Tagged / science

The Royal Society Pairing Scheme

Training

This scheme gives policymakers and research scientists an opportunity to experience each other’s worlds.

Every year the scheme shows that 30 research scientists are paired up with UK parliamentarians and civil servants. The article states that you are then put together to learn about each other’s work whilst spending some time together in Westminster and the researchers lab.

The article then goes on to mention that those taking part can gain a better understanding of how research findings can help inform policy making.

“I can now see how important science is for making policies, even those that are not directly associated with science and technology issues.”

Dr Kate Lancaster paired with Anne Snelgrove MP

The pairing scheme takes place once a year, starting of with a ‘Week in Westminster’ where you first meet with who you are paired with. Part of the week includes workshops, speakers and spending two days shadowing your pair.

It is then time for the parliamentarians and civil servants to get an insight into the world of research, visiting labs from there pairs.

“My day at the University’s School of Chemistry was enormously useful, particularly in understanding some of the complex issues which affect the careers of research scientists and the funding of fundamental research”

John Denham MP paired with Dr Martin Bates.

So why should scientists get involved in this scheme?

  • Learn how parliament and government work and how you can feed in to the policy making process
  • Find out how your research can inform policy decisions
  • Build lasting relationships with parliamentarians and civil servants
  • Network with fellow scientists

To read the full article and find out more on who has taken part in previous years or the benefits of parliamentarians and civil servants taking part, please click here, or click here to start your application, the deadline is 24th May.

NERC Innovation Projects

Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

 

The Innovation Projects call supports projects that are likely to generate little or no commercial return, but which will deliver impact.

The call aims to increase and accelerate the uptake and impact of NERC funded research output by supporting translational and knowledge exchange activity which delivers direct tangible and demonstrable benefits to end users.  The Follow-on Fund is for those projects that aim to be fully commercialised with a revenue stream derived from licensing, spinouts, consultancy etc.

A maximum of £125k (£100k at 80% FEC) may be requested.  Projects are expected to start in May 2015 and to last for up to 12 months.  Smaller, targeted activities of three to six months are also welcome and NERC anticipates seeing a range of requests within the £125k limit, reflecting a diverse range of potential projects and activities.

The closing date is 16.00 hrs on 18th December, 2014

For further information go to  the  website

Call for research proposals – Defence Medical Sciences

Funding opportunities

New SBRI call – Up to £500k of funding is available for this Phase 1 competition.

MOD’s Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) are launching a call for research proposals to identify new and innovative science and technology to enhance the level of military medical care and support to service personnel.

This CDE competition aims to promote military resilience and preparedness through:

Challenge 1. Technologies for health surveillance

Predicting injury, infection or disease in a military population on operations helps maintain fighting ability. This challenge seeks to identify areas of physiology and biochemical pathways that, with new surveillance and analysis technology, can provide novel ways of assessing health and wellbeing.

Challenge 2.  Advanced medical systems for field care

Post-Afghanistan, operational medicine will evolve. Future medical capability will rely on smart, innovative, less logistically intense ways of diagnosing and treating medical emergencies. This challenge seeks innovative technologies that can be used routinely by non-specialists in an operational setting to diagnose the cause and severity of injury or illness and assist in providing care.

A free briefing event will take place at the CDE Tuesday 30 September 2014 in Scotland.

Further details can be accessed via the website.

 

 

 

Science and the Media – Invitation to participate

The new ‘Science and the Media’ research cluster, situated in the Media School, is holding a mini-conference on Wednesday, 12 December from 2 to 4:30 pm (in CG01, Christchurch House).

We are hoping to involve all BU colleagues and doctoral students engaged in research on a topic related to this broad theme, so please consider joining us.

If you would like to make a short, informal presentation describing what you are researching (15 minutes or so, followed by questions), kindly get in touch with one of us asap. We will be pleased to add you to the afternoon’s programme.

Many thanks, and with best wishes

Stuart (and Shelley and An)

 

Brief bios:

Stuart Allan’s science-related publications include Environmental Risks and the Media (co-edited, 2000), Media, Risk and Science (2002), and Nanotechnology, Risk and Communication (co-authored, 2009). Recent co-written journal articles have appeared in New Genetics and Society (2005), Science Communication (2005), Health, Risk & Society (2007), Public Understanding of Science (2009), and Journal of Risk Research (2010), amongst others. In 2011, he edited a special issue of Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism focusing on the topic ‘Science Journalism in a Digital Age.’

Shelley Thompson lectures in Corporate and Marketing Communications in the Media School at BU. Shelley’s current research explores the framing of nanotechnology in the mainstream press, in both print and online contexts. Her research interests around science primarily link to communicating science to a non-specialist audience, especially looking at the ways the mainstream media frame emerging science and technology.

An Nguyen is Senior Lecturer in Journalism in the Media School at BU. His research interests include public engagement in science debates in the media and the role of journalists in facilitating that process. An area where he has explored these issues in-depth is public connections to climate change. He is writing a book, Science News and the Public, for Bloomsbury Academic.

Fancy working in Brazil?

 Science without Borders is a Brazilian scholarship programme which aims to provide mobility opportunities between Brazil and Europe, for undergraduates, postgraduates, postdoctoral and senior research fellows in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The programme aims to:

  • Increase the presence of Brazilian students, scientists and industry personnel in international institutions of excellence;
  • Attract young investigators and internationally recognised research leaders to Brazil to work with local researchers in joint projects; and
  • Encourage the internationalisation of universities and research centres in Brazil through international partnerships.

There are a number of ways of getting involved:

  1. Host Brazilian undergraduates and postgraduates – with a view to start hosting for the 2012/13 academic year. A bilateral agreement between the UK and Brazil has been signed, Universities UK (UUK) is the UK partner organisation.
  2. Apply for a research grant to work in Brazil:
  3. Young post-doctoral researchers can apply under the ‘Attraction of Talented Youth’ programme for a two to three year long research project in Brazil;
  4. Science leaders can apply under the ‘Special Visiting Researcher’ grants that will fund joint projects with research groups in Brazil and fund work in Brazil for up to three months every year.

 
2012 call deadlines for the ‘Attraction of Talented Youth’ programme and ‘Special Visiting Researcher’ grants are 15 February, 4 June and 1 October.