Tagged / BU research

RKEDF: Research Training Events in January

Funding opportunities, Training

The following events are coming up this month. These are all online events.

Tuesday 19th January 10:00 – 12:00

Impact Basics

An introduction to impact for ECRs, post-docs and those new to impact.

This workshop will discuss impact, the various types of impact, and how to plan for and incorporate impact into your research project from the start. It will also look at the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and its requirements regarding impact case studies.
Wednesday 20th January 15:00 – 16:00

ECR Network Meeting

Calling all ECRs, this is an opportunity to meet other Early Career Researchers and to get advice and support for any research-related queries and concerns.
Wednesday 20th January 12:00 – 13:00

Newton International Fellowships (British Academy & Royal Society)

This is the theme for this week’s Funding Development Briefing, providing an introduction to and overview of the Newton International Fellowships.
Thursday 21st January 13:00 – 14:00

Impact and Funding Bids

This training session is useful for researchers at all stages of their careers, to help them describe fully their project’s impact goals and pathways in their funding bids. Within this workshop, there will be time to look at your own funding bid and an opportunity to get 1-2-1 advice and support from the facilitators.
Wednesday 27th January 12:00 – 13:00

Phillip Leverhulme Prizes

This is the theme for this week’s Funding Development Briefing, providing an introduction to and overview of the Phillip Leverhulme Prizes.

To book, please email OD@bournemouth.ac.uk with evidence of approval from your Head of Department or Deputy Head of Department.

You can see all the Organisational Development and Research Knowledge Development Framework (RKEDF) events in one place on the handy calendar of events.

If you have any queries, please get in touch!

Applying for Interreg funding from January 2021

Funding opportunities, international

Interreg has been one of the funding sources where BU academics have been successful during previous years. RDS have had a number of enquiries from academics regarding our eligibility to apply for Interreg funding after the UK has left the EU. The answer may be both – yes and no.

According to the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK continues participation in all EU programmes funded from the 2014-2020 EU budget. There are final calls for proposals under the 2014-2020 programmes which are ongoing and will close in 2021. The UK continues to be eligible to apply for these, including Interreg, and EU funding will be provided for the whole lifetime of the project.

The next EU budget period is designed for 2021-2027; if Interreg calls for proposals are to be funded from the EU 2021-2027 budget, UK participants will not be eligible for EU funding.

Theoretically there may be a situation that there are two open Interreg calls for proposals with different eligibility criteria for UK participants. Our advice to academics would be to check first if funding for the particular call comes either from the EU 2014-2020 or the 2021-2027 budget.

There will be another blog post in the coming days, providing more details regarding our participation in the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. In the meantime, do not hesitate to contact Research Facilitator – International, Ainar Blaudums, if you have specific questions regarding EU funding.

Recruiting : University Rep to co-lead Research Staff Association

PG research, R & KE Operations

A vacancy has arisen for one of the two posts of University Representative, the leaders of the Research Staff Association. This is not a faculty-specific post, any eligible person from any faculty can apply.

The BU Research Staff Association (RSA) is a forum to promote research culture at BU. Research staff from across BU are encouraged to attend to network with others researchers, disseminate their work, discuss career opportunities, hear updates on how BU is implementing the Research Concordat, and give feedback or raise concerns that will help to develop and support the research community at BU.

In addition to the two leaders, there are two reps from each faculty.

Eligible research staff are those on fixed-term or open-ended employment contracts (not PTHP/casual contracts) who have at least one year remaining on their contract at the time of recruitment.

If you are interested in this role, please supply a few words to demonstrate your suitability, interest, availability in relation to the position to Researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk by the 21/01/21.

Please contact your faculty RSA rep to chat about it if you have any queries.

Department of Health and Social Care statement on prioritisation of research studies

NHS, Research Ethics

Please find below a statement from the Department of Health & Social Care. Please bear this in mind when in correspondence with NHS Trusts and if planning a clinical research study.
If you have any queries, please contact Suzy Wignall, Clinical Governance Advisor, in the first instance.

Statement from DHSC 

We recognise that at the current time those working in many NHS sites are under huge pressure as the number of COVID-19 cases and admissions to hospitals continue to rise and frontline clinical staff are unable to work due to sickness.

While we have a small number of proven treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, more are needed to reduce transmission, reduce the number of patients that require hospitalisation and to improve outcomes for those that do. It is therefore critical that at this challenging time we continue to recruit participants to our urgent public health (UPH) studies. As such I am writing to confirm that the current levels of prioritisation for research studies, set out within the Restart Framework still apply, as follows:

  • Level 1a (Top Priority) – COVID-19 UPH vaccine and prophylactic studies (as prioritised by the Vaccines Task Force and agreed by Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy CMO) and platform therapeutics trials (currently RECOVERY/RECOVERY +; PRINCIPLE; REMAP CAP).
  • Level 1b – Other COVID-19 UPH studies
  • Level 2 – Studies where the research protocol includes an urgent treatment or intervention without which patients could come to harm. These might be studies that provide access to potentially life preserving or life-extending treatment not otherwise available to the patient.
  • Level 3 – All other studies (including COVID-19 studies not in Level 1a or 1b).

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of the NIHR guidance for a second wave of covid 19 activity (https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/nihr-guidance-for-a-second-wave-of-covid-19-activity/25837).This guidance still applies and, as outlined, states that the deployment of staff funded through an NIHR Infrastructure award or funded by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) to front line duties should only occur in exceptional circumstances.

The deployment of clinical academic staff should be undertaken within the guidelines issued by a working group convened by the UK Clinical Academic Training Forum and the Conference of Postgraduate Medical  Deans of the UK. Where NHS Trusts consider they need to redeploy staff to support the frontline this should only be done to support clinical activity during the emergency phase of the pandemic and we would expect them to return to their R&D roles as soon as possible, once the pressures on the system reduce.

As indicated by the Restart Framework, at the current time, we need to continue prioritise our support for the most urgent COVID-19 research as part of the response to tackle the pandemic. At the same time we need to ensure we continue to try and maintain support to deliver non-COVID studies currently open on the portfolio, particularly those within Level 2. A system-wide Recovery, Resilience and Growth programme has been established which brings together the key partners across the clinical research ecosystem to ensure the UK is well-positioned to take a coordinated national approach to achieving the recovery of the UK’s clinical research delivery and restore a full, diverse and active research portfolio as soon as practicable.

COVID-19 in Qatar

international, open access, Publishing, writing

Peer reviewing is the backbone of academic publishing. It is this peer review process to ensure that papers/publications have been vetted scientifically prior to publication by experts in the field, i.e. one’s peers. However, the process is not without its problems. One such problems is the delay in academic publishing. For example, a few days ago we published a substantive editorial on COVID-19 in Qater [1].  When we submitted this in July 2020 the information in our editorial was very up to date, and it still was when the Qatar Medical Journal accepted it on 26th July 2020.  Unfortunately, with all the incredibly rapid developments in vaccine development, approval and roll out some of the paper now reads like ‘historial data’.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)

 

Reference:

  1. van Teijlingen, E.R., Sathian, B., Simkhada, P., Banerjee, I. (2021) COVID-19 in Qatar: Ways forward in public health & treatment, Qatar Medical Journal 2020(38): 1-8 https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2020.38

UKRI Early Career Researcher Forum opens to applications

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is calling on postdoctoral researchers, research associates and other early career researchers to join its new Early Career Researcher Forum.

The forum will give researchers a voice in UKRI’s strategy, policy development and decision making.

UKRI hopes to help build a community for early career researchers to benefit from peer interactions, learning, support and other opportunities.

Apply to join the forum today

The forum is open to researchers who identify themselves as employed as early career researchers.

Submit an application to join the Early Career Researcher Forum.

UKRI are asking for applications by 18:00 on 29 January. Applications may be submitted after this date, but those wishing to attend induction events at the end of February should submit their application by this deadline.

Funding development briefings are changing…

Funding opportunities

From 20th January 2021, the RDS Funding Development Briefings will occur weekly, on a Wednesday at 12 noon.

Each session will cover the latest major funding opportunities, followed by a brief Q&A session. Sessions will also include a spotlight on a particular funding opportunity of strategic importance to BU. The timetable for January & February 2021 is below. Further details will be available on the BU Research Blog a week in advance of the session. Sessions will be recorded and made available after the session for those who cannot attend.

Please email RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk to receive the Teams invite for these sessions.

Here is your January & February timetable, with details for March, April & May to follow shortly:

Date Spotlight Funding Opportunity
Wednesday 20th Jan 12pm Newton International Fellowships (British Academy & Royal Society)
Wednesday 27th Jan 12pm Phillip Leverhulme Prizes
Wednesday 3rd February 12pm National Institute of Health (US)
Wednesday 10th February 12pm EPSRC Overview including EPSRC Fellowships
Wednesday 17th February 12pm ESRC Overview
Wednesday 24th February Horizon Europe (EU)

Science/Health/Arts/Comms Interdisciplinary Projects: Collaboration Opportunity

Fusion

logo - science, health, and data communications research groupThe Science, Health, and Data Communications Research Group will be conducting a series of workshops to start off the new year, designed to help Bournemouth researchers form new networks and collaborative projects around educating and communicating research to the public.

This series will take place from Monday 18 January 2021 to Friday 22 January 2021, each day from 1-3pm, online, and open to any and all researchers across the university. See full details and register on EventBrite.

This “crucible” programme, based on NESTA’s highly successful Crucible-in-a-Box, will focus on activities designed to connect researchers based on mutual interests, and develop those interests into new directions for collaborative research. It will also include interactive sessions on communicating your research to the media, collecting data for impact studies, working in interdisciplinary teams, and communications strategies.

If you are unable to participate in these sessions, we will likely be running them again. Full details are available on the EventBrite link; questions and requests to be notified of future events can be directed to Lyle Skains (lskains@bournemouth.ac.uk).

First BU paper accepted for 2021

NHS, open access, Publishing, writing

Congratulations to Prof. Vanora Hundley whose article ‘Escalation triggers and expected responses in obstetric early warning systems used in UK consultant-led maternity units’ is now available Open Access online. The paper has been accepted in Resuscitation Plus. Co-authors include FHSS Visiting Faculty Prof. Gary Smith and Dr. Richard Isaacs.

The paper reports on a review of OEWS [Obstetric Early Warning Systems] charts and escalation policies across consultant-led maternity units in the UK (n = 147). OEWS charts were analysed for variation in the values of physiological parameters triggering different levels of clinical escalation. The observed variations in the trigger thresholds used in OEWS charts and the quality of information included within the accompanying escalation protocols is likely to lead to suboptimal detection and response to clinical deterioration during pregnancy and the post-partum period. The paper concludes the development of a national OEWS and escalation protocol would help to standardise care across obstetric units.

 

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

Midwifery and the Media

international, NHS, Publishing, writing

Today we received an end-of-year good-news message from ResearchGate telling us that 700 people had ‘read’ our book Midwifery, Childbirth and the Media [1].  Lee Wright, Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Birmingham City University wrote in his review of our edited volume: “…our media image and digital foot print are rapidly becoming the most important window into our profession. In a rapidly changing environment this book provides an up to date and informative insight into how our profession is affected by the media and how our profession can inform and influence the image of midwifery. This area is going to become even more important in the future universities and trusts increasingly use broadcast and social media to manage information and inform our clients of the services we provide.  This book will be the important first text in a new growth area. It brings together an internationally recognised group of authors who are experts in this field. I wholeheartedly recommend it to you.”

This edited collection was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2017 and it is part of a larger body of Bournemouth University research on the topic [2-6].

 

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen, Professor Vanora Hundley and Associate Professor Ann Luce

 

References:

  1. Luce, A., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (Eds.) (2017) Midwifery, Childbirth and the Media, London: Palgrave Macmillan [ISBN: 978-3-319-63512-5].
  2. Luce, A., Cash, M., Hundley, V., Cheyne, H., van Teijlingen, E., Angell, C. (2016) “Is it realistic?” the portrayal of pregnancy and childbirth in the media BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 16: 40 http://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-016-0827-x
  3. Angell, C. (2017) An Everyday Trauma: How the Media Portrays Infant Feeding, In: Luce, A. et al. (Eds.) Midwifery, Childbirth and the Media, London: Palgrave Macmillan pp: 45-59.
  4. Hundley, V., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E., Edlund, S. (2019) Changing the narrative around childbirth: whose responsibility is it? Evidence-based Midwifery 17(2): 47-52.
  5. Hundley, V., Duff, E., Dewberry, J., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E. (2014) Fear in childbirth: are the media responsible? MIDIRS Midwifery Digest 24(4): 444-447.
  6. Hundley, V., Luce, A., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) Do midwives need to be more media savvy? MIDIRS Midwifery Digest 25(1):5-10.

Leverhulme Research Centres – Internal Expressions of Interest

Funding opportunities

The next round of the Leverhulme Research Centres Competition will open in January 2021 with a deadline of 16th April 2021. As BU is permitted to submit only one application as an institution, we are holding an internal competition for Expressions of Interest (EoI).

Those who are interested in making an application to the Leverhulme Research Centres Competition are invited to submit an Expression of Interest to researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk , by Tuesday 19th January 2021. Application and guidance can be found here (I:\RDS\Public\Leverhulme Research Centres Competition 2021\EOI Documents). If you have further questions or queries please contact Alexandra Pekalski (apekalski@bournemouth.ac.uk), or Lisa Andrews (andrewsl@bournemouth.ac.uk).

Scope of call

The Leverhulme Trust invites applications for Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust’s aim is to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are therefore invited to be bold in compiling their bids.

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research which is often therefore fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and pan-disciplinary. The expectation is that Centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. The hope is for bids that fold the social sciences and humanities authentically into the mix, rather than being framed primarily in physical and life science terms.

£1 million a year for between 5 – 10 years is available.

Further information is available from the Leverhulme Trust website, and interested applicants are advised to consider the eligibility criteria carefully.

Timeline

An indicative timeline is below for the submission of the EOI. A more detailed timeline can be found (I:\RDS\Public\Leverhulme Research Centres Competition 2021\EOI Documents).

08/12/2020 RDS advertise Expression of Interest (EoI) competition for call
19/01/2021 EoI deadline (EoIs to be sent to RDS)
19/01/2021 Papers (applications) sent to review panel (RDS to administer)
w/c 25/01/2021 Review panel meeting (virtual)
by 29/01/2021 Review panel decision and feedback disseminated to applicants
29/01/2020 RDS to contact Leverhulme to provide the Trust with the principal applicant’s name, departmental affiliation and email address. Access will then be granted to the Leverhulme Trust Grants Management System
Feb / March / April 2021 Applicants develop proposals with the support of RDS
16/04/2021 Leverhulme Research Centres Competition deadline

If you have further questions or queries please contact Alexandra Pekalski (apekalski@bournemouth.ac.uk), or Lisa Andrews (andrewsl@bournemouth.ac.uk).

BU Book up for National Award

NHS

Professor Tim Darvill, Kerry Barrass, Yvette Staelens from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology (BU) together with Dr Vanessa Heaslip from the Department of Nursing  Science (BU) worked with Laura Drysdale of the Restoration Trust to edit a book exploring how historic landscapes could support mental health well-being.

 

Our book titled ‘Historic Landscapes and Mental Health Well-being’ has been nominated as a contender in the 2021 Current Archaeology Book of the Year competition. This is fantastic news and really shows the benefits of cross disciplinary research and working.

Voting is open now at www.archaeology.co.uk/vote so do please cast your votes for the book, and encourage anyone else you can think of to do the same. Please also feel free to share this excellent news in your social media sites as it would be really excellent to win this award. The results will be announced at the Archaeology in Britain conference in February.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us and thank you for your votes

Invitation: Developing Interdisciplinary Research Projects

Training

logo - science, health, and data communications research groupThe Science, Health, and Data Communications Research Group will be conducting a series of workshops to start off the new year, designed to help Bournemouth researchers form new networks and collaborative projects around educating and communicating research to the public.

This series will take place from Monday 18 January 2021 to Friday 22 January 2021, each day from 1-3pm, online, and open to any and all researchers across the university. See full details and register on EventBrite.

This “crucible” programme, based on NESTA’s highly successful Crucible-in-a-Box, will include interactive sessions on communicating your research to the media, collecting data for impact studies, working in interdisciplinary teams, and communications strategies. It will also include activities designed to connect researchers based on mutual interests, and develop those interests into new directions for collaborative research.

If you are unable to participate in these sessions, we will likely be running them again. Full details are available on the EventBrite link; questions and requests to be notified of future events can be directed to Lyle Skains (lskains@bournemouth.ac.uk).

Training in Developing a Search Strategy

PG research, student research, Training

Wednesday 2nd December 10:00 – 12:00

Finding literature about your research project is a fundamental step to understand where your project sits and what societal contributions it can make.

Attendees will learn

  • about accessing and using library resources
  • developing systematic search strategies
  • setting up citation alerts and using citations smartly
  • using analytical tools to aid publication and research

This is suitable for Early Career Researchers and anyone starting work on a new research project.

For more information and to book, please see here.