Tagged / funding

PhD Studentship Competition 2012 – 2nd Call for Matched Funded Studentships

PG research

Following the successful allocation of 28 PhD Studentships (fully and matched funded) under the 1st call, we are delighted to announce a 2nd call of the competition in which there are 13 matched funded studentships available for candidates starting in October 2012 as outlined below:

  • Matched-funding (50% equivalent to £21k over three years) may come from:
    • Industry/business partners,
    • Government and non-government organizations,
    • Academic Schools,
    • NHS,
    • Research Councils, or
    • Other external bodies. 
  • In seeking match-funding and developing the associated projects applicants are encouraged to avoid a local or regional focus.
  • Priority may be given to applications that involve supervisors from two or more Schools and/or those from early career researchers.
  • All proposals should match clearly to one of the eight BU Research Challenges:
    • Creative & Digital Economies
    • Culture & Society
    • Entrepreneurship & Economic Growth
    • Environmental Change & Biodiversity
    • Green Economy & Sustainability
    • Health, Wellbeing & Aging
    • Leisure & Recreation
    • Technology & Design.
  • Applicants are encouraged to discuss potential applications to this funding strand with their Deputy Dean Research or equivalent within their School.

As with the 1st call, the PhD Studentships will be awarded to Supervisory Teams on the basis of a competitive process across the whole of BU led by Professor Matthew Bennett (PVC Research, Enterprise & Internationalization) and managed by the Graduate School.  

Applications will be assessed and awards made by a cross University Panel consisting of the academic members of UET and independent professoriate. In selecting proposals for funding, emphasis will be placed on the excellence of the research and quality of proposal in the first instance.  Strategic fit with the REF and Societal Impact will also be assessed. The panel will individually score each proposal and meet formally to select the successful projects.  

Only the best projects will be funded and proceed to advert. Full details and criteria are set out in the BU PhD Studentship Competition 2012 – Policy.  Staff are asked to check the eligibility criteria carefully before applying and note the revised time line below.

15 March 2012 Launch 2nd call for internal competition to fund projects
5pm 12 April 2012 Deadline for submission of proposals to the Graduate School
(week 3) April 2012 Panel meeting to review proposals
(week 3) April 2012 Supervisors to be informed of the panel decision
(week 4) April 2012 Launch external competition to find candidates
31 May 2012 Deadline for submission of applications
(week 1&2) June 2012 Interview short listed applicants
(week 3) June 2012 Approval of nominated candidates
(week 3&4) June 2012 Offer letters to nominated candidates
01 October 2012 Studentships Start
30 September 2015 Studentships End

Proposals should be submitted on the PhD Studentship Project Proposal 2012 (Matched Funding) to the Graduate School (graduateschool@bournemouth.ac.uk) no later than 5pm on Thursday 12th April 2012.

All proposals must be completed fully, include all appropriate signatures and be accompanied by a supporting document from the matched funder (letter, email, etc).

Good luck!

Do you have a smart idea for using technology at BU?

Funding opportunities

If you’re looking for rapid project funding, pitch your idea on a new JISC website and receive feedback from your peers.

The JISC Elevator is a new beta platform for people to pitch ideas for projects up to £10,000 using video and short descriptions.

Once an idea has been submitted to the site, people working and studying in UK higher and further education will be able to vote if they like the idea.

When an idea receives the target number of votes then JISC will decide whether or not to fund the idea.

Andrew McGregor, who is managing the JISC Elevator, said: “JISC’s remit is to fund cutting edge innovation – so we hope that by creating a different platform for bidding we’ll be able to capture the brainwaves of many more people in colleges and universities, perhaps people who haven’t previously bid for JISC funds.  The voting mechanisms on the Elevator will also allow us to respond directly to what’s important for people in further and higher education.”

The JISC Elevator is open to all kinds of ideas, with suggestions including:

  • Innovate with e-books
  • Start a student led project
  • Open a can of worms – propose a technical project that starts a big conversation in your institution
  • Use gaming principles to improve research or teaching processes
  • Apply work previously funded by JISC to your own situation
  • Create online services to help students make decisions about university
  • Develop cloud solutions to account for and monitor cloud security

For details on what kinds of idea JISC are looking for please see the submission criteria.

Successful projects will be notified in April and expected to complete by the end of July 2012.

Visit the JISC Elevator

Find out about our other funding opportunities

Give your feedback on the JISC Elevator

 

Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarship

Funding opportunities, PG research, Uncategorized

We are delighted to announce the launch of the 2012 Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive Scholarships) which will offer support to up to 60 outstanding postgraduate research students.  The Scholarships will provide a full fee waive for up to 36 months in the case of full-time students and exceptionally 48 months in the case of part-time students.  Stipends (to cover living expenses) are not included in the scholarships and these must be provided by the student themselves or by a sponsor. 

This Scholarship programme will open on 1 March 2012 and will roll until 30 June 2012.  There are up to 60 scholarships available, which are nominally split evenly between the 6 Academic Schools.  However, individual schools may take up more or less than their allocated 10 scholarships as available.  There is no requirement for a School to accept candidates.

The focus of the Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarships is on the outstanding nature of the candidate who must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • All candidates must demonstrate truly outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in 3 years full-time or 4 years part-time.
  • All candidates must satisfy the University’s minimum doctoral entry criteria for studentships of an honors degree at First Class (1) and/or an appropriate Masters degree or equivalent .
  • An IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 minimum is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.

In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful and timely completion.  It is important to consider that in most cases the interpretation of ‘truly outstanding’ is likely to be those candidates with a First Class (Hons) degrees and/or a distinction at Masters, with clear documented evidence of drive, commitment and relevant skills.

Only the most outstanding candidates will be supported.  Full details and criteria are set out in the BU VC Scholarship 2012 – Policy document. Staff and potential candidates are asked to check the eligibility criteria carefully before applying. 

The scholarships will be awarded, via the process set out below, to candidates who meet the eligibility criteria, have the support of their supervisory teams, are accepted by the relevant Academic School and must be approved by the School’s Dean and UET.  The process will be managed by the Graduate School.  The Vice-Chancellor Doctoral Scholarships applications (on the appropriate application form downloaded from the Graduate School website from Thursday 1 March 2012) should be submitted to Dr Fiona Knight (Graduate School Academic Manager) no later than 30 June 2012 who will circulate to each School for approval.

Interested in Media or IT? Then these new Calls for Proposals may be of interest…

EU

MEDIA 2007: The EC  has launched a call for proposals for the provision of training under the MEDIA 2007 Programme. One of the measures to be implemented under this Decision involves improving the continuous vocational training of professionals in the audiovisual sector, so as to give them the know-how and skills needed to create competitive products on the European and other markets.  The call for proposals EACEA/5/12 is the last continuous training call to be launched under MEDIA 2007 and offers a two-year framework partnership agreement. The deadline is 16 April 2012.

CIP-ICT PSP: The EC has launched the 2012 CIP-ICT PSP call under the Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) which is part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013). There are a number of funding opportunities available including pilot work and thematic networks. The deadline is 15.05.12 and the indicative budget is 127m Euros.

BU’s Twin Track Approach to Funding over 100 Doctoral Opportunities

PG research

BU is committed as part of Strategic Plan BU2018 to investing in the postgraduate researcher community, increasing student numbers and to create a vibrant and stimulating postgraduate research environment within our key areas of outstanding, or emerging, research strength. During February and March 2012, BU will advertise 100 doctoral opportunities.  This will be guaranteed annually thereafter as part of BU2018. These postgraduate research students will contribute to world-class research in recognized areas of academic excellence and societal impact. BU has a twin track approach to funding doctoral students, the two elements are outlined below :

Fully-funded and Match-funded BU Studentships supported via central investment from RAE QR Funds.  In 2012, we have 44 BU Studentships to allocate and the internal competition for Studentship Projects is currently in process. 

  • Full details can be found here
  • Deadline for internal completion is 29 February 2012, funded projects will be advertised from 1 April 2012 with a closing date for applications of 31 May 2012.
  • Existing and established principles apply to these full time studentships including fee waivers, student bursary (including match-funded student bursary) and bench fees. 
  • Candidates apply to approved/funded projects, with an emphasis on attracting outstanding research talent.  UET and Graduate School approval of all candidates remains in place to secure BU’s investment

Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarships provide outstanding students wishing to study with a particular supervisor or research team the opportunity of applying directly and developing a project with the supervisory team. 

  • Full details will be posted here on 1 March 2012.
  • The scheme will open on 1 March 2012 and will roll until 30 June 2012.
  • These Scholarships provide a fee waiver only and will be allocated by School’s to outstanding applicants on the basis of merit. 
  • Projects are developed and approved post-award, and within 3 months of the award, or the offer of a Scholarship will be withdrawn. 
  • They are eligible for full-time study (and exceptionally part-time) by both UK/EU and overseas students, and those with industry/business/government sponsorship are particularly encouraged to apply. 
  • Allocations will be approved by the relevant School Dean, Graduate School and UET to secure BU’s investment. Schools are not required to accept candidates on this scheme if they choose.

Full details of both schemes are available on the BU Research Blog.  If you have any queries, please contact Professor Tiantian Zhang or Dr Fiona Knight  in The Graduate School (graduateschool@bournemouth.ac.uk).

FI-WARE Future Internet Research call for partners – this could be a great way to get in to EU research!

EU

FI-WARE is the core platform of the future internet, invites proposals through the Directorate-General for Information Society and Media, for its open call for additional partners.The FI-WARE project has reserved a portion of the project budget to fund specific tasks to be carried out by  new beneficiaries which will join the consortium after start of the project. These later-joining beneficiaries are selected by means of a series of competitive Open Calls.Topics for this call are: middleware for efficient and QoS/security-aware invocation of services and exchange of messages; business models and business elements definition and simulation. The budget for this call is €2 million, of which €1.25m is allocated to middleware proposals and €750,000 to BM and BE proposals. Check out further details on the FI-Ware call webpage. The deadline for submissions is the 25th April 2012.

NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC)

Funding opportunities

NETSCC is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and was established at the University of Southampton in 2008.

UK government support for medical research is channelled primarily through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). Broadly speaking, the NIHR funds later-phase health research, which has the potential to influence the delivery of healthcare to patients, while the MRC supports basic and early clinical research. (http://www.netscc.ac.uk/)

NETSCC manages four evaluation research programmes:-

EME   – Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme

 Upcoming dates for EME 

  1. Researcher-led workstream deadline for the next round: Friday 9 March 2012 (before 1pm)
  2. Commissioned workstream is now looking for research in Neurodegenerative disorders and       myopathies and also Point of care tests. The deadline for applications is 13 February 2012 (before 1pm)

To find out more about EME, visit http://www.eme.ac.uk/index.asp

HTA    –  NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme 

Upcoming dates for HTA

  1. Commissioned call for proposals now open: Deadline for application is Thursday 9 February 2012 by 1pm.

To find out more about HTA, visit http://www.hta.ac.uk/

PHR    –  NIHR Public Health Research programme

Upcoming dates for PHR

  1. Commissioned Research calls now open
  • Creative enterprises in open access settings, deadline is 23 April 2012 by 1pm
  • Newly licensed drivers, deadline is 23 April 2012 by 1pm

2.   Researcher-led outline call closing date is 2 April 2012 at 1pm. Highlight notices include:

  • Local Sustainable Transport Fund, deadline is 2 April 2012 at 1pm
  • Evidence Synthesis, deadline is 2 April 2012 at 1pm.

For more information about PHR, please visit http://www.phr.nihr.ac.uk/

HS&DR          –  NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme (a merger of the existing programmes HSR and SDO)

Upcoming dates for HS&DR

  1. Researcher-led calls now open, deadline is 15 March 2012 by 1pm; 19 July 2012; and 15 November 2012.
  2. Commissioned-led, open date is February 2012, deadline is 17 May 2012 by 1pm.

For more information about HS&DR, please visit http://www.netscc.ac.uk/hsdr/

If you are interested in applying for any of these funding schemes, please get in touch with the RKE Ops Senior Officers:-

 

UK-India Education & Research Initiative – funding opportunities

Funding opportunities

UKIERI (UK-India Education & Research Initiative) is now accepting proposals for the following strand activities:

Strand 2: Innovation Partnerships
a) UKIERI Thematic Partnerships:
The sub-strand will strengthen engagement and encourage future potential collaborations between the Indian and UK higher education institutions by facilitating collaborations along with promoting and assisting registered PhD students and post-docs in India and the UK to undertake short-term visits to work on research projects. All Indian HEIs which are recognised under the Section 2(f) and 12 B of the UGC Act) can apply.Click here to download the Application form, Guidelines, Financial Sheet and Work Plan.

Deadline: 15 March 2012
 b) DST-UKIERI Thematic Partnerships:
The sub-strand will strengthen engagement and encourage future potential collaborations between the Indian and UK higher education institutions by facilitating collaborations along with promoting and assisting registered PhD students and post-docs in India and the UK to undertake short-term visits to work on research projects. The partnerships will be for Science & Technology projects jointly funded by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and UKIERI under the 5 key subject areas of:

  1. Stem Cell Research and Animal Biotechnology
  2. Next Generation Networks in Telecommunication
  3. Advanced Materials including Nanotechnology
  4. Weather Science and Climate Change
  5. New Energy Technologies including Hydrogen

Click here to download the Application Form, Guidelines, Financial Sheet and Work Plan.
 
Deadline: 15 March 2012
 c) Trilateral Research In Partnership:
The sub-strand aims to support the development of mutually beneficial partnerships between higher education institutions in the UK, US and India. The funds will support the strengthening of PhD students and post-docs in all three countries in developing international team work, problem solving and innovation in research and increasing mobility of PhD students and post-docs between India, the UK and the US.Click here to download the Application Form, Guidelines and Financial Sheet.

Deadline: 13 April 2012

 

Strand 4: Enhancing Mobility
a) UKIERI India UK Staff Exchange Programme
The programme will promote staff exchanges between Higher Education Institutions /Schools/Further Education institutions across India and the UK. The exchanges are valid for up to 4 weeks and should aim to share and deliver best practices on curriculum and pedagogy and learn from each others systems.Click here to download the Application Form and Guidelines.

Deadline: 15 March 2012
 
b) UKIERI India UK Study Missions
This sub strand activity will enhance mobility of students in the two countries through collaborations between UK and Indian Higher Education/Further Education institutions. Joint partnerships will work towards developing, facilitating and managing study tours for students at undergraduate and post graduate level.Click here to download the Application Form, Guidelines, Financial Sheet and Work Plan.

Deadline: 15 March 2012
 
c) Study India Programme
The sub-strand aims to foster mobility of UK students to India to encourage them to undertake further study, work placements or pursue other opportunities in India. Through these student mobility programmes students would gain experience and a greater understanding of culture, education and economy of both countries. The strand also aims to strengthen cultural links between India and the UK by creating mutual opportunities for student mobility.The Study India Programme is supported by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The programme enables school leavers, students from UK universities and colleges to visit India for three / four weeks to gain experience of Indian culture, way of life, people, arts, politics, economy and language which sign post to and may open up opportunities for further study or work in India. The three / four week programme includes a one-week work placement or internship.

Click here to download the TORs

Deadline: 15 March 2012

 

For further details, see the UKIERI website – http://www.ukieri.com/call_for_bids.html

For support in submitting a proposal, contact the RKE Operations team – http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/contact/rke-operations/.

Santander Scholarships Announced

BU research

 

 

 

 

The results of the Santander Scholarships have been announced.  The University received 13 applications and 7 were successful.  Each successful applicant has been awarded up to £5,000 to travel to a university in the Santander Overseas Network to build or develop relationships.  The successful applicants are a mixture of PhD students and early career researchers.

 

Miguel Moital– Senior Lecturer in Events Management

Internationalisation of Brazilian Tourism Research – mapping the training needs and identification of funding opportunities.

The purpose of this project is to examine the barriers and opportunities to the internationalisation of Brazilian tourism research.

 

Lauren Kita- PhD student in Psychology

Developing Sleep Skills in America.

“The purpose of the visit is to meet with colleagues in Boston who are conducting research similar to mine.  Brown University has an excellent sleep department and it would be a fantastic experience to meet with others who have similar research interests. The aim of the trip is to establish contacts, gain ideas for my PhD project and to learn more about a new technique in measuring sleep (spectral analysis). This will provide me with a new perspective for my PhD.  The visit will involve visiting Brown University to meet colleagues, and will culminate in the 5 day Sleep 2012 meeting.”

 

Fiona Mellor- PhD student in HSC and Associate clinical research doctoral fellow/research radiographer

A biomechanical assessment of passive recumbent inter-vertebral motion in the mid lumbar spine in symptomatic and healthy participants.

“This fellowship will facilitate important links between BU and SUNY by allowing me to become involved in their biomechanical cadaveric testing of spinal motion. In return I will show them how to capture this data in living people and share results to date from my PhD which is examining the differences in spinal motion in those with chronic LBP versus healthy controls.”

 

Jane Elsley– Lecturer in Psychology

Are all bindings created equal? Exploring feature binding in visual short-term Memory.

“I will undertake a research visit to the Universidad De Islas Baleares to work with Dr. Fabrice Parmentier. The proposed visit will build upon the applicant’s recent ESRC Small Grant (RES-000-22-3930) completed (July, 2011) in collaboration with Dr. Parmentier (Universidad De Islas Baleares) and Prof. Maybery (University of Western Australia).”

 

Dr Anita Diaz- Senior Lecturer in Ecology

Building Latin American university partners for an application to Action 2 of the ERASMUS Mundus Programme.

“Erasmus Mundus Action 2 supports the formation of cooperation partnerships between universities in Europe and Third countries that enable mobility of students and staff. I wish to develop a proposal for Erasmus Mundus Action 2 funding for a partnership, coordinated by Bournemouth University, between Latin American universities and European universities in the field of conservation ecology. While strongly rooted in the science of ecology, this partnership will also encompass societal factors particularly aspects of tourism and green economy.”

 

Natalia Tejedor Garavito– PhD Researcher

Tropical Andes Red List Assessment

To assess the extinction risk of tree species of the Tropical Andean montane forests, with particular reference to the potential impacts of climate change

 

Dr. John R. Stewart– Lecturer in Palaeoecology

The Ecological Background to Neanderthal Extinction and Evolution

The aims of this proposal are to initiate a collaboration between the applicant and Professor José Carrión who have similar research interests and are planning an ERC grant proposal (together with C.P.E. Zollikofer, M.S. Ponce de León of the Anthropological Institute and MultiMedia Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, University of Zurich, Switzerland) on the ecological context of Neanderthal extinction.

 

 

Leverhulme session – slides available

Funding opportunities, Research news

Jean Cater, assistant director at the the Leverhulme Trust was at BU yesterday. 

At a well-attended event,  Jean talked about the range of funding opportunities available for academics, and outlined the Trust’s ethos and criteria.  She also fielded an hour’s worth of  questions.

Jean’s slides are now available – just click here to access them.

Please contact Caroline O’Kane if would like to find out more about the Leverhulme and their schemes, and to find out how we can support the development of your funding proposal.

Health & Humanities EU funding available over the next few weeks….

EU

Sexual Transmission of HIV within Migrant Groups: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published a call for tenders regarding the sexual transmission of HIV within migrant groups and implications for effective interventions.The overall scope and objective of this call for tender is to undertake a systematic literature review complemented with a short survey to Member States, on the subject of sexual transmission of HIV in the EU/EEA in populations of migrants from countries with generalised HIV epidemics. Based on the data gathered, implications and recommendations for HIV prevention strategies and programmes within the EU/EEA should be discussed. The deadline for submitting tenders is 21 February.

Entrepreneurship Education: The European Commission has launched a call for proposals for entrepreneurship education. This call aims to support the implementation of principle 1 of the Small Business Act and the Oslo Agenda for Entrepreneurship Education in Europe.  The Small Business Act recommends stimulating innovative and entrepreneurial mindsets among young people by introducing entrepreneurship as a key competence in school curricula and ensuring that the importance of entrepreneurship is correctly reflected in teacher training. Consequently, the objective of this call is to promote projects with a high added value at European level in education for entrepreneurship.  Actions will target teachers and young people in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Applications must be sent to the Commission no later than 16 April 2012.

Systematic Reviews of Environmental Determinants of Infectious Diseases: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has published a call for tenders for the provision of systematic reviews of environmental determinants of infectious diseases. The aim is to systematically review the evidence for environmental determinants of infectious diseases both on an ecologic as well as an individual level. The deadline for submitting tenders is 6 March 2012.

Attribution of Social Policies on the Infectious Disease Burden: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has published a call for tenders for the attribution of social policies on the infectious disease burden. The objective of this study is to disentangle the different contributions of government policies on the infectious disease burden in society.  Specifically, the goal is to identify aetiologic pathways of socio-economic inequalities and their impact on infectious diseases.  Ultimately the aim is to inform policymakers about interventions that have a direct impact on infectious diseases. The deadline for submitting tenders is 6 March 2012.

 

Leverhulme Trust visit – 1st February – venue change

Funding opportunities, Research news

This is a reminder that Jean Cater from the Leverhulme Trust  is coming to BU on 1st February.

** Venue change!!  The event will now take place in the Allesbrook Lecture Theatre **

 

There are limited places available – if you would like book a place please click here.

What’s happening?

Jean Cater from the LT is coming to BU, and its a great opportunity to find out more about how the Leverhulme works,  what they are looking for in a proposal and what they fund.    

The Leverhulme Trust offers a range of funding opportunities – across all disciplines.   This includes research grants, international networks, early career fellowships, research fellowships and more. 

The session will cover:  

  • where the Leverhulme sits in the funding spectrum
  • schemes and application procedures
  • things to bear in mind if applying
  • plenty of time to ask questions too.  

This session is for you if:

  • you have a research idea and wonder if the Leverhulme Trust might be an appropriate funder
  • you are developing a funding proposal for the Leverhulme Trust
  • you don’t know much about the Leverhulme Trust and would like to find out more

Details:

  • Date:Wednesday, 1st February 2012
  • Time: 2-4pm
  • Place:  Allesbrook Lecture Theatre
  • Refreshments will be available.

** To book your place please click here. ** 

If you have any questions please contact Caroline O’Kane

Knowledge Exchange Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

The scheme provides the opportunity to apply for funding for knowledge exchange activities at any stage of the research lifecycle, and is aimed at maximising the impact of social science research outside academia.

The flexibility built into the scheme is intended to encourage applicants to think creatively about knowledge exchange, and applications are welcomed for either a single activity or a combination of activities; be it setting up a network to help inform the development of a research proposal, arranging an academic placement with a voluntary or business organisation, or developing tools such as podcasts and videos aimed at communicating the results of research to non-academic audiences.

The next call will open on 14 December 2011 and close at 16.00 on 7 February 2012. 

Applicants can apply for projects up to one year in duration. However, the proposed start date should be no earlier than 1 September 2012.

The aim is to inform applicants of a decision on all applications within 26 weeks of the closing date for the call.

Please note, from the next KE call the Knowledge Exchange Opportunities and Follow on Fund Schemes will be amalgamated into a single funding opportunity (funded at 80 per cent fEC). Applications can still follow on from previous research, however an important change will be the requirement for all applications to involve co-funding from user stakeholders.

Call documents, including the scheme guidance can be found at:

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/collaboration/knowledge-exchange/opportunities/index.aspx

Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU) Consultancy Service

BU research, Research news

What is the Consultancy Service?

BUCRU has developed a consultancy service aimed at organisations that have an interest in health and wellbeing. Members of the team have many years experience of providing consultation services to the NHS, public bodies, charities and businesses. In addition to research projects we can also advise on audit projects, clinical evaluations, service evaluations and other areas where the collection and analysis of good quality data is important.

How can it help?

The service is flexible and tailored to the client’s requirements. Typically an initial meeting will involve finding out about the client’s needs and discussing the ways in which we can help. Our involvement could range from a single meeting to discuss a particular issue, through to conducting a project on behalf of the client.

Some examples are:

¨                  Advising on or conducting clinical trials, surveys, epidemiological studies, pilot and feasibility studies

¨                  Study design

¨                  Advice on sample size

¨                  Questionnaire design and validation

¨                  Outcome measures

¨                  Data collection and management

¨                  Statistical analysis and interpretation

¨                  Qualitative and mixed methods approaches

¨                  Design and evaluation of complex interventions such as found in medicine, psychology, nursing, physiotherapy and so on.

¨                  Managing and running studies

¨                  Advice on ethics and governance approval processes.

¨                  Involving patients and the public in research

¨                  Troubleshooting

How do I find out more?

For further information about, and access to, our consultancy service please contact:

Louise Ward (administrator):

Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit

R505 Royal London House

Christchurch Road

Bournemouth BH1 3LT

BUCRU@bournemouth.ac.uk

Tel: 01202 961939

http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/bucru/

Research within the Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU)

BU research, Funding opportunities, Research news

In previous blogs we have described how BUCRU can help in developing grant applications. In this blog we describe some of the funded projects we are involved in.

BUCRU led research

Fatigue management in multiple sclerosis (MS):  We have just completed a multi-centre randomised trial of a cognitive behavioural approach to fatigue management in people with multiple sclerosis1. This project was funded by the MS Society (http://www.mssociety.org.uk).

Improving activity and wellbeing in people with MS: We are just starting a MS Society funded pilot study to look at the Nintendo Wii home gaming system as a method of helping people with MS increase their activity levels and wellbeing.

Systematic review of psychological interventions for people with MS: A small grant to update our existing Cochrane review2

BUCRU collaborative projects

IDvIP: A National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) (http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/RfPB/Pages/home.aspx) funded project. This is a multi-centre trial comparing 2 methods of pain relief for women in labour; diamorphine and pethidine3. The Chief Investigator is a Consultant in one of the local hospitals and a member of the Bournemouth University Visiting Faculty. BUCRU staff were involved in the design of the study, applying for the grant, data management, statistical analysis and interpretation, and advice on project management.*

WEIGHTED: A small grant from the College of Emergency Medicine held by a local Consultant/ member of the Visiting Faculty. This study is about to start and aims to develop a robust method of estimating the weight of patients attending a hospital emergency department. Many patients require a weight dependent dose of potentially life saving medication, but are too ill to be actually weighed.  BUCRU were involved in designing the study and securing funding, and will be involved in ongoing advice on project and data management, statistical analysis and interpretation.

PEARLS: A large multi-centre trial of training maternity staff in assessing and repairing tears to the perineum acquired during labour and delievery4. This project is funded by the Health Foundation (http://www.health.org.uk) and run under the auspices of the Royal College of Midwives. BUCRU has been involved in data management, statistical analysis and interpretation.

PREVIEW: A pilot randomised trial comparing two methods of looking after tears to the perineum. The Chief Investigator is based in Birmingham, and the study is funded by the NIHR RfPB funding scheme. This study has recently started, and BUCRU was involved in the design of the study and the funding application. Further involvement will be in advising on project management, data management and statistical analysis.

Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship: (http://www.nihrtcc.nhs.uk). Award held by BU and won by a radiographer based at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic. The project involves tracking and measuring spinal motion. The research may have important implications in diagnosing people with chronic lower back pain. BUCRU were involved in the study design and funding application, and 2 members of staff are supervisors for her PhD.

Contact us:

In the first instance please contact

Louise Ward (administrator):

Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit

R505 Royal London House

Christchurch Road

Bournemouth BH1 3LT

BUCRU@bournemouth.ac.uk

Tel: 01202 961939

 http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/bucru/

1 Thomas, P.W., Thomas, S., Kersten, P., Jones, R., Nock, A., Slingsby, V., et al., 2010. Multi-centre parallel arm randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a group-based cognitive behavioural appoach to managing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis. BMC Neurology, 10:43

2 Thomas, P.W., Thomas, S., Hillier, C., Galvin, K., and Baker, R. (2006). Psychological interventions for multiple sclerosis. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Vol. Issue 1, pp. Issue 1. Art. No.: CD004431. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004431.pub2): John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.

3 Wee, M.Y.K., Tuckey, J.P., Thomas, P., Burnard, S. 2011. The IDvIP Trial: A two-centre randomized double-blind controlled trial comparing intramuscular diamorphine and intramuscular pethidine for labour analgesia. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 11: 51

4 Bick, D.E., Kettle, C., MacDonald, S., Thomas, P.W., Hill, R.K., Ismail, K.. 2010. PErineal Assessment and Repair Longitudinal Study (PEARLS): protocol for a matched pair cluster trial. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 10:10.

New round of the Research Development Fund – large grants scheme – now open!

Funding opportunities, Research news

This week BU is proud to launch a new round of the BU Research Development Fund (large collaborative grants scheme)!

The deadline for applications to have been received by the RDU is: Friday 17 February 2012

The Fund is open to BU academics and will provide selective support to research initiatives considered to be of strategic importance to BU. This call is for the Large Collaborative Grants Scheme (up to £25k per annum, must include two or more Schools). The Small Grants Scheme is also currently open with a closing date of 28 February – further details are available here:

The RDF – Large Collaborative Grants Scheme aims to provide funding for the development of large-scale, complex, inter/multi-disciplinary collaborative research activities leading to external funding. Applications must involve academic staff from at least two BU Schools. Priority will be given to applications that meet the following criteria:

  • In line with BU’s emerging Research Themes
  • Include external organizations (particularly SMEs and/or international organizations)
  • In line with the strategic priorities of major funding bodies (such as the UK research councils, European Commission, etc)
  • Clearly beneficial to BU’s submission to REF2014

Examples of research activities covered by the RDF include:

  • Pilot projects
  • Pump-priming
  • Meeting expenses
  • Travel to proposed collaborators
  • Attendance at external networking events with the aim of expanding the network
  • Preparation of specialist material or data
  • Short-term Research Assistant support or replacement teaching
  • Consumables and equipment (providing it is clear these would not normally be purchased by the School)
  • Fees for external proposal support and review

Awards will only cover direct costs (i.e. overheads and established staff costs will not be reimbursed). Applications need to include a precise breakdown of costs calculated using full economic costing (fEC) methodology – this will be calculated for you by the RKE Operations team.

For further information please read the Research Development Fund policy – Large Grant Round 2.

To apply for a Large Collaborative Research Grant, please complete the RDF Large Grant application form.

Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU) Events and Services

BU research, Funding opportunities, Research news

BUCRU incorporates the Dorset Office of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Design Service – South West (RDS-SW). This means that in addition to the support outlined in previous blogs, we can also provide access to the following:

RDS Grant application workshop.

This workshop is going to be held at Bournemouth University on the 29th February 2012 (http://www.rds-sw.nihr.ac.uk/grant_workshop.htm). Although the official deadline for applying has recently passed, it is worth contacting us to see if there are any remaining places. The workshop will also be held in other locations in the South-West region in the near future.

This is a one-day workshop for researchers who are developing proposals with the intention of applying for a grant. The workshop does not provide detailed training in research methodology; rather it more generally covers the full range of issues inherent in developing a successful grant application. It will be of relevance to researchers applying to any of the major health research funders, but particularly the NIHR funding schemes.

Researchers will need to send in advance the latest draft of their research proposal. As a minimum they should have a plan for a project but, ideally, a worked up proposal, perhaps even one that has been previously rejected. All proposals will receive detailed written feedback from the RDS team.

Topics include

  • The application as a marketing document, selling the topic, selling the method, and selling the team;
  • The balanced team;
  • Clarity of description and explanation;
  • Feasibility issues;
  • Identifying and avoiding potential pitfalls

 

RDS Residential Research Retreat

The Residential Research Retreat (http://www.rds-sw.nihr.ac.uk/rrr_home.htm) provides an opportunity for research teams to develop high quality health related research proposals suitable for submission to national peer-reviewed funding schemes. The aim of the Retreat is to provide the environment and support to promote rapid progress in developing proposals over a relatively short time period.

This Research Retreat is open to health professionals and academics working within the South West. Applications to attend the Retreat should be submitted by a team of three people with varied skills. Applications are reviewed competitively and places awarded to the most promising team proposals. The deadline for the next Research Retreat has passed, but it is anticipated that applications will be invited again later in the year.  

At the retreat participants are supported by a range of experts while developing their research proposal. They work intensively on their proposal, while learning how to maximise its chances for successfully securing a grant.

In addition, the Residential Research Retreat helps participants develop the key skills needed to conduct research in a clinical setting as well as nurturing presentation skills and giving them the confidence to tackle research problems. 

 

RDS Scientific Committee

The RDS Scientific Committee (http://www.rds-sw.nihr.ac.uk/scientific_committee.htm) provides an excellent opportunity for researchers in the south-west to obtain a critical review of a proposed grant application before it is sent to a funding body. The Committee brings the benefit of seeing the proposal with “fresh eyes”, replicating as far as possible the way the real funding committee will consider the application. Committee members include senior research consultants who have considerable experience of obtaining research funding, resulting in comprehensive comments and advice fed back.

Committee meetings take place approximately 9 times per year. To submit a study for review at the meeting, study paperwork must be provided to the Committee via BUCRU two weeks prior to the meeting date, and preferably a couple of months before the intended funding deadline.

 

Centre of Postgraduate Medical Research and Education (CoPMRE) Annual Symposium

In addition to events aimed at supporting the development of grant applications we also host an event geared towards dissemination. The CoPMRE Annual Symposium will be held on the 11th September 2012 at the Bournemouth University Talbot Campus. These successful annual conferences have been running for the past nine years and have featured themes such as ‘Professionalism and Collaboration’, ’Research Innovation’ and ‘Interprofessional Learning’. This year’s theme will be on using ‘Social media techniques in healthcare research and education’.  The conference is open to all healthcare professionals and academics.  More information will be posted on our website in due course and you will be able to register online nearer the time.  For further information on the symposium please contact Audrey Dixon, Conference Manager (adixon@bournemouth.ac.uk ).

Contact us: For further information about, and access to, the Grant applications workshop, the Residential Research Retreat and the Scientific Committee please contact:

Louise Ward (administrator):

Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit

R505 Royal London House

Christchurch Road

Bournemouth BH1 3LT

BUCRU@bournemouth.ac.uk

Tel: 01202 961939

http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/bucru/