Tagged / Vitae

Vitae Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition: Applications Now Open

PG research

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition is back. Originally established by the University of Queensland, this globally recognised challenge invites doctoral researchers to condense their entire thesis into a high-impact, three-minute presentation designed for a general audience

The first BU round of the competition will take place via pre-recorded presentations.

To participate, you must:

Deadline: Both your online application form and video presentation must be submitted by 9am on Monday 20 April.

Please note: Applications submitted without a presentation will not be considered for Faculty selection.

A Faculty Panel will select a winner for each school. Finalists will be invited to the in-person BU Final on campus on Wednesday 17 June.

Prepare Your Submission

To ensure your presentation meets the official criteria and recording standards, please consult these resources

Eligibility Criteria

You are eligible to apply if:

  • You are an active PhD or Professional Doctorate candidate
  • You have successfully passed your Probationary Review

Exclusions: MRes/MPhil students, graduates, and students currently on interruption are not eligible.

Remote & Part-Time Researchers: If you cannot attend the campus final due to your status, a pre-recorded video submission is permitted in accordance with official rules.

Why Join the Challenge?

  • Refine Public Speaking: Master the “elevator pitch” for complex data
  • Boost Your Profile: Gain visibility within the university and the wider research community
  • National Recognition: The winner will represent BU at the National Vitae 3MT competition
  • Earn Prizes: All finalists receive a Doctoral College backpack, plus a chance to win:
    • 1st Prize: £150 voucher
    • 2nd Prize: £100 voucher
    • 3rd Prize: £50 voucher
    • People’s Choice: £50 voucher

Learn More

For more on the history and global impact, visit the official Vitae and 3MT® websites.

Further information is available on Brightspace

Watch the 2025 BU winners here

Registration to attend the final will open in May.

If you have any questions, please contact the team at: pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

Bursaries available to attend the 2024 Vitae Researcher Development Conference

conferences

A number of bursaries are available to enable researchers to attend the Vitae International Researcher Development Conference 2024.

The conference takes place online from 3rd-5th September and in-person in Birmingham on 23rd and 24th September.

It is the flagship annual event of Vitae, a non-profit programme to support the professional development of researchers, and will cover topics around policy and practice in researcher development.

29 bursaries are available in total – covering attendance at both the online and in-person events or the online-only elements.

The bursaries have been sponsored by UKRI, British Academy’s Early Career Researcher Network, and Wellcome – with different criteria for each.

They are available to researchers in the following categories:

  • who are, have been, or are looking to be involved in researcher networks and staff associations or committees (UKRI bursaries)
  • part of the BA Early Career Researcher Network (British Academy bursaries)
  • with an interest in equity, diversity and inclusion within the research environment (Wellcome bursaries)

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 20th August.

For more information and to apply, please visit the Vitae Researcher Development Conference website

Recruiting : FST and BUBS Research Staff Association Representatives

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

Recruiting FST and BUBS Faculty RSA Representatives

The Faculty RSA reps role is to support the Institutional reps with the running of the BU RSA, attending the Research Concordat Steering Group, and Faculty Research and Professional Practice Committee Meetings, to provide an update on the BU RSA and feedback any comments or concerns.

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

If you are interested in the FST RSA rep or BUBS  RSA rep role, please supply a few words to demonstrate your interest and availability in relation to the position. These should be submitted to the RDS Researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk  by 5pm on Thursday 14 March 2024.

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

Recruiting : Faculty Research Staff Representatives 

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

Recruiting FST and BUBS Faculty Research Staff Representatives

The Faculty RSA reps role is to support the Institutional reps with the running of the BU RSA, attending the Research Concordat Steering Group, and Faculty Research and Professional Practice Committee Meetings, to provide an update on the BU RSA and feedback any comments or concerns.

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

If you are interested in the FST rep or BUBS  rep role, please supply a few words to demonstrate your interest, availability in relation to the position to Researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk by the 14/02/24.

Please contact your Faculty RSA reps to chat about it if you have any queries.

 

BU retains Vitae HR Excellence in Research Award for tenth year

We are delighted to announce that we have successfully retained the HR Excellence in Research Award for a tenth year.

HR excellence in research logoThe award demonstrates BU’s commitment to aligning process and practice to the UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and thereby improving the working conditions and career development for research staff.

It is awarded by Vitae, a global leader in supporting the professional development of researchers, and was retained following an external review.

As part of the review process, institutions need to demonstrate that they have completed a gap analysis of their existing policies and practice against the Concordat, developed a robust action plan for implementation, and taken into account the views of researchers.

Key achievements highlighted in our ten-year submission include providing Bridging Funding to enable research staff on fixed term contracts to remain in post while awaiting the outcome of future funding applications, and creating 12 new research posts within high-performing academic teams as part of the Research Capacity Transformation Scheme.

Research staff at BU can also participate in a range of training and development opportunities through the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework (RKEDF) and can access support through networks including the Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network and the Research Staff Association (RSA).

BU is one of three institutions to retain the award after their 10-year review and one of 87 Vitae UK member institutions with the award.

Professor Mike Silk, Co-Chair of the Research Concordat Steering Group (RCSG) at BU, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have retained the HR Excellence in Research Award following our 10-year review. The award demonstrates our long-term commitment to supporting the career development of our research staff, developing policies to support researcher development, and providing space to empower our research staff to impact their careers.

“Our research staff are integral to the success of Bournemouth University and I’m particularly pleased with how well the RCSG have worked collaboratively this last couple of years to ensure the voices of our research staff have been at the very centre of our progress towards the award.”

He added: “The award not only recognises the progress we have made to date, but provides the impetus for further development in three key areas: our environment and culture, employment conditions, and professional and career development for research staff.

“Our forward-looking action plan will be demanding, but progressing our key actions will ensure we further embed the principles of the research concordat into our processes, procedures, strategic goals and research culture at BU.”

Find out more about BU’s commitment to the UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

BU Research Staff Association

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

There are three Institutional Representatives. Their role is to facilitate the BU RSA events, attend both the BU RCSG and the URPPC meetings, to provide an update on the BU RSA, and raise any feedback or concerns. The Institutional Representatives are: Chaoguang Wang, Faculty of Media & Communication, Anastasia Vayona, Faculty of Science & Technology, Rejoice Chipuriro, Faculty of Health & Social Science

Each Faculty also has two Research Staff Representatives. Their role is to support the BU reps in facilitating the BU RSA events, attending the BU RCSG and URPPC meetings to provide an update on the BU RSA and feedback any comments or concerns.

The current Faculty Research Staff Representatives are:

Faculty of Health and Social Science, Gladys Yinusa and Sophia Amenyah

Faculty of Science and Technology, Kimberley Davies

You can  contact the RSA reps @ ResearchStaffAssociation@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

 

Postdoc Appreciation Week 2023 – celebrating our postdoctoral researchers

Postdoc Appreciation Week(PAW) takes place each year to celebrate, showcase and recognise the contribution that postdoctoral researchers make towards research and academic life.

 

Originally an initiative from the National Postdoc Association in the USA (National Postdoc Appreciation Week), it is now also celebrated in the UK, and this year will take place from Monday 18th – Friday 22nd September.

 

To mark Postdoc Appreciation Week, we are holding an appreciation event on Monday 18 September for postdoctoral researchers and their managers.

 

The event will be a chance to celebrate all the hard work that postdocs and researchers dedicate to research, teaching, outreach and so much more, as well as an opportunity to catch up with our Research Staff Association (RSA) representatives over coffee and cake.

 

We will also be profiling the amazing work and research undertaken by our post-doctoral research staff community.

 

If you would like to attend the event, or find out more about our Postdoc Appreciation Week activity, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk

You can also get involved on social media during Postdoc Appreciation Week by using #LovePostdocs and #NPAW2023 on Twitter and Instagram and tagging us @BU_Research or @UK_NPAW.

BU retains the HR Excellence in Research Award

R & KE Operations

We are delighted to announce that we have successfully retained the HR Excellence in Research Award, recognising our support for the career development of researchers.

HR excellence in research logoThe award demonstrates our commitment to aligning process and practice to the UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and thereby improving the working conditions and career development for research staff. In turn this will improve the quantity, quality and impact of research.

We have held the HR Excellence in Research Award since 2013 and successfully retained the award following a rigorous external review.

Dr Rebecca Edwards, Senior Research Development and Support Manager and Co-Chair of the Research Concordat Steering Group, said: “I am delighted that BU has retained this prestigious award, which recognises the achievements of the cross-University team comprising colleagues in HR, OD, RDS, academics across all Faculties and our amazing Research Staff Association.”

BU is one of two universities to retain the award following their eight-year review and is one of 96 Vitae UK member institutions with the award.

As part of the review process, institutions need to demonstrate that they have completed a gap analysis of their existing policies and practice against the Concordat, developed a robust action plan for implementation, and taken into account the views of researchers.

Key achievements and progress highlighted in BU’s eight-year review submission include:

  • Dedicated support and development opportunities for research staff and Early Career Researchers (ECRs), such as through the Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework (RKEDF) which offers upwards of 100 training and development events per year
  • Investment in the Academic Targeted Research Scheme to recruit talented early career researchers in targeted research areas, with dedicated time to develop their research interests
  • The availability of bridging funding to provide continuous employment for research staff for short periods between externally funded contracts

We have also committed to investing in the creation of fifteen new post-doctoral researcher fellow positions through the Research Capacity Transformation Scheme.

A new action plan, taking us to 2023, has now been developed – driven by our community of researchers.

The plan focuses on supporting research careers through appropriate management, appraisal and development opportunities.

This includes the creation of a virtual hub with the full programme of opportunities available to research staff; a new career development framework; and for all researchers to receive annual appraisals, regular performance reviews, careers guidance and development opportunities.

Professor Mike Silk, Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice in the Business School and Co-Chair of the Research Concordat Steering Group, said: “At BU, we are committed to nurturing the supportive and healthy culture required to ensure all of our research staff have the opportunity to grow, develop and thrive.

“Working with the Research Staff Association, individual researchers and those who have responsibility for managing researchers, the Research Concordat Steering Group aims to ensure all researchers have the opportunity to realise their potential, deliver high quality outcomes whilst at BU, and be equipped with multiple skill-sets that will enable success in future careers.

“The award recognises the steps we have made at BU to create the very best culture and environment possible for our researchers to thrive.”

Find out more about our commitment to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers 

External Survey – Research Integrity

Research Integritiy

Would you like to contribute to a research study of research integrity in the UK?

Research England, on behalf of UKRI, have commissioned Vitae in partnership with the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) to conduct a study exploring what motivates researchers to maintain high standards of research integrity.

Steven Hill, Director of Research at Research England said: “Research integrity, broadly the conducting of research in a way that ensures that it is trustworthy, ethical and abides by professional standards, is vital to ensure the accuracy of the results and conclusions of research.”

Researchers experience many pressures, incentives, disciplinary norms, and personal motivations that may affect the way research is carried out. The study aims to understand these factors and how they may relate (positively or negatively) to research integrity.
You are invited to share your thoughts and experiences through this survey.

Click for more information and to access the survey.

The survey is open until 6 November 2019.

N.B. this blog post is promoting an external survey. BU is not responsible for this external content.

External Survey – Research-active academic staff

Training

We have received notification of an external survey:

Vitae are hosting a survey that is open to research-active academic staff, regardless of career stage or level of engagement, across the UK’s Higher Education Institutions. Results will provide an evidence-based outline of the current position across the UK to help improve training, support and professional development in higher education.

The survey will help identify examples of good practice that can be shared and mainstreamed and will also identify whether there are important gaps in researcher development and training provisions at key stages of a research-active member’s career that should be filled.

By taking part in the survey, you will help make a contribution to achieving a good and healthy research environment, and helping further embed the reputation of UK Higher Education in an increasingly competitive world research environment.

It is different from the consultation to Support the Career Development of Researchers, which ran last year, and in addition to the Principal Investigators and Research Leaders Survey (PIRLS), as the current survey focuses specifically on the training aspect of researcher development.

Complete survey here (deadline Friday 29 November 2019)  

or at https://www.vitae.ac.uk/impact-and-evaluation/review-of-staff-development-and-support-provision-for-academic-research-across-uk-higher-education-institutions

The survey is being hosted and the data processed by Vitae on behalf of the University of the Highlands and Islands and Oxford Brookes University.

This is an external survey with Bournemouth University not responsible for any third party links. This post is to raise awareness of this initiative only.

CROS and PIRLS close this week. Don’t miss out!

Time is running out….

These important surveys close this week, on Friday, 31st May.

If you have already received your invite and not yet responded, please do so now. This week’s reminder, with all the details needed to access the survey, was sent to all individuals invited to reply on 28th May. The reply rate for both surveys is under 30% (at 28/5/19) – it is time to make your opinions count!

Although, you may wish to be helpful, please do not share this access email with others – this is so we can ensure that the reply rate is accurate.

If you have not received your invitation to complete these surveys  and you fall in one or both of the categories below (based on the census date of 22/4/19), please contact Emily Cieciura (Research Development & Support) via researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk to receive your personal invitation.

Thank you to everyone who has already replied.

More information:

Every two years Vitae runs the Careers in Research Online Survey and the Principal Investigators and Research Leaders Survey. Once again, BU will be participating in these important national surveys.

ThCareers in Research Online Survey CROS logoe Careers in Research Online Survey (CROS) gathers the anonymous views of research staff in UK higher education institutions about their experiences, career aspirations and career development opportunities. At BU, those categorised by HR data as research staff will receive an invitation to complete this survey.

Principal-Investigators-and-Research-Leaders-Survey-PIRLS-logoThe Principal Investigators and Research Leaders Survey (PIRLS) gathers anonymous views and experiences from principal investigators in relation to their role as managers and leaders of researchers and research groups. Based on data from RED (BU’s Research & Enterprise Database), and HR records, relevant BU academics will be invited to participate.

Both surveys are beneficial to BU:

  • Together they inform our policy and practice in researchers’ employment, management and career development
  • Provide knowledge of the views and experiences of research leaders across topics, including leadership, management and recognition
  • The surveys allow us to measure our progress over time and confidential comparisons with groups of institutions or national results
  • Provides evidence to support our institutional submissions, such as for the European HR Excellence in Research Award (we have recently retained this award following the recent six year review), implementation of the Concordat and Athena SWAN
  • They provide insight into the research environment element of the Research Excellence Framework

If you have any queries about either survey, please contact Emily Cieciura (Research Development & Support) via researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

Coming soon – CROS and PIRLS 2019

Every two years Vitae runs the Careers in Research Online Survey and the Principal Investigators and Research Leaders Survey. Once again, BU will be participating in these important national surveys.

ThCareers in Research Online Survey CROS logoe Careers in Research Online Survey (CROS) gathers the anonymous views of research staff in UK higher education institutions about their experiences, career aspirations and career development opportunities. At BU, those categorised by HR data as research staff will receive an invitation to complete this survey.

Principal-Investigators-and-Research-Leaders-Survey-PIRLS-logoThe Principal Investigators and Research Leaders Survey (PIRLS) gathers anonymous views and experiences from principal investigators in relation to their role as managers and leaders of researchers and research groups. Based on data from RED (BU’s Research & Enterprise Database), and HR records, relevant BU academics will be invited to participate.

Both surveys are beneficial to BU:

  • Together they inform our policy and practice in researchers’ employment, management and career development
  • Provide knowledge of the views and experiences of research leaders across topics, including leadership, management and recognition
  • The surveys allow us to measure our progress over time and confidential comparisons with groups of institutions or national results
  • Provides evidence to support our institutional submissions, such as for the European HR Excellence in Research Award (we have recently retained this award following the recent six year review), implementation of the Concordat and Athena SWAN
  • They provide insight into the research environment element of the Research Excellence Framework

If eligible to participate, look out for your invitation, which it is anticipated will be sent out in the week commencing 22nd April 2019. The closing date for making your opinions known is 31st May 2019.

If you have any queries about either survey, please contact Emily Cieciura (Research Development & Support) via researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

BU successful in retaining EC HR Excellence in Research Award!

 

Good news – BU has been successful in retaining the European Commission HR Excellence in Research Award  and is now one of 97 Vitae UK member institutions in the UK who hold this award. In this current round of assessments, BU is one of four universities who have retained their award following the 6 year review. We offer our congratulations to all the other universities who have retained their award during this round.

The Award demonstrates BU’s commitment to aligning process and practice to the UK Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and, therefore, improving the working conditions and career development for research staff. In turn, this will improve the quantity, quality and impact of research for the benefit of UK society and the economy. The six year review required BU to highlight the key achievements and progress we have made since we first secured this Award in January 2013 and the reviews in 2015 and 2017. The submission also outlined the focus of our strategy, success measures and next steps for the next two years, with much of this pertinent and aligned to BU2025 plans.

Key achievements made at BU since 2017, in support of this agenda include:

You can read our progress review and future action plan (2019-2020) in full on BU’s web pages dedicated to the Research Concordat.

In 2018, the Concordat was reviewed, and we eagerly await the outcome of this review and the subsequent sector consultation.

Read the full announcement on the Vitae website.

Please note that not all links in this post can be accessed outside Bournemouth University. 

Come to the career planning for research staff event (led by Vitae)

Vitae will be visiting BU on Friday 27th April to lead an event on career planning for research staff. The event is open to everyone and is primarily aimed at research staff, managers of research staff and also those in, or aspiring to, research leadership positions.

The event will start with lunch. Dr Kate Jones (Vitae) will then deliver a keynote presentation, followed by breakout sessions. One of the breakout sessions will be a transferable skills workshop led by Dr Emma Compton-Daw (University of Strathclyde and member of UKRSA), focusing on planning for an academic career. Dr Kate Jones will lead a breakout session on supporting career planning and providing advice on different career paths, aimed at research leaders/managers. Dr Michelle Heward (BU) will lead a session on how BU could provide better career planning advice to research staff on an on-going basis.

Full details, including how to register, are available on the Staff Intranet here: https://staffintranet.bournemouth.ac.uk/workingatbu/staffdevelopmentandengagement/fusiondevelopment/fusionprogrammesandevents/rkedevelopmentframework/skillsdevelopment/careerplanningforresearchstaff/.

I hope many of you will be able to participate in the event which has been organised in response to feedback from research staff (via focus groups and the CROS survey) that BU should  provide better information on career planning for research staff. This event is part of a programme of work as part of BU’s implementation of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Research Staff.

Focus on realising your potential.

This month Vitae’s ‘Focus on theme’ is realising your potential.

‘Your doctorate is more than a research project, it is an invaluable opportunity to develop yourself professionally and progress in your career. Make sure you make the most of this time by thinking about, and planning for, what comes next!

Whether you are just starting out or already juggling many balls; browse our advice, guidance and tools to help you. This ‘focus on’ is designed to help you think through your career goals, and discover the myriad of ways in which you can realise your potential as a researcher.’

Find out more on this topic and a whole range of resources offered by Vitae on their website.

The Doctoral College RDP workshops up until June 2018 are available to book for PGRs via the myBU BU: Doctoral College Community. If you are a PGR and cannot view this community please let us know and we will add you.

If you have any questions regarding PGR development or the Researcher Development Programme please get in touch with Natalie or Clare (Research Skills and Development Officers) at pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk.

 

 

Looking for a different way to disseminate your PhD research?

PG research

Do you want to showcase your PhD? Raise the profile of your research? Be in with the chance of winning over £500 worth in prizes?

If the answer is yes to any of the above then the 3MT® might be the opportunity for you.

The 3MT® competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

Presenting in a 3MT® competition increases capacity to effectively explain research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Eligibility: Active PhD and Professional Doctorate candidates who have successfully passed their transfer milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate. If your Viva Voce will take place before the date of the University final (7 June 2018) you are not eligible to enter the competition.

Eligible applicants should submit a fully completed application form, to the Research Skills and Development Officers at PGRskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk by midnight on Monday 5 February 2018.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Focus on an Inclusive Research Environment

Focus on: an inclusive research environment

Vitae have launched their latest ‘Focus on’ theme: ‘an inclusive research environment’. With useful resources and reading covering:

  • Women in research
  • Part-time/flexible working
  • Supporting disabled researchers
  • Preparing for your professional development conversations around equality and diversity

The vitae blog during this ‘Focus on’ theme will explore issues relating to supporting the wellbeing and mental health of researchers as well as the challenges of juggling caring responsibilities with research commitments.

Concordat community consultation

As part of the current ‘Focus on’ topic Vitae would like to invite you to take part in the Concordat community consultation. The consultation has been commissioned by the Concordat Expert Review Panel who are conducting the ten-year review of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. In order to develop the pipeline of research talent globally, the well-being of researchers is clearly of paramount importance so take part and let them know your views. To take part in the consultation click here.

The survey will close on Friday 1st December.

 

 

 

15 Minutes to Develop your Research Career – Episode 1

PG research

What does ‘public engagement’ mean? What can researchers gain from encouraging people outside of academia to read their work? And where should you begin?

We hear from Lucy Robinson, Citizen Science Manager at The Natural History Museum, as well as PhD students explaining their thesis in three minutes as part of the Three Minute Thesis competition.

Download the podcast here. Taylor & Francis Group created with Vitae.