BU Research Blog

April 10, 2024

Dr Shanti Farrington presenting on dementia

BU research, Featured, Featured academics, Global engagement, international, Knowledge Exchange, Publishing, Research Centres, Research news, Uncategorized Edwin van Teijlingen

Today Dr. Shanti Farrington, Principal Academic in Psychology, presented our research work on dementia in India today. She was invited to speak to the ‘Research Participation Group of the Ageing & Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) at Bournemouth University. She addressed a range of interesting issues, for example she spoke about lack of training of health care workers in dealing with people living with dementia, but also in lack of experience in diagnosing different forms of dementia. She also spoke about the lack of experts neurologists in India, and the ageing population in this vast country.

The discussion with the online audience also covered the role of diet in prevention of dementia and the limitations of using online health promotion material and general information on dementia in English, where some many languages are spoken. The underpinning research was largely funded by GCRF (Global Challenges Research Fund).

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMWH (Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health)

September 28, 2022

Two little mishaps in a row

BU research, COVID-19, Featured academics, Global engagement, international, PG research, Postgraduate Research, Research Integritiy, Research news, Uncategorized, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

All research has its costs, we spend a lot of time as academics planning for and budgeting our studies. This starts with considering how much time each academic spends on preparing the grant application and finished with cost of dissemination of findings after the data have been analysed. We do risk assessments the try to reduce risk and mitigate unforeseen circumstances. My last two trips to Nepal both suffered from such unexpected events.

In May I traveled to Nepal with Prof. Vanora Hundley from the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) as part of the ERASMUS+ exchange with Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) where we joined by Bournemouth University (BU) PhD student Sulochana Dhakal-Rai. Sulochana was in Nepal on the Turing Scheme, the UK government’s programme to provide funding for international opportunities in education and training across the world.

As part of this trip we had organised a one-day Systematic Review on Dementia Research Workshop on Sunday 29th May in at MMIHS in Kathmandu. This Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) funded workshop was highly successful, it attracted 75% more participants than budgeted for, namely 53 instead of 30. However, the extra cost this incurred in terms of workshop resources, refreshments and lunches was not a great issue compared to the fact that I had contracted COVID-19 a few days before the workshop and had tested positive on a PCR test two days before. Thanks to the hard work of our colleagues at MMIHS, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Green Tara Nepal, and especially, Prof. Vanora Hundley, the workshop run very well. I even managed to make a guest appearance online from my hotel room 200 meters away from the workshop venue, albeit on a poorer quality internet connection than I would have had half way across the globe (at BU or at home).

This positive COVID-19 test also meant I could not travel on the India in early June due to COVID-19 travel restriction for entering India. There I had planned to meet Dr. Shanti Shanker from BU’s Psychology Department as part of our GCRF-funded project ‘Promoting dementia research in Nepal and India’. Again due to the presence of well organised colleagues the India part of the trip ran smoothly. Dr. Gayatri Kotbagi, who has works for us through the charity Sheetale Astitva, and Dr. Shanti Shanker managed to run the internal trip very well without me.

In August I traveled to Nepal again with two BU academics: Dr. Shovita Dhakal Adhikari, Lecturer in Criminology, Department of Sociology & Social Work, Dr. Pramod Regmi, Senior Lecturer in International Health (Department of Nursing Sciences) and a colleague from the University of Exeter Dr. Emma Pitchforth. The main purpose of this visit was to run two sets of three-day Academic Writing Workshop in two cities in Nepal, namely Kathmandu and Pokhara. These workshops were funded by the British Academy and supported by Dr. Rashmee Rajkarnikar from the Central Department of Economics at Tribhuvan University, Nepal’s oldest and largest university, the charity Green Tara Nepal and Social Science Baha. This time the trip itself went very well, both workshop were very well attended, and even made it into a newspaper in Nepal: The Rising Nepal.

The trouble started after we had left Nepal. Dr. Pitchforth and I helped both fell ill some five to eight days after returning to the UK. We both had flu-type symptoms, including sore joints, night sweats, feeling tired, coughing, etc., although these were not exactly the same, my symptoms were perhaps a bit more like COVID-19. Which is why I did three COVID-19 tests in one week (all negative). It was not until the blood test came back from the NHS lab last week that my family doctor could tell me that I had dengue fever. Dengue fever is on the rise in Nepal. The national English-language paper The Himalayan Times reported yesterday (27th Sept. 2022) that dengue fever “has afflicted almost 26,000 people in Nepal” In July in the capital Kathmandu “…35 people had contracted the mosquito-borne disease. The number increased to 727 in August and 8,132 in September.”

I’m looking forward to my next trip to Nepal, as we have loads of on-going project. I have been going there for nearly twenty years, and having two incidents in two decades is not a lot, pity these came in the same year and on subsequent trips.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

May 31, 2022

Successful GCRF Systematic Reviewing in Dementia Research Workshop in Nepal

BU research, EU, Featured academics, Global engagement, Impact, international, PG research, Publishing, Research news, Research Training, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Last Sunday (29th May) Professors Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen from the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) run a hugely successful introduction to research workshop in Kathmandu. Their Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) funded the Systematic Review on Dementia Research Workshop on Sunday, which was very well attended. They expected (and had budgeted for) 30 people to attend and in the end the audience was closer 50 people.

The event was organised by our colleagues at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Kathmandu and it was supported by the charity Green Tara Nepal. Professors Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen are currently in Nepal as part of the BU-MMIHS ERASMUS+ exchange and added this one-day workshop to their schedule. The audience included Master students in Nursing and Public Health, MMIHS lecturers and post-doctoral researchers. This capacity-building workshop offered an introduction to all aspects of a systematic review, from formulating the systematic review research question at the start to the publication of a systematic review paper. The workshop also benefited from a short presentation by CMMPH PhD student Mrs. Sulochana Dhakal-Rai who also happened to be in Nepal as part of the BU-MMIHS student-exchange.

The planning nearly went wrong as two days before the workshop Prof. van Teijlingen tested positive for COVID-19 on a lateral flow test which was later confirmed by a PCR test. The fact that the event went ahead despite my quarantine in a nearby hotel room was only possible because of Prof. Vanora Hundley hard work on the day. Vanora led the workshop on the whole day whilst Edwin appeared in several sessions via ZOOM. Ironically, sitting only 200 meters away from the university venue in his hotel room. The connection was not always great, it broke up several times during the day, but it worked well enough. The MMIHS colleagues were very thoughtful when it came to the group photo at the end as they included the laptop with his ‘live’ presence on Zoom.

April 15, 2022

GRCF supported migration and health workshop in Nepal

BU research, Events, Featured academics, Global engagement, international, Research news, Research Training, Training, Uncategorized, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Earlier this week Bournemouth University (BU) ran the ‘Migration and Health Research Capacity Building Workshop for Early Career Researchers’ in Kathmandu. The organisation of this two-day event was jointly with the University of Huddersfield, Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Kathmandu and the charity Green Tara Nepal. The event was part of the BU-led Health Research Network for Migrant Workers in Asia whose formation was supported two years ago by GCRF (Global Challenges Research Fund). The workshop plan was designed by BU’s Dr. Pramod Regmi and Dr. Nirmal Aryal. Our recently started FHSS PhD student Yagya Adhikari and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen also contributed to the workshop in Kathmandu. Yagya spoke about his PhD which focuses on ‘Parental migration and its impact on the health and well-being of left-behind adolescents in Nepal’.

Further contributions to the workshop were from former BU PhD student Dr. Pratik Adhikary (now working for PHASE Nepal) and two of our academic colleagues from the University of Huddersfield: Dr. Sharada Prasad Wasti and Prof. Padam Simkhada. Prof. Simkhada is also Visiting Professor in FHSS.

February 12, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – digital artists (Nigeria)

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

In February, we are sharing stories about BU’s research funded from the Global Challenges Research Fund. This funding enables BU academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes and impacts for people in those countries. This research was able to continue, despite the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, predominantly by redesigning the projects to reduce BU staff travel and increase local delivery in the beneficiary countries. This change in delivery was beneficial to the research as it encouraged greater partnership working, ensured projects were led by in-country organisations, and will help in the long-term to ensure projects are sustainable after GCRF funding ends.

In Nigeria, Dr Malcolm Corrigall and Dr Paula Callus are leading a project to investigate the impact that digital software packages have had on the creative practices of Nigerian cartoonists. They created a portfolio of digital resources which will serve as educational tools for the next generation of Nigerian digital artists, bolstering the growth of the creative industries in Nigeria and contributing to sustainable economic growth. An important and pressing reason to examine and publicise Nigerian cartoonists’ use of digital software is the fact that digital artworks flatten traces of how they were made. Unlike original drawn or painted cartoons, which you can examine to discern material traces of their making, once digital images are rendered and exported from a digital software environment the different stages of their production are flattened and any tangible trace of the artists’ ‘hand’ is obscured. This presents an obstacle to aspiring cartoonists outside of a formal educational environment who are keen to learn the tricks of the trade. For the project, the team purchased digital cartoons from 15 cartoonists and asked them to provide accompanying draft versions as well as descriptions of how they were made.

This project documented works in progress within the software environments in which they are produced to reveal the texture of digital cartoons. Layers, toolkits and even the cartoonists’ physical gestures on the keyboard and mouse reveal how cartoons are made and the distinctive creative techniques of individual cartoonists. To document this, the project created screen recordings and/or video recordings of cartoonists at work, using their favoured software package, whilst they narrated what they were doing. As such, the methodology brought together practitioners and cartoonists in order to create a learning alliance between cartoonists, academics and online audiences of aspiring digital artists.

The project was designed and executed in partnership with Dr. Ganiyu Jimoh, former Secretary of the Cartoonists’ Association of Nigeria and Lecturer at the University of Lagos. During his tenure as secretary, Dr. Jimoh revitalised the Cartoonists Association of Nigeria, unifying and protecting the interests of a range of cartoonists. As such, he was excellently placed to shape the project and establish connections with a range of cartoonists across Nigeria. There are clearly ethical considerations when working with cartoonists, who often confront controversial issues and test the boundaries of censorship. As such, the team consulted closely with Dr. Jimoh, who is well aware of the political situation on the ground, to design the roll out of the project in such a way that minimised the risks posed to participants and researchers.

The educational resources produced by the cartoonists will be made publically accessible on a web-based archive for aspiring cartoonists and digital illustrators in Nigeria to access, thereby providing an educational pathway to employment and promoting the growth of creative industries. UNESCO’s Creative Report of 2013 highlighted the central role creative industries can play in stimulating sustainable and inclusive economic growth in developing countries (i.e. job creation, income growth, technological innovation and exports but also, as an outlet for creativity and cultural expression, promoting well-being and quality of life). In these respects, the project furthers the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals around ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ (SDG 8) and ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’ (SDG 9).

There is a rich history of cartoons as political commentary in Nigeria, a tradition that is very much alive and well today. By highlighting the work of political cartoonists, the project will confer value and social capital to this art form and its practitioners, amplifying their voice and their role in the on-going democratization project in Nigeria. Moreover, by producing a suite of educational resources, the project will encourage more people to take up cartooning, broadening the demographics of cartooning and widening civic and political engagement. As such, the project contributes to the promotion of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (UN Sustainable Development Goal 16).

Cartooning in Nigeria is historically a male-dominated profession. However, the team thought it was critical to include female pioneers in Nigerian cartooning in the project. They also wanted to make sure that the archive contained female role models so the educational resources would allow meaningful engagement with aspring female digital artists. In partnership with Dr. Ganiyu Jimoh, they were able to identify and contact Adoara Onele, a female cartooning pioneer in Nigeria, who contributed to the project.

Dr Paula Callus and Dr Malcolm Corrigall are part of the AHRC-funded ArtoP project (the Visual Articulations of Politics in Nigeria), which aims to capture the visual and textual articulations of political ideas through images produced by Nigerian artists (and respective creative industries) at a critical time around the Nigerian presidential elections in February 2019. Read more about the ArtoP project here: https://artop.bmth.ac.uk/.

February 11, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – Rohingya refugee crisis (Bangladesh)

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

In February, we are sharing stories about BU’s research funded from the Global Challenges Research Fund. This funding enables BU academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes and impacts for people in those countries. This research was able to continue, despite the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, predominantly by redesigning the projects to reduce BU staff travel and increase local delivery in the beneficiary countries. This change in delivery was beneficial to the research as it encouraged greater partnership working, ensured projects were led by in-country organisations, and will help in the long-term to ensure projects are sustainable after GCRF funding ends.

According to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), about 68.5 million people worldwide are refugees or forcibly displaced. The crisis affects both development and developing countries. The refugee camps have become features of a significant number of developing nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In Bangladesh, Dr Karen Thompson, Dr Mehdi Chowdhury and Dr Tilak Ginige are investigating the project management of the Rohingya refugee crisis. Close to one million Rohingya refugees have sought safety from persecution in Bangladesh. Kutupalang in the Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, is the world’s largest refugee camp. Here, there are alarming living conditions, devastating environmental impacts caused by human occupation and staggering economic costs involved in camp management. The research project aims to resolve the issue of suboptimal project outcomes and inefficient project delivery that frequently occurs in displacement crises. The research process involved the analysis of secondary camp activity data, interviewing and surveying the project managers of various NGOs, writing research papers, conference presentation, research seminars presentation, meetings with the Government and NGO personnel.

The project allowed for profiling of the management of the Rohingya refugee crisis and generating an understanding of formal and informal coordination processes of the humanitarian agencies involved. The research identified the need to involve refugees as part of the project development process and the need for formal communication systems to reduce the burden on project managers. Both issues have the impact of poor project outcomes, resulting in wasted financial and human resources. The guidance documents and trained personnel that have been produced will aid future management of the refugee crisis, saving funds and helping refugees. These findings have been communicated through seminars, conferences and research papers. One of the important themes of UN Global Compact on Migration (https://www.iom.int/global-compact-migration) is the importance of localization of management in development activities. The research has also identified that to date, Bangladeshi organizations are only involved in simple coordination tasks and therefore more opportunity must be provided for them to be involved in complex project management activities.

The research and activities received support from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and Ministry of Environment and Forest of the Government of Bangladesh. Both UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and the International Organization for Migration, who are jointly looking after the humanitarian activities through formation of the Inter Sector Coordination Group, have cooperated in the research. Specifically, the project team conducted interviews and surveys of humanitarian project managers in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp; without their support, this would have been impossible. North South University, Bangladesh supported conducting the interviews and surveys in Cox’s Bazar. This partnership has created a two-way impact by increasing the capacity of both Bournemouth University (in conducting research in an LDC context) and North South University (social network analysis, trained project advisors to assist NGOs).

The workshop for dissemination of the findings and exchanges that was planned to take place in the academic year 2019-20 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there are plans to deliver an online event in 2020-21.

Read more about the research project here: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/research-action/responsible-project-management

February 10, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – Indigenous people’s voices (Costa Rica and Malaysia)

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

In February, we are sharing stories about BU’s research funded from the Global Challenges Research Fund. This funding enables BU academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes and impacts for people in those countries. This research was able to continue, despite the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, predominantly by redesigning the projects to reduce BU staff travel and increase local delivery in the beneficiary countries. This change in delivery was beneficial to the research as it encouraged greater partnership working, ensured projects were led by in-country organisations, and will help in the long-term to ensure projects are sustainable after GCRF funding ends.

In Costa Rica and Malaysia, Professor Sarah Ashencaen Crabtree and Professor Jonathan Parker are leading a project focussing upon the inclusion of indigenous people’s voices in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Inspired by their earlier study exploring the impact of industrialised environmental degradation affecting Malaysian indigenous people, they found that indigenous Costa Ricans face different problems. For both, exploitation of traditional indigenous land occurs through social policy drivers prioritising State profits. These consequently hold potentially serious implications for the future survival of indigenous lifestyles and their social and cultural integrity, which are based on traditional indigenous territories, access and use of these. The UN Declaration of Indigenous People notes that indigenous rights are inherently connected to indigenous territories as cultural capital.

This study brings together two indigenous communities living in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves: the Bribri of Talamanca, Costa Rica and the Jakun people of Tasik Chini, Malaysia. They developed dialogues with both groups, sharing their experiences and knowledge aimed at achieving genuine ‘voice’ for self-advocacy in policy development. The team facilitated capacity-building research using indigenous methodologies, where indigenous people are active participants, creating accessible, bio-cultural ‘experiential’ storybook’ narratives with theorised alternative approaches towards inclusive, respectful social policies.

The research team is composed of social scientists, cultural-linguists and (ethno) botanists from four main collaborating universities: lead HEI Bournemouth University, the UN Mandated – University for Peace, Costa Rica, National University – Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, National University – Universidad de Costa Rica. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA provides advisory input. Two of the team members are Indigenous groups and are either directly members of the communities under study or have very loose working and personal links with them. This has facilitated the study to a crucial degree and ensured that an equitable and responsive working relationship of shared responsibility, accountability and effective communication loops was established from the beginning.

Dialogues constructed between Indigenous peoples refer to State-driven social and economic development initiatives. Indigenous methodologies employed for power sharing, enabled indigenous participants to shape study aims, process and outcomes:

Creation of constructive dialogue aimed at poverty reduction.
Raising the visibility of hidden needs and amplifying muted voices.
Assisting in the attainment of SDGs, political and material gain.
Developing indigenous research methodologies and partnerships.
Enhancing social justice and human rights.

The team believe that the study holds untapped potential for transformatory ideas and actions, peacefully bringing about change and development via genuine hearing of the voices and needs of indigenous communities. The study seeded many ideas among both communities, where Malaysian indigenous peoples were very excited to learn about the local and State government representation by and for Indigenous people in Costa Rica, this has galvanised their awareness of how national policies can be influenced and shaped. The socio-economic viability of Indigenous lifestyles was also affirmed in these encounters, with some very useful examples of Indigenous agrarian cultivation was identified with regards to food crops and pharmaceutical crops.

February 9, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – child soldiers (Colombia)

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

In February, we are sharing stories about BU’s research funded from the Global Challenges Research Fund. This funding enables BU academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes and impacts for people in those countries. This research was able to continue, despite the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, predominantly by redesigning the projects to reduce BU staff travel and increase local delivery in the beneficiary countries. This change in delivery was beneficial to the research as it encouraged greater partnership working, ensured projects were led by in-country organisations, and will help in the long-term to ensure projects are sustainable after GCRF funding ends.

In Colombia, Professor Stephen Jukes is led a project to contribute to peace and reconciliation after 50 years of internal conflict. The research team worked with children caught up in the conflict – some forced to become child soldiers for FARC guerrillas – and who were engaged in a process of re-integration. The project, which concluded active research and dissemination end-2019, was based in an indigenous community of Colombia. It used an autobiographical approach to re-construct experiences of conflict and highlighted challenges of re-integration by presenting the children’s testimonies through an animated documentary film designed to promote social inclusion.

The research was carried out with three charities in Colombia. The Norwegian Refugee Council in Bogota helped identify an indigenous community in Jambaló, home to the Nasa people where large numbers of former child soldiers were being re-integrated. Two other charities were involved. Fondación Fahrenheit 451 promotes human rights and engages with marginalised communities; Fondación Tyet promotes the rights of indigenous communities, particularly women and children. Everyone worked together, designing research, taking part in workshops, and disseminating findings.

Public screenings of the film were held in Bogota, with a premiere held at a public cinema and open to journalists, academics and NGOs. It was also screened at Los Andes University in Bogota and at Ben Posta, a refuge for young people caught up in the conflict. The charities now draw on the film to support their own work.

The project had a personal impact on the lives of participants. They have set up their own animation studio and testified to the confidence the project gave them to speak publicly about their experiences. Furthermore, the project led to an institutional impact generated by screening the film, testimonies from participants and a panel discussion at the Colombian Truth Commission in Bogota. The Commission confirmed it had accepted the film as a submission to its three-year project of listening to testimonies from all sides of the conflict. Previously they would only accept oral or written accounts.

Colombian senator Feliciano Valencia will use the project to support his work in defending the rights of indigenous people in Colombia. The project was featured in a front-page story in the Colombian daily, El Espectador and podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/user/el_espectador/podcats-arbol-del-amor. It was also featured on Global Voices: https://rising.globalvoices.org/blog/2019/11/01/the-story-behind-el-arbol-del-amor-an-animated-documentary-from-colombias-indigenous-nasa-community/#.

You can watch the film here: https://comisiondelaverdad.co/actualidad/noticias/ninos-y-jovenes-relatan-sus-vivencias-en-el-conflicto.

February 8, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – protecting wildlife in Indonesia

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

In February, we are sharing stories about BU’s research funded from the Global Challenges Research Fund. This funding enables BU academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes and impacts for people in those countries. This research was able to continue, despite the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, predominantly by redesigning the projects to reduce BU staff travel and increase local delivery in the beneficiary countries. This change in delivery was beneficial to the research as it encouraged greater partnership working, ensured projects were led by in-country organisations, and will help in the long-term to ensure projects are sustainable after GCRF funding ends.

In 2018-19, Professor Amanda Korstjens started a project to support local communities in Sumatra, Indonesia in their efforts to protect wildlife and rainforest environments. Collaborators include Dr Abdullah from Universitas Syiah Kuala, Rudi Putra from Forum Konservasi Leuser, Matt Nowak from Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, and the Aras Napal community group. The research was developed based on the requests of the partners.

In 2019-2020, the team continued to build on those activities, supported by Bournemouth University and some external (ASAB) funds. They work with rural communities, conservationists and academics to develop sustainable solutions. The project: 1) identifies actual and perceived human-wildlife interactions (MRes thesis 2019); 2) develops bespoke mitigation strategies integrating local and scientific knowledge (mitigation guide in Indonesian & English); 3) develops an automatic biomonitoring tool as an early warning system (Open Field Recorder build instructions, further work continuing); 4) develops dialogue and understanding of human-wildlife co-existence and global change through arts (Inaudible 2019 ongoing; The Sleeping Tree 2020, publication in Indonesian & English); and 5) supports Indonesian nationals to publish internationally (through joint research projects, workshops and lectures in Indonesia and by hosting an Indonesian academic at BU). Pathways to impact include arts activities, reports to local authorities, social media activities, skills training in Indonesia, publications and workshops.

The project has resulted in a greater understanding of the issues surrounding human-wildlife conflict in the region and its impact on the communities is helping conservation organisations in their work. For example, with community conservation group Aras Napal 242, the research team developed a guide of local animal species and a poster to help them promote the area for local tourism and crop-foraging mitigation guides (links on the website https://go-leap.wixsite.com/home/publications).

February 4, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – Aftershock Nepal

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

Funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund has enabled Bournemouth University academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in developing countries, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes for people in those countries. In February, we are sharing stories about BU’s GCRF research.

In Nepal, one of the most disaster-prone nations in the world, Professor Einar Thorsen and Dr Chindu Sreedharan are undertaking research to understand the challenges that journalists face in reporting on disasters and to strengthen editorial preparedness by building capacity among journalists and journalism educators. The original Aftershock Nepal project brought together a team of 38 journalism students and seven staff members from five universities around the world. They travelled to the Himalayan country in the run-up to the first anniversary of the 2015 Nepalese earthquake, capturing stories which explored loss, recovery and life after the catastrophe, in a bid to help the Nepalese people. The project produced a single-issue news site, with an alternative, people-centred coverage on post-disaster Nepal.

GCRF funding enabled the publication of the project’s first report in September 2018 entitled Voices from Nepal: challenges faced and lessons learnt in post-disaster journalism. This was followed a year later with the publication of a bilingual book with UNESCO in Kathmandu and two years later with the publication of a bilingual report in Nepali and English that mapped the impact of COVID-19 on journalists in Nepal.

Summer 2020, in cooperation with the Kamana Group, one of Nepal’s leading media houses, saw development of the nation’s first disaster journalism editorial policy, Reporting Disasters: Code of Conduct and Reporting Guidelines. Further, to address the gendered challenges in Nepali journalism, the project worked with the Working Women Journalists (WWJ) to deliver four training workshops. A peer-support network for female journalists was also established.

GCRF funding was instrumental in establishing the Disaster Journalism Network, a collaborative of six news organisations, in July 2020. Based on the information available, this is the world’s first disaster journalism network run solely by women journalists.

The benefits and impacts to Nepal include:

Policy changes and practices of news organisations, UNESCO, and the Nepal government. The Kamana Group adopted a disaster-specific editorial policy to guide its news coverage. Similarly, the project recommendations made a “valuable contribution” to policy research in Nepal’s Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen, influencing its “thinking on gender mainstreaming and women empowerment in the media industry”.
Policy changes and working practices of three national journalism organisations. The project brought about changes within the Federation of Nepali Journalists and Working Women Journalists, which adopted resolutions to committing action on disaster resilience.
Capacity-building for 105 journalists and changes in curricula and pedagogical approaches. This was achieved via workshops delivered in partnership with the Nepal Press Institute, Disaster Journalism Network, Tribhuvan University and the Kantipur City College.

Read more about Aftershock Nepal on the project website: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/projects/aftershock-nepal-changing-perceptions-through-sustained-crisis-journalism.

February 3, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – AFRICAB (Sierra Leone, Senegal and Cameroon)

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

Funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund has enabled Bournemouth University academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in developing countries, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes for people in those countries. In February, we are sharing stories about BU’s GCRF research.

In Africa, Professor Lee Miles is leading the AFRICAB project (Driving African Capacity-Building in Disaster Management). This project addresses a locally identified need – that national/local policy-makers/community leaders cannot access usable data/methodologies that can help them identify resolvable weaknesses in disaster response and inform local choices in Sierra Leone, Senegal and Cameroon where combined hazards of frequent fires (dry season), annual flooding (rainy season) and health risks, like COVID-19, affect detrimentally over 3 million people and threaten urban resilience.

Partnerships involve BU’s Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC) and disaster management agencies (Office of National Security/district offices in Bo, Makeni and Kenema and Freetown City Council (Sierra Leone), Centre for Health Emergency Operations (Senegal) and Department for Civil Protection (Cameroon)). At every stage, the partners are fully involved in data collection, co-created reports and publications and workshop delivery, ensuring shared ownership of deliverables.

Benefits to the countries include single-point-of-failure (SPOF) concepts/data informed change in disaster governance, including shaping new Disaster Management laws, agencies and structures in 2020 and first-ever innovative policy initiatives in Sierra Leone through co-created SPOF evidencing of local policymakers.

AFRICAB specific evidenced impacts include:

Stepped changes in urban fire and flood management capacity in a COVID-19 environment at national/local levels through application of scarce-evidence bases utilising SPOFs concepts/diagnostics; Procedural changes to COVID-19 response procedures in National Health Emergency Operations Rooms covering all of Senegal health districts in 2020.
Better governance structures. AFRICAB findings used by the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) to shape legislative change influencing Sierra Leone’s Disaster Management legislation (ratified February 2020). Shaped institutional change creating new national disaster management agency (July 2020) as well as the first 5-year plan of agency (August 2020).
Educational enhancement of vulnerable local fire and flood communities/stakeholders. Sierra Leone’s first ever Minimum Training Competence Requirement in Disaster Management adopted by Freetown City Council for 600 disaster managers, community leaders/local chiefs covering over 1.2 million people in fire, flood and COVID-19 prone areas; supported through 3 locally co-produced SPOF informed workshops and a Facilitator Guide in Disaster Management distributed to all of Freetown’s 300 plus districts, wards and informal settlements directed at handling flooding in a COVID-19 environment during rainy seasons.

Lee and the team are now undertaking further work in Senegal to embed sustainable AFRICAB-informed risk management standard operating procedures for dumpsites in Freetown (2021) to address the issue of uncontrolled fires, thus helping to control risks and save lives and livelihoods.

February 2, 2021

BU research tackles global challenges – Media Action Against Rape (India)

BU research, Global engagement Julie Northam

Funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund has enabled Bournemouth University academics to undertake cutting-edge research in partnership with organisations in developing countries. These projects help to build collaborations with researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in developing countries, ensuring that the outcomes of the research have tangible outcomes for people in those countries. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be sharing stories about BU’s GCRF research.

In India, Professor Einar Thorsen and Dr Chindu Sreedharan are leading the Media Action Against Rape (MAAR) project in partnership with UNESCO New Delhi. The project is looking at the way in which sexual violence is reported in the media. It is the largest study to date analysing news reporting of rape in India – based on 258 in-depth interviews with journalists from 15 languages working across broadcast, print and online media; and a newspaper content analysis across 6 languages. The project maps the challenges journalists face and the way they operationalise existing codes of practices to produce a set of country-specific journalism guidelines. MAAR is building capacity to engender sustainable impact —specifically, for rape reportage, journalism education, and resilience against gendered violence towards women. By working with journalists and reviewing existing journalistic guidelines, the team aims to better understand the complexities of reporting in this area and inform the ways in which reporting should change.

15 events were hosted as part of MAAR, taking place in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Kottayam. These included panel discussions, film screenings, workshops, and street and forum theatre performances (http://www.maar.in/events/). Across the venues, MAAR reached an audience of more than 1,100 people, including journalists, UN representatives, NGO workers, educators, and students.

The MAAR project established the NewsTracker website established, which focusses on the representation of rape and sexual violence in the Indian news media. 177 original stories have been published to date on the website. Two books were published in 2020 (Notes for the Media: Ordinary Indians on the Reporting of Sexual Violence, November 2020; and Hold your Story: Reflections on the News of Sexual Violence in India, November 2020).

MAAR publishes a weekly e-mail newsletter (NoteThis) with curated news about rape and sexual violence from across India (50 editions so far). There is also a searchable database designed for journalists and NGO workers to give access to the raw data behind the NoteThis newsletter.

The MAAR project report and guidelines are due to be launched in New Delhi later this month.

Find out more about the project on the MAAR website: http://www.maar.in/.

July 22, 2020

Due Diligence: International Research Collaborations & Partnerships – Best practice guidance

BU research, Funding opportunities, Guidance, international, pre-award Alice Brown

The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has provided guidance on due diligence regarding the legitimacy of international research collaborators and partners.

We recommend that academics wishing to apply for research funding with collaborators and partners, particularly those out of the UK, should peruse this guidance.

Typical calls requiring such collaborations include funding opportunities that involve the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the Newton Fund and many others.

When you have fully considered this guidance when developing your networks and have identified a call, please contact your pre-award team for submission support. The more partners are involved in a bid, the more work will be required in co-ordinating the research writing and budgets. In parallel, we will need more time to support you with due diligence checks, costing and internal approvals, so please give yourself a minimum of 3 months before the deadline to work on such bids. The earlier you contact us, the more time we will have to work with you.

March 16, 2020

UKIERI Grant Success: Visit to India

Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, Global engagement, international, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Public engagement, Research news, Student Engagement, student research, Uncategorized sshanker

The Departments of Psychology (SciTech), Midwifery and Health Sciences (HSS) from Bournemouth University and SSLA part of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) were successful in getting the United Kingdon India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI) funding to support 10 UK Psychology Students and Staff to visit India. This initiative receives further support from Global Engagement Hub, Bournemouth University.

The Study in India Programme has been designed in collaboration with BU’s project partner university Symbiosis International in India, where this will be hosted. This exchange will offer a program of interactive lectures, workshops, research methods seminars, clinical experience observations, and relevant field visits.

Students will also contribute to research with Sheetal Astitva, which is a GCRF funded initiative aimed to improve mental health in rural India and Nepal. The lead researchers for this initiative are Prof. Edwin van-Teijlingen and Dr. Shanti Shanker.

March 16, 2020

Sheetal Astitva: success in India

Global engagement, Public engagement, Research news, Uncategorized sshanker

Dr Gayatri Kotbagi presented at the International Gender Conference 2020, Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts, Pune, India. She presented on the Mental Health, Rights, and Policies as part of the GCRF funded initiative Sheetal Astitva.

This project led by Prof. Edwin van-Teijlingen and Dr. Shanti Shanker focuses on grassroots level centers addressing the lack of accessibility in rural India. This project collaborates with the Taluka Health Officer at Paud (Mulshi, Dr Ajit Karanjkar) and local medical officers.

Dr. Kotbagi is part of an all women’s group that is conducting workshops on building resilience in turbulent times. The themes include addressing discrimination, building resilience and alliances across communities (i.e. how people from “privileged communities” can unlearn their privilege and collaborate with marginalized communities to create truly inclusive communities).

November 1, 2019

Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Best Practice Workshop

BU research, Events, Research communication, Research news ntealdi

On 24 October 2019, the GCRF Panel of the University hosted the first GCRF Best Practice Workshop that brought together well-over 20 academics, GCRF Principal Investigators/Co-Investigators and interested parties to discuss best practice from existing ongoing GCRF projects and activities being undertaken at BU.

The day began with a rough guide to GCRF terminology delivered by GCRF Panel Chair, Professor Lee Miles of the BUDMC and the morning session was completed by targeted presentations by GCRF project leaders at the University on the nature and progress of their respective projects. This latter session not only provided an opportunity for all those present to have a detailed insight into the diversity of work going on at the University under GCRF auspices – from research on elephant movements in Sumatra, to disaster management scenario building and guidance in Africa and Nepal, to the challenges of utilising new technologies to communicate the views of indigenous communities in South America.

This was followed in the afternoon by detailed sessions chaired by members of the GCRF Panel on design, implementation, monitoring and reporting and synergising of GCRF projects that were not only opportunities for those at the workshop to learn some of the challenges and instances of best practice, but also provided a chance to further discuss the nuances of the respective GCRF open call competition that is presently being advertised by the University.

A vibrant and good natured discussion was a characteristic of all the respective sessions. Informal feedback has been very positive and the GCRF Panel intends to capture some of the insights and commentary of the GCRF workshop to inform its future deliberations.

September 16, 2019

GCRF Best Practice Workshop-Thursday 24th October 09:30-2pm

Uncategorized Rhyannan Hurst

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Panel invites academics involved, or wishing to be involved, in Official Development Assistance (ODA) related research projects to a one–day workshop on Thursday 24th October 2019 from 09:30 – 14:00 on the Talbot Campus

To book please e-mail Organisational Development.

The workshop will review best practice, identify future synergies and will highlight common issues and challenges confronting GCRF projects at the University.

At present, BU staff are leading and/or contributing to a wide range of GCRF eligible projects at various stages of development. Since there are many notable issues and challenges associated with acquiring and delivering the distinctive nature of GCRF related projects, the proposed workshop will bring together existing GCRF participants at the University to share conceptual designs, best practice, common implementation issues and solutions as well as notable work arounds. The workshops will thus enable participants:

To discuss the challenges in designing effective GCRF related projects that must maintain Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and GCRF eligibility;
To explore possibilities for existing and future synergies between GCRF projects at the University;
To identify common implementation challenges presented in transforming a GCRF project into reality;
To share best practice in dealing with local and/or international partners and/or partnerships;
To discuss issues relating to maximising deliverables and impact;
To inform existing and future monitoring and reporting processes of the projects and the University in relation to the GCRF;
To provide insights into effective ways that the University can further enhance effective support for GCRF related projects;
To identify potential future ‘quick wins’ and ‘take away’ that can inform and improve ongoing GCRF projects;
To provide a foundation for future activities of the GCRF panel including a future workshop looking at future bidding for projects beyond the GCRF.

September 2, 2019

Last chance to book – GCRF Best Practice Workshop

BU research, Funding opportunities, Research Training Emily Cieciura

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Panel invites academics involved, or wishing to be involved, in Official Development Assistance (ODA) related research projects to a one–day workshop on Thursday 12^th September 2019 from 09:30 – 16:30 on the Talbot Campus.

You must book by 16:00 on Monday, 9th September to secure your place. Please book via this link.

The workshop will review best practice, identify future synergies and will highlight common issues and challenges confronting GCRF projects at the University.

At present, BU staff are leading and/or contributing to a wide range of GCRF eligible projects at various stages of development. Since there are many notable issues and challenges associated with acquiring and delivering the distinctive nature of GCRF related projects, the proposed workshop will bring together existing GCRF participants at the University to share conceptual designs, best practice, common implementation issues and solutions as well as notable work arounds. The workshops will thus enable participants:

To discuss the challenges in designing effective GCRF related projects that must maintain Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and GCRF eligibility;
To explore possibilities for existing and future synergies between GCRF projects at the University;
To identify common implementation challenges presented in transforming a GCRF project into reality;
To share best practice in dealing with local and/or international partners and/or partnerships;
To discuss issues relating to maximising deliverables and impact;
To inform existing and future monitoring and reporting processes of the projects and the University in relation to the GCRF;
To provide insights into effective ways that the University can further enhance effective support for GCRF related projects;
To identify potential future ‘quick wins’ and ‘take away’ that can inform and improve ongoing GCRF projects;
To provide a foundation for future activities of the GCRF panel including a future workshop looking at future bidding for projects beyond the GCRF.

Tagged / GCRF

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Due Diligence: International Research Collaborations & Partnerships – Best practice guidance

Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Best Practice Workshop

GCRF Best Practice Workshop-Thursday 24th October 09:30-2pm

Last chance to book – GCRF Best Practice Workshop

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