BU Research Blog

5 June 2025

Share your public engagement event with a wider audience

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

If you’re running an event or activity that is open to non-academic audiences and showcases BU research, the Public Engagement with Research team in RDS can help spread the word.

We can help you promote public engagement with research events through our monthly newsletter and social media channels.

To be included, your event must:

Be aimed at and open to the general public (not academic audiences)
Feature BU research – either as the main focus or part of a larger programme
Be submitted by the middle of the month before the event (e.g. submit by 14 May for a June event)

Please note: we may edit event descriptions to align with our other communications.

Ready to share your event?

If you have any questions, get in touch with the team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

3 June 2025

RKEDF June Digest – development opportunities

Training jfallows

Book now for RKEDF training in June 2025

Click on the titles to find further details and book your place

RKEDF: Principal Investigation – Post Award for RKE

Wednesday 4th June 13:00-14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus

This session is aimed at any researcher who is, who plans to be, a Principal Investigator for an externally funded research or knowledge exchange project. By the end of the session, attendees will have a strong foundation of what to expect when being responsible for their awarded projects. Topics covered include:

What is post award? • Roles and responsibilities • Systems
Key policies • Starting your awarded project • Making changes to your project and reporting • Hints and tips

Developing Policy Engagement for Impact

Wednesday 11th June 09:00-13:30 – online

Are you preparing an impact case study for REF 2029? Do you need expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches decision makers? If so, this online workshop is perfect for you. Carys Davis, a public affairs and policy consultant from The Other Place Public Affairs Ltd., will lead this workshop. RDS’s Impact Team will be present to offer support and guidance. Gain valuable insights and practical tips to effectively engage with policy makers and highlight your research.

This workshop is primarily aimed at researchers working on impact case studies for REF 2029, who will be given priority for registration. If you’re unsure whether this is suitable for you, please consult your UOA impact champion. This workshop will be held online via Zoom. The link will be sent out closer to the date.

BRIAN drop in surgery

Tuesday 17th June 13:00-15:00 – in person, BG-315, Lansdowne Campus

This is an in person, 2 hour drop in surgery for questions or issues relating to BRIAN. No question is a stupid question so pop in and ask. No booking required.

RSA: Getting Started, Securing Funding, and Advancing Your Career

Thursday 19th June – 10:00 – 14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus

This in-person event will take place over lunch and is dedicated to providing support, inspiration, and encouraging meaningful connections among research staff across all faculties. There will be expert advice on getting started and securing funding, along with practical tips from peers who will share case study examples of successful grants and lessons learned. By the end of the session, you’ll have valuable tools to navigate funding opportunities and plan your next steps—whether in academia or beyond. It is also a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and be part of a supportive research community. Open to all BU research staff, no matter where you are in your research journey.

Getting your REF impact case study off the ground

Thursday 26th June – 09:30 – 12:30, in person, Tabot Campus

This practical workshop gives you the opportunity to plan your impact case study. Starting this process early can help to gain much-needed clarity, both about your impact project(s) and about expectations for the final product for REF2029. In this workshop, Bella Reichard will guide you through creating (1) a narrative arc for your impact case study, and (2) an action plan to progress and evidence your impacts.

This workshop is for anyone who is considering preparing an impact case study for submission to REF2029. You may have submitted drafts to internal REF mock exercises in 2023 or 2024. You may be new to the process, in which case please let your relevant BU Impact Champion know that you’re interested in preparing a case study. This workshop is not limited to a single person per potential case study. If several academics are collaborating on a project it can be very useful to attend together.

Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit

Do you want to refresh your researcher skills? Have a look at the Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit (on demand online modules). Further information on how to access Epigeum courses can be found here.

Links for further RKE information and support are below:

RKE SharePoint page: RKE – Home

RKEDF SharePoint for development opportunities: Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework RKEDF – Home

RKEDF Brightspace: Homepage – Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework

Please help us in avoiding any waste of resources; make sure you can attend or cancel your booking prior to the session. For any further information, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk  

3 June 2025

Research Café: How are researchers working to prevent child drowning in Bangladesh? – Tuesday 1 July 6:30-8pm

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Get inspired at BU’s Research Café

Join a community of curious minds to ask questions, share ideas, and explore research at Bournemouth University. Enjoy thought-provoking talks followed by lively discussions, where you can engage directly with guest speakers and fellow attendees.

Our next event will explore the Sonamoni Project, an international collaboration focused on preventing drowning among children in rural Bangladesh.

Join us on Tuesday 1 July, from 6:30 to 8pm, for a short talk and open discussion with researchers from Bournemouth University. They will share insights from the Sonamoni Project, which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research.

In many Bangladeshi communities, child safety has a direct impact on whether women are able to work. This talk will also look at how community-led safety initiatives not only protect children but also support women’s livelihoods.

The research team brings together experts from three UK universities, the RNLI, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research in Bangladesh, and Design without Borders in Uganda. The evening will also include an interactive virtual reality experience that brings the research to life.

Taking place at the BGB Café, the event will begin at 6:30pm. The café opens at 6pm, so arrive early to buy a drink and a bite to eat before the event begins.

If you have any questions about this event, please email the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

30 May 2025

Help highlight BU’s Impact – Share your involvement in Community and Cultural Events

HEIF, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Contribute to the HE-BCI survey: Share your involvement in BU’s social, community, and cultural events

BU is required to report a wide range of knowledge exchange activities as part of the HE-BCI survey, collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). It’s important that we provide a full and accurate picture, as Research England uses this data to inform the annual allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).

For 2024–25, BU received £549,064.

Data collection period

We’re collecting details of all BU-led social, community, and cultural engagement events taking place between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Please make sure all relevant events are uploaded to the SharePoint site by Friday 17 October 2025.

Find your faculty table

Complete the table for your faculty, ensuring all columns are filled in, particularly Number of Attendees and Academic Staff Time for Delivery.

Important note

This year, we won’t be able to include data uploaded only to BRIAN’s public engagement records, as these do not provide all the details required by HESA.

If you’ve already added events to BRIAN for this period, please also upload full details to the SharePoint site, otherwise your event can’t be included in the survey.

Further support

For guidance on what to include, check the FAQ section.

If you have questions about the process or data requirements, please get in touch at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

27 May 2025

Policy engagement for impact sessions – last chance to book!

Knowledge Exchange, Training Amanda Edwards

We have a few places available for our policy engagement training sessions, which are now open to any researchers interested in learning how to get their research in front of decision makers.

DATES & TIMES

Friday 30th May, 9.30am-1pm, F306, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact BOOK HERE

Wednesday 11th June, 9.30am-1pm, online via Zoom
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact (same content) BOOK HERE

KEY DETAILS

Developing Policy Engagement for Impact
Facilitated by BU’s policy consultant Carys Davis, this provides expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches and informs decision makers. Topics covered:

The purpose of influencing, the role of evidence and what it means for you
Writing elevator pitches and key messages
Principles of communicating with policy and decision makers
Effective policy writing
Understanding the policymaking landscape.

20 May 2025

Reminder – Submit Your Application for the 2025 ESRC Festival: Deadline Friday 23 May

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival

About the Festival of Social Science

The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.

The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.

The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.

What are the festival aims?

Encourage, support & create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with the public and young people
Promote & increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC-funded research, & the contribution social science makes to the UK
Enable the public to engage with social science research
Engage with teachers and young people and raise their awareness of the social sciences

Training to run a great event

The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.

Applications will be assessed on 5 key areas

Motivation for taking part – Show you have thought carefully about why you are applying e.g. to pilot an idea, reach a new audience, or develop public engagement skills, and what you hope to gain.
Target audience identified – Events must be aimed at a non-academic audience. Clearly define who your audience is (e.g. a specific public group, community, or professional sector). If you are proposing an event for professionals, businesses, policymakers, or third sector organisations, please note that ESRC rules only permit up to 20% of our events to be targeted at these groups. As we often receive many proposals in this category, selecting one of these audiences may reduce your chances of taking part.
Audience motivation – Show why your chosen audience would be interested in your activity, and how and when they might engage.
Content & format – Demonstrate initial ideas for what the activity will involve, why the format suits the goal (e.g. in-person, online), and considerations for timing and location.
Appropriate costing – Budget should be realistic, clear, and fit the scale and type of activity.

How to apply

We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.

Apply to take part by completing the online application form.

Deadline for applications:  5pm  FRIDAY 23 MAY 2025 

You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.

Please read before applying

Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.

Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.

Contact us

Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

14 May 2025

May’s Research Café – Showcasing tomorrow’s researchers

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Postgraduate researchers took the spotlight at BU’s latest Research Café

We had a packed house at the BGB Café for a fascinating evening engaging conversation.

Three passionate postgraduate researchers from Bournemouth University took the stage to share their work. Each speaker gave a short talk on their research, sparking plenty of interest and questions from the audience. We covered everything from what drives our travel choices, to how nostalgia shapes our experience of video games, to the links between alcohol and eating habits in women.

Anna Preece Thesis: Disordered eating behaviours as a barrier to recovery in women with alcohol dependence | Rehabilitation and Sports Sciences (HSS)

Anna presented research on the behavioural links between food and alcohol, exploring how drinking habits and eating behaviours are connected in women. The talk highlighted the implications of these connections for mental health and well-being and discussed ways to improve support for individuals facing these challenges.

Jordan King presenting at Research Café

Jordan King Thesis: Exploring Nostalgic Experiences in Video Games | Psychology (FST)

Jordan explored the emotional power of video games, examining how they evoke memories from the past and create a sense of nostalgia. The talk focused on how digital play connects us to both personal and cultural memories, highlighting the deep emotional impact of gaming.

Wookjun Lee talking at Research Café

Wookjun Lee Thesis: Tourists’ use of public transportation in urban destinations: An experiential perspective | Marketing, Strategy and Innovation (BUBS)

Wookjun examined the factors influencing tourists’ travel choices, focusing on the role of public transport and how to encourage more eco-friendly travel habits. The talk highlighted strategies for promoting greener, more sustainable options for tourists.

It was a great chance to explore topics that affect our everyday lives and get a glimpse into the real-world impact of research happening at BU.

Attendees shared “It was a lovely event. A great time to learn and bond with other researchers” “It was inspiring to see the next generation of researchers sharing their work”

“I found it really interesting to hear directly from postgraduate researchers about the work happening at BU. The range of topics and the enthusiasm behind them made it a really engaging event”

Anna Preece speaking at Research Café

As one of the evening’s speakers, Anna Preece reflected on the experience

“I wanted the opportunity to share my research and hear people’s thoughts and questions about the project. It’s so important in research to hear different perspectives, especially those outside of academia, as they can challenge our thinking, or bring in new ideas… When you’re deep in the research, it’s easy to get lost in the data, so being reminded of the real-world context was invaluable… I hope attendees found the evening thought provoking and enjoyable and it helped them start to recognise the overlap between food and alcohol behaviours and consider what that might look like for themselves or someone they care about.”

Enrica Conrotto, Doctoral College Programme Manager at Bournemouth University, attended the evening and said

“a fantastic event showcasing the work of our Doctoral College PGRs. Congratulations to Anna Preece, Jordan King and Wookjun Lee for their engaging presentations, and a big thank you to the Public Engagement Team for organising the evening. An inspiring evening filled with engaging discussion”

Next up in our Research Café series

Tuesday 1 July, 6:30-8pm at BGB Café

More details coming soon

Contact 

If you have any questions about this event or the Research Café series, please contact the Public Engagement with Research Team at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

12 May 2025

Targeted workshops for REF 2029 impact case study teams

REF 2029 impact case studies Amanda Edwards

Limited places available – sign up now for May and June!

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

DATES & TIMES

Friday 30th May, 9.30am-1pm, F306, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact BOOK HERE

Wednesday 11th June, 9.30am-1pm, online via Zoom
Developing Policy Engagement for Impact (same content) BOOK HERE

Thursday 26th June, 9.30am-12.30pm, FG04, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Getting your REF Impact Case Study off the Ground BOOK HERE

KEY DETAILS

Developing Policy Engagement for Impact
Facilitated by BU’s policy consultant Carys Davis, this provides expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches and informs decision makers. Topics covered:

The purpose of influencing, the role of evidence and what it means for you
Writing elevator pitches and key messages
Principles of communicating with policy and decision makers
Effective policy writing
Understanding the policymaking landscape.

Getting your REF Impact Case Study off the Ground
Research impact consultant Bella Reichard delivers this workshop, which she describes as “part training, part retreat” to help provide clarity in developing a polished impact case study for REF 2029. This includes:

Creating a narrative arc
Guidance writing your own summary of impact
Devising an action plan
Focus on evaluation and evidence of impact.

Who are these workshops for?

All sessions are aimed primarily at researchers considering, or in the process of, preparing an impact case study for submission to REF 2029.
They are not limited to a single person per potential case study – it can be useful for teams and/or relevant impact champions to attend together.
If you are not sure if they are suitable for you, please contact your UOA impact champion.

12 May 2025

Take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science: Application Deadline Extended to Friday 23 May 2025

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival

The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.

About the Festival of Social Science

The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.

The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.

What are the festival aims?

Encourage, support & create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with the public and young people
Promote & increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC-funded research, & the contribution social science makes to the UK
Enable the public to engage with social science research
Engage with teachers and young people and raise their awareness of the social sciences

Training to run a great event

The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.

Applications will be assessed on these 5 key areas

Motivation for taking part – Show you have thought carefully about why you are applying e.g. to pilot an idea, reach a new audience, or develop public engagement skills, and what you hope to gain.

Target audience identified – Events must be aimed at a non-academic audience. Clearly define who your audience is (e.g. a specific public group, community, or professional sector). If you are proposing an event for professionals, businesses, policymakers, or third sector organisations, please note that ESRC rules only permit up to 20% of our events to be targeted at these groups. As we often receive many proposals in this category, selecting one of these audiences may reduce your chances of taking part.

Audience motivation – Show why your chosen audience would be interested in your activity, and how and when they might engage.

Content & format – Demonstrate initial ideas for what the activity will involve, why the format suits the goal (e.g. in-person, online), and considerations for timing and location.

Appropriate costing – Budget should be realistic, clear, and fit the scale and type of activity.

How to apply

We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.

Apply to take part by completing the online application form.

Deadline for applications EXTENDED to: 5pm  FRIDAY 23 May 2025 

You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.

Please read before applying

Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.

Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.

Contact us

Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

7 May 2025

BA ECRN: Impact and Engagement Workshop

Public engagement jfallows

5^th June 2025, Impact & Engagement Workshop in Bath, including AHRC & British Academy

Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Bath, 1000-1600 (optional to 1700)

The impact and public engagement agenda in the UK and internationally are rapidly changing the nature of academic work across disciplines and affecting the shape of academic careers and post-doctoral research opportunities more widely.

It is important to understand how the opportunities and requirements produced by this shift can help Early Career Researchers strengthen their research portfolios, networks, and ultimately help secure an interesting and meaningful research career.

Join us for a day of workshopping, discussions and networking where we’ll benefit from the insights of experts and peers on impact and public engagement in humanities and social sciences research.

We will be guided towards fruitful ways of (re)imagining our research, extending its reach, building academic and non-academic collaborations, and strengthening our standing in the national and international research space.

Book your place here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/earlycareerresearchernetwork/1676717

Tentative agenda:

09:15-10:00	Registration and Networking
10:00 – 10:05 10:05 – 10:15	Welcome – Bath Spa University Aims for today & framework
10:15 – 10.45	Temperature check Interactive check-in – how is everyone feeling about their professional identity, current and future career? – what are the issues of concern? – what is going well?
10.45 – 12.00	Building professional integrity through impact and engagement in a dynamic research environment and shifting culture (tentative title) – Tracey Stead, Leadership Development Consultant, Facilitator & Coach
12.00 – 13:00	Lunch
13:00 – 14:30	Public Engagement: an overview of the PE landscape with a presentation of case studies demonstrating the value and impact of PE (tentative title) – Mike Collins, Head of Public Engagement, Arts and Humanities Research Council
14:30 – 14:35	Comfort Break
14:35 – 15:30	Public engagement and impact: what does it mean for your career going forward?– a set of facilitated interactive sessions tbc
15:30 – 16:00	Temperature re-check and moving forward Check back to points raised at the start of day Plan: where to go from here?
16:00 – 17:00	Afternoon Tea and Networking (optional)

6 May 2025

Take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science – Deadline for applications: Thursday 15 May 2025 

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival

The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.

About the Festival of Social Science

The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.

The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.

What are the festival aims?

Encourage, support & create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with the public and young people
Promote & increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC-funded research, & the contribution social science makes to the UK
Enable the public to engage with social science research
Engage with teachers and young people and raise their awareness of the social sciences

Training to run a great event

The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.

To help you develop your application, you can sign up to attend the Introduction to Festival of Social Science 2025 webinar on Thursday 8 May, 12pm via Teams.

Applications will be assessed on these 5 key areas

Motivation for taking part – Show you have thought carefully about why you are applying e.g. to pilot an idea, reach a new audience, or develop public engagement skills, and what you hope to gain.

Target audience identified – Events must be aimed at a non-academic audience. Clearly define who your audience is (e.g. a specific public group, community, or professional sector). If you are proposing an event for professionals, businesses, policymakers, or third sector organisations, please note that ESRC rules only permit up to 20% of our events to be targeted at these groups. As we often receive many proposals in this category, selecting one of these audiences may reduce your chances of taking part.

Audience motivation – Show why your chosen audience would be interested in your activity, and how and when they might engage.

Content & format – Demonstrate initial ideas for what the activity will involve, why the format suits the goal (e.g. in-person, online), and considerations for timing and location.

Appropriate costing – Budget should be realistic, clear, and fit the scale and type of activity.

How to apply

We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.

Apply to take part by completing the online application form.

Deadline for applications: 11:59pm, Thursday 15 May 2025 

You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.

Please read before applying

Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.

Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.

Contact us

Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

25 April 2025

Apply now to take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Up to £1,000 per event available to engage the public with your research in a national prestigious festival

The 23rd annual ESRC Festival of Social Science (FoSS) takes place Saturday 18 October – Saturday 8 November 2025, with the theme of ‘Our Working Lives’.

How to apply

We are particularly keen to receive applications from PGRs and early to mid-career researchers and encourage groups/teams to apply. If you have a supervisor, they will need to endorse your application by emailing publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

If you are considering applying, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly as early as possible.

Apply to take part by completing the online application form.

Deadline for applications: 11:59pm, Thursday 15 May 2025 

You can view the slides from the Information Session here. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you would like to revisit what was covered, you can also watch the session here.

About the Festival of Social Science

The festival is an annual UK-wide celebration of research and knowledge about people and society, organised and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It provides a platform for researchers from UK universities to engage the public in a wide range of topics, from health and wellbeing to crime, equality, education, and identity, through engaging events such as exhibitions, lectures, panel debates, performances, and workshops.

The festival is free to attend, with most events open to everyone, though some may target specific groups. It offers researchers a unique opportunity to take their work beyond the university, connect with diverse audiences, and present their research in creative and accessible ways. Funding of up to £1,000 per event is available.

Training to run a great event

The national FoSS team is coordinating public engagement training with Engagement Trainer and Consultant Jamie Gallagher in June (repeated in September). Attendance at these sessions is mandatory for all event leads to attend and further details will be shared upon successful application.

To help you develop your application, you can sign up to attend the Introduction to Festival of Social Science 2025 webinar on 8th May, 12pm via Teams.

Please read before applying

Before submitting your application, please make sure you meet both the ESRC eligibility criteria and our key requirements. This is essential for your proposal to be considered. Applications that reference academic or undergraduate audiences, or propose campus-based venues, will not be eligible. This opportunity is focused on public engagement beyond academic settings.

Festival Event Leader Pack this practical guide supports researchers in planning and delivering events for the festival. It covers the festival’s aims, event criteria, useful planning tips, audience engagement, and evaluation. It also details the funding, training, and promotional support available from the ESRC, making it a key resource for aligning events with the festival’s goals.

Contact us

Please contact the Public Engagement Team to discuss your application publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

17 April 2025

Share your involvement – contribute to the HE-BCI survey on BU’s social, community, and cultural events

HEIF, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Contribute to the HE-BCI survey: Share your involvement in BU’s social, community, and cultural events

BU is required to report on a range of knowledge exchange activities for the HE-BCI survey, which is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). It is essential that we provide a comprehensive overview of these activities, as Research England uses the HE-BCI data to inform the allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) each year.

For 2024-25, BU received £549,064.

Data collection period

The SharePoint site collects details about all the social, community and cultural engagement events BU delivers between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025. Information about all events delivered during this period need to be uploaded by Friday 17 October 2025.

Find your faculty table

Please ensure you complete all the columns in the individual table for each faculty, especially Number of Attendees and Academic Staff Time for Delivery.

This year, for the first time, we will not be able to include information uploaded to the public engagement records on BRIAN as these do not provide all the data HESA requires.

If you have added data to BRIAN for the relevant time period, please also upload full details here or we will not be able to include your event in the survey.

Further support

For more guidance on what you must include, please refer to the FAQ section.

If you have any questions about the data collection or process, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

16 April 2025

European Migration Research and Impact – Invitation to a Roundtable Discussion

awimbledon

Date: Wednesday, 7^th May, 10am-12pm

Venue: K101 Talbot Campus

Ticket booking: European Migration Research & Impact – Invitation to Roundtable Discussion Tickets, Wed 7 May 2025 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

As part of our recently awarded, British Council-funded “Springboard” project, titled ‘Between vulnerability and resilience: gendering anti-migrant nationalism and migrant responses’, we would like to invite colleagues and PGRs from across BU and AUB with related research interest to a Roundtable discussion on European Migration Research & Impact on 7^th May, from 10am to 12pm.

The panel will feature European and BU colleagues actively involved in researching migration across the continent and in the UK, bringing together both internal and international, cross-disciplinary expertise and experience of how to build impact into their projects from scratch. It will also benefit from specialised RDS/REF insights on building research impact. We plan to critically explore different types of potential impact, how to develop impactful research, and discuss both opportunities as well as limitations in achieving meaningful impact through migration research. We hope this panel will aid, inform, and inspire both early and advanced academics interested in migration research, including and beyond Europe, and we welcome lively contributions and discussions. The event will also provide an opportunity for academics across disciplines, working on or interested in related topics, to network with colleagues within and beyond the university.

The Springboard grant awarded by the British Council aims at deepening, specifically, German-UK academic collaborations and developing research projects together. The project is led by Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers (PI), Dilvin Dilara Usta and Anna Wimbledon (Co-Is), all of BU’s Centre for Seldom Heard Voices (CSHV). Beyond British Council funding, project development has kindly been supported by BU’s Global Engagement, RDS, and the FHSS faculty teams as well as the CSHV. Our current international partners include (international lead team only) Carolin Leutloff-Grandits from the B/Orders in Motion research centre at the European University Viadrina (EUV), Frankfurt (Oder), Germany; our long-term partner Linda Gusia of the Sociology Institute and Gender Studies Programme of the University of Prishtina, Kosovo; and Emma Shercliff of the Arts University Bournemouth.

This international team, including further senior researchers, ECRs and PGRs from all the involved partners, is coming together in early May for a dedicated workshop to develop its collaborations, links, and future project plans. (To avoid confusion: the Springboard project and workshop is both complementary to and separate from, Dilvin’s and Anna’s current British Academy-funded project on Crimmigration, which runs in parallel and aims at building collaborative networks, specifically, amongst UK-ECRs and with local non-academic partners; see recent announcement for this associated event, taking place on 16^th May).

International Springboard team members Carolin Leutloff-Grandits, co-editor of Migrating Borders and Moving Times (2017) and author of Translocal Care Across Kosovo’s Borders; and Dr Marija Grujić, currently co-leading a project on Gendering asylum infrastructures in Germany and the UK, both of the B/Orders in Motion research centre at EUV, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, have kindly agreed to speak on the European Migration Research & Impact roundtable. Furthermore, we are delighted to welcome Dr Ingrida Kerusauskaite-Palmer of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (Institute of Law), Vilnius, on the panel, who recently completed policy-relevant research on the local, societal impact of Ukrainian migration to Central Europe, and who also is a Visiting Fellow at FHSS. Finally, we are particularly pleased to confirm attendance of BU academics and migration experts, Alina Dolea (who has studied and advised on Romanian migrations) and Nicola De Martini Ugolotti (who has worked with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Italy and the UK), as well as of RDS impact manager, Amanda Edwards, as panellists. Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers will chair the panel discussion who, herself, has a long history in studying, specifically, Albanian migrations and societal responses.

14 April 2025

BU research on road network efficiency reported in Times of India

international wchai

BU research , led by PhD graduate Dr. Assemgul Kozhabek and Dr. Wei Koong Chai, on characterising efficiency of road networks in big populous cities around the world was covered by the Times of India, the world’s largest selling English-language daily in the world. The article reported the findings from BU’s work, specifically highlighted its insights into the structure, properties and efficiency of road networks in relevant cities in India.

Article: “Study rates ‘efficiency’ of city road network” March 17 2025, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/study-rates-efficiency-of-city-road-network/articleshow/119086477.cms.

14 April 2025

BU collaborates with University of Exeter on modelling innovation adoption

innovation, open access, Publishing wchai

Bournemouth University (BU) has collaborated with the University of Exeter on modelling innovation adoption diffusion. The work, led by Dr. Wei Koong Chai in BU, draw on the epidemic theory and model the diffusion dynamics considering (1) the role of network structures in dictating the spread of adoption and (2) how individual’s characteristic/capability influences the path of diffusion (e.g. an individual may have different attitude or ability towards adopting a new innovation). A positive adoption decision is related to the number of neighbors adopting the innovation. The neighbors decisions are, in turn, dependent on their own neighbors and so, it forms a complex cascading inter-dependent relationship between the different individuals in the network. As such, each node in the network is unique and its relevant adoption rate must be considered separately conditioned with the activities occurring in the network over time.

The model offers insights into how the network spectrum affects the innovation exposure rate and spreading of innovation individually and across communities with different adoption behaviours. It also illustrates the effects of the embedded social structure and the characteristics of individuals in the network on the path of innovation diffusion via two use cases: (i) innovation adoption of EU countries in a Single Market Programme and (ii) innovation adoption of specific class of technology (specifically financial technologies (FinTech)).

Reference:

Duanmu, JL., Chai, W.K. Modelling innovation adoption spreading in complex networks. Appl Netw Sci 10, 10 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-025-00698-8

10 April 2025

Register your interest in co-development of new REF2029 Engagement & Impact element

Public engagement Amanda Edwards

The REF central team has announced registration is open to take part in the co-development of the policy and guidance for the Engagement and Impact (E&I) element of REF2029. This is in addition to the current recruitment to panels and subpanels.

Deadline for registering interest: Tuesday 6 May 2025
Co-development workshop: Thursday 5^th & Friday 6^th June 2025, London

Topics likely to be covered include (but are not limited to):

the definition of engagement and its role in the assessment framework
the definition of rigour
the content and weighting of disciplinary statements
the number of case studies required.

Click here for full details on the E&I deep dive two-day session and how to apply. Please email the BU REF team to let us know if you do apply.

9 April 2025

Promote your public engagement event to wider audiences

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

At BU, we celebrate and support efforts to engage the public with our research.

The Public Engagement with Research team in RDS can help promote your event to relevant audiences through our monthly newsletter and social media channels.

To be considered for inclusion, your event or activity must be:

intended for and open to non-academic audiences
focused on BU research, either solely or as part of a wider programme (events that do not involve BU research, such as marketing or recruitment activities, will not be accepted)
submitted no later than the first two weeks of the month before the event. For example, for a June event, submit by 14 May.

Please note: event descriptions may be edited for consistency with other content

Share your upcoming public event or activity

If you have any questions, please contact the team publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk

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BA ECRN: Impact and Engagement Workshop

Share your involvement – contribute to the HE-BCI survey on BU’s social, community, and cultural events

BU research on road network efficiency reported in Times of India

BU collaborates with University of Exeter on modelling innovation adoption

Register your interest in co-development of new REF2029 Engagement & Impact element

Promote your public engagement event to wider audiences

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