:
Journeys through Research Book here
On Wednesday 11 December 2024,10:00-14:00, in person at Talbot campus – hear from BU academics about their journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome and the role the Research Development and Support (RDS) team has played in their success. Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out! If you’re interested, please be sure to book your ticket — and if you can’t make it, kindly let us know so someone else can take your spot. For further information on this event please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk
KTP Development – Strategic planning: Aligning & communicating ambition
This Knowledge Transfer Partnership development session is in person, at Talbot campus, on Wednesday,18 December at 1pm. It will cover the tools needed to ensure systematic design capture, to encourage engagement and promote co-formulation of the project.
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
Wednesday 4 December 2024 at 13.00-14.00
This is an open session for all BU ECRs and PGRs, to discuss any issues around career development, or the ECR experience with the peer network, and receive advice and guidance from the network’s academic leads.
For further information on this event please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk
The ESRC Festival of Social Science 2024 has come to an end, successfully bringing together diverse audiences to explore, learn, and engage with BU’s research.
The 2024 festival, which included 324 nationwide events, had ‘our digital lives’ as a central theme. Many of the events examined the relationship between humans and digital technology, exploring current threats and opportunities, as well as imagining what life might be like in the future.
For the 13th year, BU took part in the festival, drawing over 250 attendees to five engaging events, two of which were also featured in the University of Southampton’s Arts and Humanities Day on Saturday 9 November. In partnership with the University of Southampton for the second consecutive year, the festival showcased a programme of events, ranging from discussions on well-being and cybersecurity to an exhibition highlighting the voices of young LGBTQ+ individuals.
Avonwood Primary School
Our festival programme began with ‘Underwater Farms – The Magic of Seaweed’ an exciting opening event for 61 year 3 students at Avonwood Primary School.
Activities with pupils at Avonwood Primary School
BU researchers Anastasia Vayona and Kirthana Pillay visited two classes, where they introduced children between the ages of 7-8 to the wonders of seaweed as a food source and highlighted how underwater farming could play a crucial role in creating a more sustainable future for agriculture. The children were particularly keen to try the seaweed scones!
“…a really informative and fun event that was perfectly pitched for the age of participants…it gave them a chance to explore food and nutrition in a fun, interactive context” feedback from a teacher at Avonwood Primary School
The next event in our programme, ‘Take a Meno(pause)’ – exploring well-being through yoga for mid-life -was an interactive session at Pavilion Dance, focusing on the benefits of yoga during the menopause years.
Yoga practice led by Dr Hecquet
Dr Juliette Hecquet’s research looks at yoga’s effectiveness in managing the physical and emotional symptoms of perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. By integrating body and mind, yoga promotes health, strength, and overall well-being during this life stage.
Yoga breathing exercises
Participants learned how yoga can enhance physical and mental health and how mindfulness can support the transition through mid-life. The session also included a guided yoga practice led by Dr Hecquet, with poses and breathing exercises designed to deepen relaxation and improve well-being throughout the menopause journey.
“…very professional and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” feedback from an attendee
Board game activities at Cybersecurity Family Fun day in Poole Dolphin Centre
BU’s CyGamBIT Team hosted a ‘Cybersecurity Family Fun Day’ at Gather, the hub for community events at the Dolphin Centre in Poole. During half term, this interactive cybersecurity day gave participants of all ages the opportunity to discover practical tools to enhance digital safety, with hands-on activities that made learning about cybersecurity both fun and accessible
Guided by BU computer science researcher Dr Jane Henriksen-Bulmer and CyGamBIT co-founder and BU PhD student Emily Rosenorn-Lanng, families left with practical takeaways to help keep their information secure and a better understanding of how digital safety affects everyone.
“…granddaughter loved how it taught her about safety online” feedback from an attendee
The ‘Communities of wellbeing: the digital lives of LGBTQ+ young people’ exhibition was displayed at the Lighthouse in Poole from 26 October – 16 November. The artwork highlighted the powerful stories of young LGBTQ+ individuals, who shared their experiences of creating inclusive online spaces where they feel safe, joyful, and have a sense of belonging.
Exhibition displayed at the Lighthouse in Poole
Dr Jayne Caudwell and Dr Francesca Gaunt hosted a series of workshops with LGBTQ+ youth. Through these group discussions, six key themes emerged, including topics like the experience of coming out as LGBTQ+ in online spaces. These conversations inspired the creation of artwork reflecting the themes explored.
The exhibition images and content from the workshops will also be used to create a digital version of the exhibition, coming soon!
“…inspiring – we all have far more in common than our differences – we all need respect and acceptance” feedback from an attendee
Our online workshop, ‘Teaching for Wellbeing: Connecting Practice with Socio-Emotional Support’, led by Dr Esther Anwuzia, covered effective teaching practices to support students’ well-being in today’s challenging environment.
Former teachers Elaine Baker-Smith and Jerry Whitton with a combined 55 years of experience also participated in the session, offering their perspectives on effective teaching practices, and promoting student well-being.
Dr Anwuzia’s research explores how heavy workloads restrict teachers’ ability to reflect beyond teaching and grading. Since the pandemic, an increasing number of students with social and emotional difficulties are absent from school. Focused teaching can help build students’ confidence and support responsible decision-making.
Teacher Zoom Event
The workshop provided an opportunity for teachers to connect, exchange insights, reflect on their experiences, and explore strategies for making a positive impact on students’ lives.
“… I remember having a teacher who explained information in lots of different ways to help with our understanding”
“…really brilliant presentation!” feedback from attendees
A Special Feature – Southampton Arts and Humanities Day
For the first time, BU researchers were invited to participate in the University of Southampton’s Arts and Humanities Day, which took place on Saturday 9 November in the city’s Cultural Quarter. The day offered a range of free interactive activities, workshops, talks, performances, and exhibits.
Attendees had the opportunity to engage with the Young LGBTQ+ stories exhibition, which attracted more than 90 viewers, while Dr Esther Anwuzia hosted a drop-in session on Connecting teaching with student wellbeing, making her own connections with more than 30 educators and members of the public.
Southampton Arts and Humanities Day
Thank you
A big thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to this year’s ESRC Festival of Social Science. Your involvement helped make our events a meaningful celebration of the positive impact social science has on our communities.
Applying for the ESRC Festival – what you need to know
Event leads were chosen through a competitive internal application process, with selections determined by a panel of researchers and professional services staff. BU’s Public Engagement Team provided support to help bring their creative and engaging event ideas to life.
If you would like to start discussing your ideas, please get in touch with the public engagement with research team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
The festive break is fast approaching and with that, there will be reduced staffing across the University. To ensure we can maintain comprehensive pre-award support and to help with forward planning, 29th November will be the latest date an ITB can be submitted for any bid with a deadline before 8th January.
For bids due before 8th January for which an ITB is received after 29th November, a Facilitator will work with you to find a suitable alternative call.
In some cases BU’s Fast Track route may be an option. Please check if your activity meets the Fast Track requirements and if it does, you are encouraged to use it.
This conference is a celebration of the incredible work being carried out by our postgraduate researchers, and we are proud to provide this platform for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration and building connections. Whether you are presenting, exhibiting, or attending, this is a wonderful opportunity to network with fellow PGRs, colleagues from across the university and external visitors.
This conference is open to external participants, please share this invite with companies and organisations you are cooperating with.
We look forward to meeting you on Wednesday 27 November. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate research and collaboration!
Best wishes,
The PGR Conference Team
Enrica Conrotto – Doctoral College Programme Manager
Arabella Moyse – Doctoral College Marketing & Events Coordinator
Zoe Leonard – Postgraduate Research Administrator
As part of our long-standing Memorandum of Agreement between Bournemouth University and Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Nepal, Dr. Pramod Regmi taught a postgraduate class in Kathmandu last week. Pramod, who is Principal Academic in International Health in the Centre for Wellbeing and Long-term Health (CWLTH) in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, 
addressed M.Sc. students about the finer aspects of research methods. Tomorrow (Sunday 24th November) I have been invited to speak to the same MMIHS postgraduate students about research theories and paradigms.
The process of internationalising higher education institutions through collaborative partnerships like this one between BU and MMIHS, brings benefits to both institutions’ staff and students. This collaboration has led to many BU staff and students visiting Nepal, and many MMIHS staff and student visiting Bournemouth. The collaboration has also led to several successful grant applications and nearly twenty academic publications [1-17].
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
References (BU + MMIHS authors in bold):
Yesterday I had the pleasure to delivery two research capacity building workshop sessions in Dhaka with staff at CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh). I was in Bangladesh as part of our Sonamoni project, this interdisciplinary project is jointly coordinated by Bournemouth University and CIPRB, in also includes the University of the West of England, Bristol, the University of Southampton, Design Without Borders (DWB) in Uganda, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). We are working to reduce drownings among newly-mobile children, generally those under two years old. This £1.6m project has been made possible by a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme.
Two sessions covered qualitative research approaches in the morning and academic writing and publishing in the afternoon. The sessions were attended by staff involved in the Sonamoni project but we made it open to other CIPRB staff and in total 18 people attended. BU’s contributions to capacity-building initiatives aim to develop our collaborators’s research staff’s skills and increase their confidence in conducting qualitative research as well as publishing it.
Professor Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health
Congratulations to Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS) PhD student colleagues Dr. The effectiveness of couples’ lifestyle interventions on weight change: A systematic review and meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials‘.
Iro is a PhD student and this systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to investigate the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions targeting couples on weight loss, compared to interventions focused on individuals or standard care. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at couples lead to greater weight loss, though the results should be interpreted with caution due to the wide heterogeneity among the studies. The authors conclude that further research is needed with evidence-based study designs, targeting younger participants, and incorporating intervention of longer duration, and longer follow-up periods.
The conference commences with our poster exhibition followed by a Welcome from Professor Alison Honour, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer. We look forward to hearing the Keynote ‘Research integrity in the age of AI’ from Professor Mary Davis, introduced by Professor Sarah Bate, Interim Associate Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Knowledge Exchange.
The programme of the day will be as follows:
This conference is a celebration of the incredible work being carried out by our postgraduate researchers, and we are proud to provide this platform for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration and building connections. Whether you are presenting, exhibiting, or attending, this is a wonderful opportunity to network with fellow PGRs, colleagues from across the university and external visitors.
Poster and oral presenters do not need to register as their participation has already been confirmed.
This conference is open to external participants, please share this invite with companies and organisations you are cooperating with.
We look forward to meeting you on Wednesday 27 November. Don’t miss this chance to celebrate research and collaboration!
Best wishes,
The PGR Conference Team
Enrica Conrotto – Doctoral College Programme Manager
Arabella Moyse – Doctoral College Marketing & Events Coordinator
Zoe Leonard – Postgraduate Research Administrator
BU staff can login below:
MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 Call – internal deadline
BU Professor has been invited to a series of plenary and invited lectures.
An Interview of BU-lead EU H2020 FIRST project published in “Horizon”, the EU Research & Innovation Magazine
Update on Horizon Europe Guarantee Horizon Europe Update – January 2023
Research Information Network
New publications Dr. Pramod Regmi
The Year in Research 2024
First publication FHSS postgraduate student Anjana Paudyal