Research & Innovation News - University of Portsmouth · and Innovation Services ... evidence-based...

Research and Innovation News l Spring 2016 www.port.ac.uk/research1

Inside this edition:Funding update ........................................................ Page 3

UPEN update ............................................................ Page 9

Seizing new opportunities in CCI ...........Pages 12 and 13

Small business update ............................Pages 14 and 15

Focus on a researcher .......................................... Page 22

Research & Innovation News

Issue 16 Spring 2016

Combined University Research and Innovation Strategy launchedThe University’s Research and Innovation Strategy 2015–2020 will soon be available for staff to download from the University website.

The strategy is the result of significant consultation undertaken through the ‘Shaping Our Future’ exercise in 2014, as well as ongoing conversations with faculty staff, research leads and professional services departments. At its core, the strategy is supporting the University’s global mission:

‘We delight in creating, sharing and applying knowledge to make a difference

to individuals and society.’ It also creates a framework through which we can apply some of our strategic thinking around how we work, and in particular, it will foster and encourage us to continue our commitment to being ambitious, responsible and open through:

• pursuing bold ideas

• being creative, innovative and encouraging success

• working to the highest academic and professional standards

• working consultatively and collaboratively to benefit from new perspectives

• creating sharing and applying globally-significant research

• acting as a driver for economic growth

• striving for a place among the world’s top 400 universities

Our new strategy is based around five thematic areas designed to give a clear message to external collaborators that we are committed to addressing major issues. These cross-disciplinary themes build upon our existing strengths, offer new opportunities to develop promising research and deliver a commitment to coordinating and funding research in the areas of:

1. Democratic Citizenship

2. Future and Emerging Technologies

3. Health and Wellbeing

4. Security and Risk

5. Sustainability and the Environment

These themes are designed to galvanize existing and new research avenues across the University and to add value through establishing new collaborative partners within and without the organisation, identifying new funding opportunities, creating new ideas and exploring alternative applications of existing ideas. Leadership will be provided by esteemed professors in complementary fields, with support and investment opportunities for those working within the themes.

Our objectives ensure that we develop and enhance research culture at the University, attract talent and deliver solutions in partnership with industry. They also encourage us to work cross-thematically and internationally, strengthen our existing capabilities and nurture our postgraduate researchers to plan for the next generation of research leaders.

Overall the strategy represents a strong statement from the organisation, committing its resources, people and passion to the pursuit of globally-significant research and innovation activity that delivers economic and cultural benefits both at home and abroad. By working to this strategy, the organisation is set to deliver on some of its key targets, such as increasing Research and Innovation income by 25 per cent, improving postgraduate satisfaction and generating a 40 per cent increase in postgraduate students.

www.port.ac.uk/research


Update from Research and Innovation Services teamOur last issue was a mammoth edition spanning 32 pages. Recognising that this is a little large for an online publication, we have tried to scale down this issue, although doing so is not easy. As the research and innovation activity at the University grows, so do the submissions and the quality of the articles we are sent. In this edition, for the first time, we are sourcing our funding information from the new Research Management Information System (known as Pure). If your award is not listed, let us know and we will endeavour to make sure that it is next time. We are also seeing more regular features and input from departments with both the library and the CCI faculty contributing significantly to this edition. If you would like an article included in our May edition, please get in touch ([email protected]).

Hoping you all have a happy and prosperous 2016.

Peter Hooley Operations and Projects Support Manager Research and Innovation Services

Last year was an exciting one for the University. We agreed a new University Strategy that provides an overarching framework for the next five years. As we start 2016, ready to continue the good work at the University, it seems only fitting that we should now launch our combined Research and Innovation Strategy. Our headline article gives a synopsis of the key points and details how it will be driving our activity up to 2020.As always we have been inundated by both the volume and the variety of the articles submitted to this edition. It is fantastic to see so many people undertaking activity that underpins our reputation for globally-significant research and innovation. After our promotions announcements at the beginning of the academic year, we have seen inaugural lectures from Professor Simon Cragg, Professor Jo Scurr and Professor Justin Smith. Articles for these events have been included in this edition and you can view the videos online. Also in this edition, we learn about DogFACS, a new web-based service to facilitate the study of facial communication in domestic dogs, and our researcher in focus is Professor David Brown from the Faculty for Creative and Cultural Industries.

In supporting research and innovation activity, there is an introduction to Mark Carter in central finance, an update from the Enterprise and Innovation Ambassadors – Joshua Herbert and Georgia Tolley, regarding new projects being undertaken in CCI; as well as introductions to new members of the team at Research and Innovation Services – Lisa Rhodes, Dee Summers and Piers McEwan.

The search for a new Director of Research and Innovation Services is well underway and we are considering a number of candidates with interviews scheduled for April 2016.

I hope you enjoy this edition. I look forward to working with colleagues as we take our ambitions forward and look to our future success.

Professor Pal Ahluwalia Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)

Update from the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)

Professor Pal Ahluwalia


mailto:[email protected]


Funding update Successful grants awarded between 1 October 2015 and 30 January 2016.This information is generated from the University’s research portal, Pure:

Faculty of Creative and Cultural IndustriesHui YuThe multimodal date-based mental workload and stress assessment for assistive brain computer interface Royal Academy of Engineering – £18,000

Portsmouth Business SchoolChris SimmsDeveloping future proof manufacturing in the UK Innovate UK KTP – £140,968

Faculty of ScienceAnn DeweyThe community chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) screening and support service: qualitative evaluation Wessex Academic Health Science Network – £3,870

A feasibility study with a crossover design to access the diagnostic accuracy of acetic targeted biopsies versus non-targeted biopsies (current practice) for detection of dysplasia during Barrett’s survelliance: The ABBA Study National Institute for Health Research – £13,235

A multi-centre, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled parallel group trial of the effectiveness of the nocturnal use of a Temperature Controlled Laminar Airflow (TLA) device in adults with poorly-controlled severe allergic asthma: The LASER Trial Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust – £15,499

Lorraine HopePromoting justice: Professionalising frontline policing with an evidence-based structured interview protocol Economic and Social Research Council – £18,253

Claire NeeThe use of simulated environments to understand burglary behaviour Avon and Somerset Police – £2,000

Sherria HoskinsPiloting and evaluating measures of learning gain Higher Education Funding Council for England – £268,772

Arthur ButtRole of Wnt in the decline of oligodendrocyte generation in the ageing brain Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council – £359,672

A strategy to promote oligodendrocyte regeneration and remyelination Multiple Sclerosis Society – £198,196

Katerina Lalatsa Develop new pharmaceutical formulations of amphotericin and nifurtimox and evaluate in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activity Fundación Moisés Bertoni – £5,075

Engineering orodispersible films for the treatment of VL and VL-HIV infected children Sir Halley Stewart Trust – £5,000

SMFS-TREC validation of GBM molecular targets for endocrine nanomedicines The Royal Society – £11,920

Geoff PilkingtonContinuation funding Brain Tumour Research – £156,264

Qian AnICURe Award – Commercialisation of all-in-one cell assay Higher Education for Funding Council for England and Innovate UK – £34,192

Louise ButtICURe Award – Commercialisation of transcription printing of RNA arrays Higher Education for Funding Council for England and Innovate UK – £30,239

Chris DewdneyThe role of computational physics in students’ conceptual understanding of physics Institute of Physics (UK) – £9,400

Faculty of TechnologyBidyut PalDeveloping physiological testing and assessment of knee implants The Royal Society – £14,200

Mark GaterellAn intelligent digital household network to transform low carbon lifestyles Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council – £21,327

John WilliamsPROSuDs: Providing Real-world Opportunities for Sustainable Drainage Systems Natural Environment Research Council – £100,454

Djamila OuelhadjTo develop a decision support analysis tool and trained personnel to enhance evidence based decision making in the Offshore Wind sector Innovate UK KTP – £137,048

Faculty of Humanities and Social SciencesAndy WilliamsViolent Offender Intervention Project Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire – £5,600

Brad BeavenMapping the national impact of the Jutland Battle: civic and community responses during the First World War Arts and Humanities Research Council – £11,566

Tamsin BradleyResearch on violence against women and girls in South East Asia (VAWG) Government Department and Industry Partner – £177,115

Stephen CorbettStudy Programmes: Teacher Development The Education and Training Foundation – £272,644


https://pure.port.ac.uk/portal/


Opening access to scholarly books – knowledge unlatched

A second round of 78 Humanities and Social Sciences titles is currently under offer in eight packages:

AnthropologyHistory 1History 2LiteratureMedia and CommunicationsPoliticsDuke University PressUniversity of Michigan Press

These are offered at a fee of under £35 per book. A more detailed list of one package is shown below.

Alienation Effects Literature/Theatre and Performance

Beyond the Bauhaus History/Art

Dreams for Dead Bodies Literature/Cultural Studies

Imperfect Creatures Literature/Nature/Animals

Mixed-Member Electoral Systems in Constitutional Context

Politics/Government

Refining Child Pornography Law Politics/Law

Resonance of Unseen Things Anthropology/American Studies

Risk Criticism Literature/Cultural Studies

Spectacular Disappearances Literature/Performing Arts/ Theatre/History and Criticism

The Chatter of the Visible History/Art/History/Modern

Whilst the model is not perfect it does represent an interesting and disruptive approach to monograph open access publishing.

University Librarian Roisin Gwyer introduces us to an open access scheme relating to monographs. The University has joined the proof of concept pilot scheme and Roisin demonstrates the value and importance of this approach.

The move from print to electronic publishing has been a factor in the rise of Open Access (OA) which has the potential to change publishing models dramatically in the next few years. Less has been heard about OA monographs. The Crossick report which looked at the place of monographs in the arts, humanities and social science disciplines, and how they fit into the developing world of open access to research concluded ‘there is no single dominant emerging business model for supporting open-access publishing of monographs; a range of approaches will coexist for some time and it is unlikely that any single model will emerge as dominant.’

One of these approaches, Knowledge Unlatched (KU), is a collaboration between the global library community and publishers where multiple libraries share the payment of a single Title Fee to a publisher, in return for a book being made available on a Creative Commons licence via OAPEN and HathiTrust as a fully downloadable pdf. The Title Fee represents the basic cost of publishing a book; because the Title Fee is a fixed amount, as more libraries participate, the per-library cost of ‘unlatching’ each title declines. The University of Portsmouth joined the proof of concept pilot scheme to unlatch a collection of 28 front-list titles from 13 recognised scholarly publishers. In the first six months of the collection’s availability online, each book was downloaded a mean average of 473 times, significantly reducing the cost compared to that of the cover price.

The KU model is for publishers to submit titles which are considered by an international librarian task force and a selection made. This selection is offered to member libraries who pledge to support payment for publication and once payment is made to publishers the books are unlatched. Once KU has reached scale, this model is expected to be financially self-sustaining: the costs of operating KU will be covered by a small service charge added to the Title Fee to cover administrative costs.

New member of the Library Research Outputs Team – Dr Andrew ClarkOne element of the Library Strategic Plan is to increase research support. To this end we have recently refocused some posts as they became vacant to create a new post of Research Outputs Officer. This post has been filled by Dr Andrew Clark, whose role involves validating the REF-eligible outputs that have been entered into Pure and supporting the application process for Article Processing Charges (APCs). Andrew works closely with Dr Emily Bennett, Research Outputs Manager, and they can both be contacted at [email protected].

If you would like more information about open access, you may also like to look at the open access website, which the Library’s Research Outputs Team has recently updated, or come along to a workshop.

Dr Andrew Clark

Library update


http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rereports/year/2015/monographs/

http://www.knowledgeunlatched.org/

http://creativecommons.org/

http://www.oapen.org/home

https://www.hathitrust.org/


http://www.port.ac.uk/library/help/research/open/

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/university-of-portsmouth-researcher-development-programme-6793003481


PhD student authors a research monograph for a leading academic publisher

Graduate School update

Han Liu, a final year PhD student from the School of Computing, has become the first and main author of a research monograph entitled ‘Rule Based Systems for Big Data: A Machine Learning Approach’. This monograph has been recently published in the book series ‘Studies in Big Data’ of Springer International Publishing and more details about it can be found here.

The monograph disseminates research results from Han’s PhD thesis. These results have already had a significant impact on the international research community. Within the first three months after its publication, the monograph has been downloaded more than 1100 times through e-subscriptions as reported by the publisher.

Han Liu graduated on a BSc course at the University of Portsmouth and an MSc course at the University of Southampton before starting his PhD studies. He was then awarded a PhD studentship from the Faculty of Technology. The idea about submitting his research results as a monograph came to him

after attending a Graduate School Development Workshop on Writing a Journal Article, Book Chapter and Research Monograph. This workshop was led by his first supervisor – Dr Alexander Gegov – who advised him to disseminate more widely his research results through a research monograph.

Han has recently passed his PhD viva with very minor corrections. His intention is to undertake post-doctoral research at the University of Portsmouth after the end of the academic year as he is currently also involved in teaching activities. His future research plans are related to the development of computational intelligence methods and their application to Big Data. This field is within the main thematic areas of the new university strategy and it is aimed to be developed further by a University Big Data Forum.

Han Liu

Graduate School appoints new e-learning coordinatorIn January, we welcomed James Brand to our team, who joins us as an e-learning coordinator to develop our online learning resources for postgraduate research students and supervisors. These online resources will complement our popular GSDP and supervisor sessions enabling more students and staff to access our training. James said, ‘I am looking forward to meeting staff and students involved in postgraduate research degrees at the University. I have previously worked as an Online Course Developer in CCI and more recently with the Technology Enhanced Learning team in DCQE. This is an exciting opportunity for me to develop e-learning resources for the Graduate School and to contribute to its continuing success.’

Welcome James!

Postgraduate Experience Survey (PRES) 2015 and UPPRES 2016In 2015, more than 130 institutions across the UK took part in the bi-annual PRES survey, which gathers PGR opinions and views. The University did very well, with above sector average scores for eight out of nine categories. In particular, 84 per cent of University of Portsmouth respondents indicated they either agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied overall with their experience of their research degree (82 per cent nationally). The results of the PRES surveys are used to evaluate our progress in a number of areas and provide a national benchmark. A full report and analysis of the national level data is available on the HEA website.

UPPRES 2016 will be launching in March and we will be asking all supervisors to encourage their students to take part so their voice can be heard.

James Brand


http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319236957

http://www.bookmetrix.com/detail/book/e7a755ba-29a3-4a00-bad5-4ee6dbfa5d2b#23downloads

https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/research/surveys/pres-postgraduate-research-experience-survey/pres-final-reports

https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/research/surveys/pres-postgraduate-research-experience-survey/pres-final-reports


Graduate School updateStudent success stories

Emma Burnett, a PhD student from the Department of Sport and Exercise Science has secured ethical approval to recruit breast pain sufferers from the breast care unit at the Queen Alexandra Hospital and to offer them the opportunity of a bra prescription to relieve their symptoms. Currently the hospital has limited treatment options for women experiencing breast pain and the usual advice they give is to obtain a good bra. Emma (as an experienced bra fitter and member of the Research Group in Breast Health) is offering patients this free service to determine how successful it is at reducing breast pain.

Calling all PGR supervisors – research supervision events 2016

Skaiste Linceviciute

Student spotlightThis issue features Skaiste Linceviciute, a PhD student from the School of Health Sciences and Social Work, who has recently received a Junior Mentorship Programme Award organised by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).

Tell us about your research.My PhD research is about the respiratory illness of asthma in the older age population (60+). I am specifically looking at how older adults live and cope with their asthma on a day-to-day basis and how they manage the illness alongside many other life demands.

What motivated you to apply for the mentorship programme?During the first year of my PhD when I was immersing myself into the wide literature, I had some difficulty understanding the more ‘mechanical’ aspects such as diagnosis, treatment options and the prognosis of asthma. It was the first and main sign that motivated me to search for learning and mentoring opportunities.

What will you be using the award (EU 700.00) for?Since 2014, I have been collaborating with my mentor, the asthma clinician, Dr Susana de Barayazarra from San Roque hospital in Cordoba, Argentina. I have applied to visit her in the hospital where she works to observe clinical day-to-day activities and procedures, learn more about their research opportunities, and strengthen international collaboration.

Emma Burnett

There are still places available on the following research supervision workshops for this academic year:

Update for experienced supervisors: 8 March 10.00am–12.00pm

How to be an internal/external examiner: 15 March 9.00am–2.00pm

Best practice in attracting and supervising international research students: 18 April 1.00pm–4.30pm

Best practice in being a second or third research supervisor: 9 May 1.15pm–3.30pm

Find out more and book to attend by visiting www.port.ac.uk/graduateschool/supervisorsandstaff

Any advice for your PGR colleagues?I would strongly encourage everyone to pursue being a mentor or mentee to increase engagement in the wider research culture and provide opportunities for professional learning. Students can be too cautious to sign up or search for extra opportunities outside the University and their comfort zone, but we need to remember that the professional skills that we gain will guide the way to a successful PhD.

Congratulations also to Chris Needham-Bennett a professional doctorate student (Security and Risk Management) who, after winning the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) European Continuity and Resilience Consultant Award 2015, then went through to the international finals to win the global award.


www.port.ac.uk/graduateschool/supervisorsandstaff


Successful postgraduate students Between 18 September 2015 and 1 February 2016 the following students completed their research degrees:

Faculty of ScienceKevin Bewley – The Identification of Immune-reactive Proteins Recognised in Response to Coxiella Burnettii Infection

Aliya Hamza Dan’agalan – The Use of Selected Indicators to Examine Marine Fishery Sustainability within the Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Zone

Susannah Green – The Effect of Thalidomide on Cachexia in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer

Sheelagh Heugh – Impact of Blended Learning Technologies on Teaching Biomedical Science in Higher Education

Namphon Khampilang – Landslide Assessment in the Toktokul Region of Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia

Nicholas Koor – A Contribution to Slope Engineering in Hong Kong – the Engineering Geology Approach

Geoffrey Long – Technical Innovation in Human Thermophysiological Research

Matthew Maley – The Effect of Ethnicity on the Vascular Responses to Thermal and Pharmacological Stimuli in Men

Michael Rayner – The Impact of Professionalisation on Elite Level Rugby Union: Players’ Perspective

Amy Sanchez – Incorporating the Neutral Breast Position into Measurements of Breast Motion and Breast Strain

Dominic Shaw – Using a Second Supportive Interviewer to Elicit Cues to Deceit

Ashleigh Smith – Electrohydrodynamic Atomisation Produced Nanoparticles for the Targeted Delivery of Cancer Chemotherapeutics

Richard Tyler – Young People, Tobacco and Cannabis: Social and Place-based complexities on Co-Consumption

Faculty of Technology

Luke Adamson – Renormalization in a Variety of Quasiperiodically Forced Systems

Mohammed Al Husban – Digital Public Service Integration in Refugee Camp – Camp to City: Just in Time Bureaucracy

Kyriakos Ovaliadis – Energy Efficiency Cluster Based Algorithm for Underwater Sensor Networks

Alexandros Tsavdaris – An Evaluation of Vegetated SuDS Ponds Using Experimental and Numerical Methods

Abdulhameed Yaseen – Seismic Fragility Assessment of Masonry Building in the Kurdistan Region

Faculty of Creative and Cultural IndustriesPeter Howell – Disruptive Game Design: A Commercial Design and Development Methodology for Supporting Player Cognitive Engagement in Digital Games

Faculty of Humanities and Social SciencesCetin Celik – Democratic Control, Governance and Accountability of Interior Security Forces: The Case of Turkey

Michael Gilbert – Tackling Fraud in UK Central Government: A Review of the Legal Powers, Skills and Regulatory Environment

Bryony Harding – Pregnancy on Patrol – A Critical Exploration of the Issues Surrounding Pregnancy, Maternity and Operational Policing

Christopher Huggins – Local Government Transnational Networking in Europe: A Study of 14 Local Authorities in England and France

Jeremy Johnson – Forecasting Skills Needs in the Construction Sector: An Examination of Policy Transfer and Policy Networks Active in Vocational Education and Training and the Tension Between Central Policy Makers and Employers

Efstathios Mainas – The Network Paradigm in Criminal Justice: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study of the Barriers to its Integration into Europol’s Analysis Environment

Marie McCullagh – A framework for designing and evaluating ESP materials for English and communication skills in the doctor-patient interview.

Hai Ngoc Nguyen – Youth Offending in Vietnam: An Investigation into the Relative Importance of Different Factors and the Implications for Interventions

Portsmouth Business SchoolJonathan Huxley – An Exploratory Analysis/Synthesis of the Viability of Salient Social Identities: A Cybernetic Investigation of Group Social Identities using Stafford Beer’s Viable Systems Model

Alfred Quintano – Multi-criteria Decision Analysis for Superior Hotels: Beyond the Balanced Scorecard

Stavros Sindakis – Corporate Venturing Dynamics and Patient Involvement in Service Innovation: An Exploratory Study of Private Sector Hospitals in Northern Greece



Featured new research study

Stephen CorbettStephen Corbett, Senior Lecturer, from the School of Education and Continuing Studies (SECS) has secured funding from the Education and Training Foundation (ETF). The project focus is on supporting further education providers in the implementation of the 16–19 Study Programme curriculum. This was introduced in August 2013 by the government as part of the 2011 Woolf Report’s review of vocational education. The overarching principle of the revised curriculum is to offer students breadth and depth of curriculum, without limiting their options for future study or work. It requires all students to continue the study of Maths and English alongside their vocational studies. Furthermore, all students are expected to engage in meaningful work experience and develop skills which will meet employer and further study expectations. Each student’s ‘study programme’ should be designed and catered for their specific needs.

What does it mean to you to get the funding? How is the work progressing?Further education providers are an important part of the UK’s education system. They provide a range of alternative options to students across a range of ages. By engaging in this project we aim to work with and support this important part of the department’s educational provision.This project is enabling us to broaden our network and raise our School and the University’s profile as a positive contributor to further education teacher development.

We have recently completed the first outcome in the project. From this we have designed a one day training event to be offered to further education colleges. The training provides teachers and trainers with the confidence to deliver and personalise these programmes to their students and also provides them with a comprehensive pack of teaching resources to enable them to initially assess and capture wider student skill levels relevant to their ultimate progression aims, for example, employment, apprenticeship or further/higher education.

What opportunities for further research might come out of this study?The experience of working with further education colleges locally and nationally is highly rewarding in many respects. We hope through the successes of this project we can build on the network of relationships made to undertake other projects in the future, both related to evaluating the effectiveness of these changes within further education colleges and the delivery of teacher development; both of which will result in providing benefit to the sector.

What do you hope to achieve as a result of securing the funding?Study programmes provide an opportunity for greater creativity in designing individualised programmes of study for FE students. However, the management of this change still requires further investment to support further education providers to be confident in conforming with the requirements of the changes – the incorporation of Maths and English, provision of meaningful work experience and innovative delivery techniques. This, against the backdrop of raising standards and challenging fiscal pressures, has potentially caused some providers to limit their creativity as they become risk averse or await others to lead initiatives.

It is anticipated that our research and then subsequent delivery of training to FE teachers will enable them to improve the learning experience for FE students on their study programmes.

What is the potential impact of the research likely to be?The project aims to achieve several outcomes, all of which are designed to support further education providers across England.

Outcome 1 – Research the current competence and confidence of the sector in delivering 16–19 Study Programmes and identify areas where training and materials need to be developed in order to best support the sector.

Outcome 2 – Design and produce a set of resources and good practice case studies which are free to access via the Excellence Gateway.

Outcome 3 – Deliver training to 880 teachers from across the further education sector. The training will focus on providing support where identified from research undertaken at the start of the project.

Outcome 4 – Draft a final report which reviews the effectiveness of the project and training delivered.

Stephen Corbett



UPEN seizing new opportunitiesIn addition to facilitating environment-related collaborations within the University community, the Environment Network (UPEN) also helps to develop new links between businesses and communities at local, national and international scales. Seizing opportunities to work with key partners on all scales helps contribute towards the University’s strategic goal of creating a network of global partners.

One such opportunity presented itself in early 2015 as the Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) building was in mid-construction in Old Portsmouth. BAR’s Sustainability Manager, Dr Susie Tomson, met with a cross section of experts in a variety of fields from the University to coordinate ideas and formulate collaborative projects where both parties could benefit from exchanging knowledge and expertise. Much like the sailing team itself, ambitions are sky high when it comes to embedding sustainability into BAR’s operations. BAR is led by team principle and four-time Olympic gold medal-winning sailor Sir Ben Ainslie. The main aim of the organisation is to challenge for and win the 2017 America’s Cup race in Bermuda in order to bring the cup home to the Solent where the historic race began in 1851.

This preliminary meeting resulted in ideas for potential projects in numerous disciplines with the most immediate around a Solent Oyster regeneration project.

Solent oyster regenerationDr Joanne Preston of the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) is leading the research project which aims to regenerate the Solent Oyster fishery that recently underwent a catastrophic population crash. The Solent’s native oyster population (Ostrea edulis) was affected by a combination of disease, habitat destruction and overfishing.

The first stage of the project has been the installation of bespoke research pontoons which have been built by MDL marinas and installed alongside the BAR team base in Old Portsmouth. The pontoons will be used to test the feasibility of using subtidal cages

containing mature oysters to support the wild population of oysters in Portsmouth and Langstone Harbours. The data collected over the next three years will be used to inform the design of similar oyster cages that will be attached to existing Marinas across the Solent in order to regenerate the natural population.

Dr Joanne Preston, of IMS, said: ‘It’s fantastic to see the pontoons and oyster cages installed. Now the oysters are in place, we can start collecting data to gain a better understanding of what is happening to them and the ecosystem around them.

‘Scientists don’t fully understand the reasons for the disaster, but poaching, pollutants, dredging, water quality and temperature are all likely to be among the culprits.

‘What we do know is that a big effort is required to restore the Solent oyster fishery, and while investigations continue, the regeneration project is a big step in the right direction.’

Dr Susie Tomson, Land Rover BAR’s Sustainability Manager, added: ‘It has been great to pull all the parties together to realise the common goal to restore a local ecosystem, and while we are a long way off the total recovery, it’s a positive start and a great collaborative effort.’

This is just one project that UPEN and BAR are collaborating on which will support the nourishing relationship between the two organisations. With more opportunities in the pipeline it is important that we continue to identify opportunities such as this in order to seize them and continue building our strengths.

Future opportunitiesOpportunities for business and local community groups to work with the University present themselves in many forms and from all angles. UPEN frequently help to facilitate these interactions in order to best seize opportunities before they disappear. If you have any upcoming opportunities then please let us know and we will do our best to help facilitate to the best of our ability ensuring maximum benefit for you, the network and institution ([email protected]).

University of Portsmouth Environment Network (UPEN)

Dr Joanne Preston, left, helps with the installation of the oysters at the Land Rover BAR pontoon




Lisa Rhodes: Regional Development OfficerThis new post was developed in response to the increasingly important role that the University plays in supporting local economic growth. Lisa has been employed to work with key stakeholders in the region, identifying opportunities for knowledge exchange between the research base and the businesses in the region, extending the University’s activity to new markets and more businesses, and enabling achievement of strategic objectives regarding regeneration activities.

Previously, Lisa worked at the University of Southampton supporting Research to Commercialisation activity and before that, spent 13 years in the FE sector, firstly as Director of a Centre of Excellence for Teacher Training, managing and delivering funded programmes across the south-east and, latterly, was Director of Business and Adult Provision at a local sixth-form college, leading on the delivery of Apprenticeships, Adults Skills Budget, Teacher-training, HE programmes and Business Development activities.

Lisa has a BEd (Hons) degree from the University of Oxford and has Postgraduate Diplomas in Coaching and Mentoring, and Personnel Management.

Dee Summers: Research Impact OfficerGenerating impact from research has become an increasingly important part of the government agenda over the last few years, from Pathways to Impact requirements in funding applications through to the Research Excellence Framework assessment. The various definitions and requirements can make impact a confusing area. As Research Impact Officer I am looking to embed an understanding of impact throughout the research and innovation lifecycle and develop processes and practices to aid researchers to consider pathways to generate and develop impact opportunities.

After graduating with a first-class BSc (Hons) degree in Geosciences I undertook a research assistant role at the Natural History Museum, London. For the past five years I worked at the University of Surrey assisting researchers to comply with the myriad of research policy compliance requirements.

I am looking forward to using my experience to benefit the excellent research being undertaken at the University and help build working practices for a strong body of evidence for future assessment exercises.

Introducing…

Piers McEwan: Research Grants OfficerThe University has appointed a new Grants Officer, Piers McEwan, to join the RIS team, which supports researchers in identifying and applying for funding opportunities.

Piers graduated from the University of Sussex in 2008 with a BA (Hons) Economics and began working at the University of Portsmouth in early 2009 in the School of Languages and Area Studies. In 2010 he was appointed to a Research Administration role in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Within this period, he went on to study for a part-time MA History of War, Culture and Society at the University.

Piers’ most recent work has revolved around the coordination of research degree admissions within the faculty and acting as secretary to a number of research-related committees.

Piers looks forward to meeting colleagues from across the University in order to get a greater understanding of our research interests for the purposes of identifying potential funders and helping in the development of successful bids.

Lisa Rhodes Piers McEwan

Dee Summers

University to appoint Continuing Professional Development Director

As part of the University’s strategic ambition to grow the amount of continuing professional development courses (CPD) being delivered by the institution, Research and Innovation Services will shortly be advertising for a Director of CPD. This twelve-month post will initially take responsibility for a strategic review of the existing provision and unmet demand, allowing the development of an understanding of the market for CPD at the University. An in-depth analysis of opportunities will inform the creation of a new structure and appropriate systems necessary to support this growth, which will be a key deliverable of the project.

The in-depth analysis will look to determine, but not be limited to:

• the procedures and support mechanisms currently in place to support CPD activity

• the current level of activity

• our current place in the market

• new opportunities in new and existing markets

• likely pricing frameworks and financial feasibility

The post holder will work with other central departments including finance, marketing and the five faculties across the University.



When research hits the headlines When new research by Professor Jim Smith and colleagues of animal numbers in the Chernobyl human exclusion zone was published in October, it appeared to provide clear evidence that human activity (forestry, farming etc) is worse for wildlife than a nuclear disaster.

From Professor Jim Smith’s point of view:Nearly 30 years have passed since the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in the Ukraine, but people are still interested in what’s happening in the 30km radius human exclusion zone around the reactor. I coordinated a project on wildlife around the reactor, found that populations of mammals such as wild boar, deer and wolves were thriving, and I anticipated some media interest. But I was amazed by how the story (helped by some striking photos from my colleagues in Belarus) spread worldwide.

Anything linked with nuclear issues seems to be controversial, with polarised views on both sides of the pro/anti-nuclear argument. So it’s crucial to try to communicate the science in a way in which the key message is as clear as possible, and at least some of the inevitable caveats and limitations of any study make it through in the media message. With the help of Kate in the Press Office, and a press briefing at the Science Media Centre, I think we, more or less, got this right. Our key message – that we weren’t saying that radiation was good for wildlife, but that the previous human habitation, agriculture and forestry in the area was worse – was reported in almost all the media coverage.

Professor Jim Smith

Wolf (credit Valeriy Yurko)

From Kate Daniell’s point of view:We have worked with Jim many times and are fortunate that, as well as his research being highly newsworthy, Jim understands what the media want and how complex messages might be misinterpreted, and he is willing to explain and engage.

It was Jim’s idea to discuss his research at a Science Media Centre briefing ahead of peer-review publication. The briefings are open only to science specialist reporters working for national media and usually offered only when there is a high risk of the science being misreported. When this relatively small group of reporters are given time to understand the nuances of a complex piece of research, their stories – and everyone else’s – will almost certainly be more accurate.

Jim spent a few hours discussing his work with journalists including those from the Press Association (all UK coverage), Reuters (excellent international reach), the Financial Times, The Times and the BBC (all widely trusted by other media as a source). We issued our own version of the story to all media a day or two later, to coincide with publication.

Jim is absolutely right that the images, which were very arresting, made a difference to the amount of coverage this story received. Media from around the world were ringing and emailing for days and days asking to use the wolf in the snow, or the boars or elks wandering around deserted buildings.

The story on this research received so much media attention we had trouble keeping up with it. We know it had a potential reach of more than 70 million readers/viewers/listeners worldwide and that it was shared millions of times on social media. It is too soon yet to know if such coverage results in direct benefits to Jim, such as more citations, but given previous experience of strong research stories reaching huge audiences, we expect it will have an effect long-term.



Joshua Herbert and Georgia Tolley, Enterprise and Innovation Ambassadors, tell us about a number of exciting projects taking place within CCI.

Seizing new opportunities in CCI

Eldon building

The launch of InnovolvementOn Tuesday 24 November, the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) launched their new innovation initiative, Innovolvement.

Enterprise and Innovation Ambassadors for CCI, Joshua Herbert and Georgia Tolley, have set up Innovolvement, which seeks to encourage transdisciplinary engagement among students and academics of all levels, foster a culture of innovation and create a positive societal impact.

The launch event was held in the Union Building and guest speakers included Professor Joan Farrer, Associate Dean of Enterprise and Innovation for CCI, and Eva Russo, a vital part of a similar innovation group named BRIDGE at the University of Brighton.

Attendees at the Innovolvement launch event

After a short break, student and singer-songwriter, Euan Mclachlan, performed two pieces, which was followed by the University’s Bollywood Society whose vibrant dance routine ended the night on a high.

Following the launch event, sessions will take place on a bi-monthly basis, allowing for open discussions, activities and guest speakers.

The first of these sessions took place on Tuesday 8 December 2015 in Eldon Building with guest speaker, Dr Cressida Bowyer. Dr Bowyer discussed her diverse background in the arts and science.

Audience feedback suggested excitement around this trans-disciplinary forum and look forward to developing it further.

Joshua Herbert and Georgia Tolley, Enterprise and Innovation Ambassadors, tell us about a number of exciting projects taking place within CCI.



Hot House sessionsDuring January and February, CCI have been hosting a series of ‘Hot House’ sessions, facilitated by external guests and the CCI Enterprise and Innovation Team.

Each of the three sessions focused on one of the distinct themes outlined in the University’s Research and Innovation Strategy:

Democratic Citizenship (22–23 January 2016)

Sustainability and the Environment (5–6 February 2016)

Future and Emerging Technologies (26–27 February 2016)

We are delighted to announce the five successful candidates were:

Tom Clulee (Seven Eighths: Integrated Fashion Label) – £5000

Pere Villez (Aural Accessible Tourism) – £5000

Alex Counsell (Cultural Preservation of Historical Combat) – £3000

Lincoln Geraghty (The Force Re-awakens: World Star Wars Audiences) – £3000

The initiative is already achieving its aim of inspiring and facilitating innovative ideas in equal measure. It demonstrates the Faculty’s commitment to the development of innovation.

During March/April 2016, more focused sandpit sessions will take place. Focusing on the key opportunities identified in the Hot House sessions, a small number of targeted projects will be developed. These will gain further support between April–July 2016 in grant writing workshops and other specialist sessions.

CCI is passionate about developing a culture of transdisciplinarity, building an environment where design thinking can be married to STEM areas for a holistic and effective approach to research and innovation.

Vaughan Powell (Scientific and Archaeological Visualisation Environment) – £3000

Professor Farrer also spoke at the first Nucleus: Innovation at the Heart of Hampshire – a Science and Technology business event in Hampshire. Hosted by the University of Southampton and attended by over 200 people, the event was created to support innovation in the county.

This is an exciting time for enterprise and innovation within CCI and we look forward to announcing the progress of these projects as they develop with the support of the Enterprise and Innovation Team.

Fifteen applications were received and after stringent shortlisting by three members of the Faculty Executive Committee, seven were selected to go forward to a ‘Dragon’s Den-style’ public presentation.

Professor Catherine Harper, Dean of the Faculty, welcomed the candidates, who then had the opportunity to present a five-minute pitch to a panel of experts from a broad range of higher education, business and local government:

Simon Brookes – Associate Dean (Students), Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries

Sarah Duckering – Interim Director of Research and Innovation Services

Nick Capon – Director of Business Services, Portsmouth Business School

Councillor Luke Stubbs – Deputy Leader, Portsmouth City Council

Andy Grays – Chief Executive, Portsmouth Cultural Trust

Innovation Accelerator AwardsCCI is proud to be a driving force of creativity in Portsmouth and the Innovation Accelerator Awards have been set up by Professor Joan Farrer, Associate Dean (Enterprise and Innovation) to continue this tradition of high-impact thinking. The awards are funding awards of between £1000 and £5000 for innovation projects in CCI.

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Small business update

Innovation Space continues to growWhen Innovation Space was launched in 2014 it had five businesses and nine members and in our last update we reported that we had grown to 16 businesses and 30 members. Since September it has gone from strength to strength and can now boast 25 businesses working out of the centre with over 50 members making up the ranks. The space is at 90 per cent occupancy with room for just six businesses left to join and we hope to recruit that number as soon as possible. Currently there are several companies working with the University and Innovation Space expects this to grow over the next 12 months in areas such as student projects, graduate placements and academic consultancy.

Supporting more new businesses in 2016In 2015 the Cell Block initiative supported some incredible new businesses based in Portsmouth and we hope to continue this throughout 2016, starting with the second Start Your Business Conference on 6 February. Our inaugural event in 2015 attracted 110 local businesses and we hope to double that figure this year by providing a wide range of access to support services aimed at getting local businesses up and running. This will be complemented by our weekly support sessions which give company owners access to the much needed expertise to grow and sustain their business.

Businesses attend a free workshop of cash flow and forecasting

Contributing to the city’s long-term economic successInnovation Space is a member of the Shaping Portsmouth Business and Enterprise Workstream, aimed at helping to support and develop the local economy. It has been vital in supporting the delivery of several projects in the past 12 months, along with setting new targets for 2016. We have been recognised by the Shaping Portsmouth Business and Enterprise Workstream, the Portsmouth News Business Magazine, and Creative Network South, for the contribution we make and are quickly developing a reputation as the go-to place for start-up support in Portsmouth. Our goal now is to continue the work locally in establishing our reputation with local businesses whilst growing our reach to surrounding areas and the immediate Solent region, a challenge we are looking forward to tackling head first.

Student company, Rose Digital, host an all-day hackathon at Innovation Space

Participants take part in the Into the Cell Block development programme

Working to support the creative industriesOver the past year our link with Creative Network South and the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce has been strengthened by our work in supporting an application between numerous partners to the Arts Council for England. The application aims to provide match-funding for creative businesses, which are often over-looked when it comes to such schemes. It will enable them to be able to take on new employees, move to bigger premises or buy new equipment. We find out early in 2016 about whether or not this has been successful and hope to have good news in our next update.



Silver Charter Mark for University for helping SMEsDavid Smith, Associate Dean (Innovation and Business Engagement) talks about Portsmouth Business School’s silver charter mark success for helping SMEs.

The University and the Business School have been officially recognised as world class in helping the development of small businesses in our region, actively demonstrating the University’s commitment to supporting long-term economic growth locally and across the UK.

The Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) has granted Portsmouth Business School a Small Business Charter award at silver level. This recognises our skill, commitment and promise in helping small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), whilst at the same time promoting entrepreneurship and career-enhancing experiences for students with SMEs.

The Small Business Charter awards are a government-backed scheme that aims to help maximise small business productivity and its contribution to the UK economy by encouraging universities and business schools to engage with SMEs. In order to achieve an award business schools are vetted to ensure their business engagement and business support are first class.

This silver award means Portsmouth is one of just a handful of what CABS describes as ‘world-class’ universities/business schools – currently just 13 across the UK have demonstrated their ability and promise to help grow business at this level.

Obtaining the award was a true team effort over a six-month period. The collaborative work of Research and Innovation Services, Employability and Innovation Space with the Business School was essential to demonstrate how we support the growth of small firms, engage with key stakeholders in region, and provide students with enterprise education and start-up support.

Supporting our local community and the growth and development of business and enterprise in the region is a key part of the University’s new strategy.

The University already provides a significant range of support for small businesses from pre-startup advice, leadership programmes and support to access growth advice and funding, to student projects, internships, placements and employment programmes.

We are extending this work by enhancing our student enterprise education, including through Entrepreneurs in Residence – an initiative where a successful business entrepreneur brings their valuable experience to a university and engages with students and staff to promote an enterprising and entrepreneurial spirit. We are also now offering further start-up space through the acquisition of the Technopole.

The Small Business Charter award will significantly enhance our opportunities to access government funds for growth, such as our current collaboration with regional partners to bid for European funding to improve SME competitiveness and productivity.

Most importantly, it is a clear recognition of the passion and success of colleagues from across our University in pursuing this increasingly important aspect of what we do, and something we should all be proud of.

Small Business Charter Silver Award

Small business updateFemale Entrepreneurs – One year onAmy Doyle, Network Coordinator, introduces us to the Female Entrepreneurs’ Network – flourishing one year after its formation.

Guest speakers Naomi Johnson and Mary Burgess at Female

Entrepreneurs’ first anniversary event in November

On Women’s Entrepreneurship Day 2014, Research and Innovation Services held an event to showcase and support local female entrepreneurs. Over the course of 2015, this single event evolved into the thriving Female Entrepreneurs Network. The University launched this network because it is committed to celebrating and supporting female entrepreneurs across the South Coast, but no one realised how successful it would be.

In 2015 the network hosted four events, all of which sold out. From lawyers to personal stylists, hypnotherapists to performance management specialists, retail experts to amazon bestselling writers, the network has heard from some amazing business-women, who all came along to share the story of how they got to where they are now.

With almost 200 women in our Facebook group, the network is going from strength to strength. It provides an opportunity for both current and aspiring female entrepreneurs to come together to share ideas, celebrate success and support each other in their ventures.

In 2016 we’re looking to build on this success, hosting even more events and giving business women from across the South Coast the support they need to continue to succeed.



Inaugurals update

Inaugural lecture by Professor Simon Cragg: Marine wood borers: what have they ever done for us?Professor Simon Cragg opened his inaugural lecture on 30 September 2015 by thanking his parents who he credits with starting him on the road of curiosity about the natural world.

His interest in wood borers started when he moved to Papua New Guinea. His job introduced him to these creatures whilst investigating the deterioration of wood. Structures that had been built out of timber were suffering from a service life of just 18 months.

He observed the wood borers into their natural environment, the mangroves, discovering what they did that was beneficial to the ecosystem and how the bio-deterioration process that they undertake may have bio-technological implications in the future.

Simon showed images of the deterioration of South Parade Pier which is suffering from the damage that the tiny crustaceans are doing to the timber. He explained that they eat the wood, leaving holes, which increases the surface area for micro-organisms to settle and speeds up the decaying process of the timber.

Using shipwrecks deliberately created in Turkish water, Simon demonstrated the devastating effect that wood borers can have on timber-based structures. Simon explained that they have observed movement of the creatures crossing from the Caribbean to the Turkish coast and from the Red Sea to Portugal, and highlighted that we should be aware of the problems they could present to timber frames and structures along our shoreline.

Talking about the treatment processes for marine timber he noted that although we currently have excellent methods of protecting wood, it typically comes at an environmental cost and other organisms in the waters have been affected by the coatings used in the industry.

Simon discussed the need for industry to have quicker responses than what the current research time can offer when it comes to preservation techniques and demonstrated work undertaken in his laboratory using gribbles, a particular type of wood borer, which led to him completing research for the Department of the Environment.

Simon suggested that rather than labelling the gribbles as pests, they may in fact have higher potential. He said that studying the biological process of how the wood is digested by gribbles, and learning about the enzymes that are produced, could lead to exciting developments beyond the current first generation biofuels.

Taking forward the initial findings, and looking at how to produce enzymes used on an industrial scale, Simon noted the opportunity for a much wider application in breaking down woody plants, such as straw and pampas grass, to release energy in the form of biofuels that would have previously gone unused.

As the lecture concluded, Simon indicated a ‘higher purpose’ for the humble gribble and how the current research is just a tantalising insight to the potential discoveries yet to be made.

Inaugural lecture by Professor Joanna Scurr: AlgeBRA: integrating science and breast healthProfessor Tara Dean’s introduction to this inaugural lecture, on 25 November 2015, drew attention to the media coverage that Professor Jo Scurr’s research has received and praised her work for advancing awareness of breast health.

Jo’s interest in breast biomechanics started with her own personal experience, one probably shared by many women: a trip to the doctors to discuss breast pain resulting in the advice to ‘get a good bra.’ Jo responded by questioning what that meant.

With her background in human movement science and biomechanics movement analysis, Jo was ideally placed to investigate further and this led her to form the Research Group in Breast Health (RGBH) in 2005.

Prior to 2005, Jo explained, there were only six studies on breast biomechanics, each limited by assumptions of typical breast movements. The RGBH aims to broaden understanding, inform the sector and raise awareness. Over 60 studies have now been published, with at least half coming from the team at the University of Portsmouth.

After giving the audience an overview of the anatomy of the breast, Jo outlined the main findings of her 2009 paper, which included the first method to monitor breast movement in 3D and the key discovery that breast movement is not simply up and down (as previously assumed by the sector) but also side-to-side and front-to-back.

Jo’s research found that, while most sports bras are aimed at use for ‘high impact’ sports, one of the most significant increases in breast movement occurs when moving from walking to jogging. For many women, breast movement has a serious negative impact on their ability and willingness to exercise. Research of women competing in the London Marathon discovered that 32 per cent of the women running had experienced breast pain and 17 per cent said this had affected their training.

Jo’s findings have shown that breast movement actually affects the way women perform in sports, affecting the way athletes move and even the length of a woman’s stride when they run.

The RGBH’s ‘bounce test’ has become the industry standard for measuring breast movement, allowing manufacturers to discover the percentage reduction in movement their product gives.

At the end of her lecture, Jo outlined her vision for the future; a global institute for breast science, bringing together health professionals, researchers, manufacturers and educators to influence all areas affecting breast health.

Jo finished her lecture with an emotional tribute to her colleague Dr Alex Milligan, who was recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. To raise awareness of her condition, Alex, who is just 28, began a blog; you can keep up to date with her progress at http://alexisallin.com/. If her story inspires you to give blood, or support Macmillan, you can find more details via her blog or at www.blood.co.uk and www.macmillan.org.uk

Professor Simon Cragg Professor Jo Scurr


http://alexisallin.com

www.blood.co.uk

www.macmillan.org.uk


Lecture by Professor Justin Smith: Performing a three-point turn looking backwards and forwards (or: How to pass a cultural test).

Inaugurals update

Professor Justin Smith

On 2 December 2015 the Vice Chancellor, Professor Graham Galbraith, opened this public lecture, the title of which intrigued him, by summarising Professor Justin Smith’s academic journey.

Justin graduated from the University of Kent in 1986 with a BA Honours in English and American History and gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Southampton in 1996. After graduating from The Open University in 2000, with an MA in Popular Culture, Justin continued to study at the University of Portsmouth, graduating in 2005 with a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education before gaining his PhD in 2006 on the topic of Cult Films and Film Cults in British Cinema.

In 2003, Justin started work as a Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University. He was promoted to Principal Lecturer in 2008, Reader in 2012 and Professor in 2015. Professor Galbraith described Justin as, not only a cultural historian with a special interest in post-war British cinema and television, but a committed PhD supervisor.

The topics covered included the meaning of common culture, the evolution and importance of Cultural Studies to cultural value in the digital age, the importance of cultural subsidies, the public sector broadcasting, the role of the cultural curator and the purpose of cultural education. Justin described how the notion of symbolic work informed his interest in Cult Film Fandom. He explained how Cultural Studies has changed and ‘learned to dress itself in new clothes’ in the digital age. He talked about how cultural subsidies have helped preserve the domestic film industry and enabled films that fall outside normal commercial criteria to be made.

Justin explored the reasons for the decline of the curatorial role in culture and why cultural curatorship is important in the modern digital world where the digital multi-platform not only offers limitless choices but also provides new means of production. Justin explained that the music video sector has significantly been transformed by modern digital platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo and Vivo. He pointed out that new digital technology provides not only a platform for distribution and consumption of music video but it also changes its production base and gives the artist a higher level of creative control.

Justin also touched on the implications of these changes for teaching and training in higher education, emphasising the important role of cultural education in schools and universities as well as the cultural curator in the public sphere.

As the evening concluded, the title of this inaugural lecture suddenly made perfect sense and demonstrated the importance, and value, that cultural studies have on informing modern society.

Introducing . . . .

University Research and Innovation Awards

Celebrating research and innovation excellence and success across the institution.These exciting awards will recognise significant achievement and excellence in PGR supervision, collaborative and commercial partnerships, Impact, Athena SWAN and more, culminating in an awards ceremony to recognise the winners in May 2016.

To find out more visit www.port.ac.uk/ris


http://www.port.ac.uk/ris


Mark Carter

Mark CarterWho are you?

I am the Management Accountant for the University and my team monitors all the faculty/professional service budgets, dealing with pre/post-award innovation projects. I am also the accountant for the Faculty of Science.

How does your team get involved with commercial projects?

Kate Smith deals with most pre-award elements of Innovation and the rest of the team deal with post-award. Pre-award involves advising on the costing/pricing of the work and, where applicable, Kate will ensure different aspects of the application have been considered, eg. VAT, insurance, credit control, Intellectual Property Rights and contracts terms, routing of work, conflict of interest and ethics. This involves working with colleagues in other sections of Finance and Research and Innovation Services.

Post-award involvement varies depending on the type of project. For example, an EU grant requires a thorough audit trail with strict deadlines requiring high levels of resources. By contrast, a conference or short course requires little involvement from my team apart from posting expenditure etc at the end of the event and forecasting the income and expenditure. Most projects are somewhere in between these two extremes.

When should a project come to your team?

The earlier Kate is involved in the potential project the better. Apart from enabling Kate to manage the many competing deadlines effectively, it enables her to add value to any project. Input from many people who are experts in their fields is often required, so time must be allowed for these people to comment.

Please give us a few examples of projects and their size.

Innovation covers such a wide spectrum of projects which is why we have always found it hard to document the process. However, currently this includes Credit Bearing Courses funded by one employer, eg. NHS Dentistry £3.5million per annum or Radiography c£1.7 million per annum, Regional Growth Funding of c£2.5million (just finished), RAF short courses c£1million per annum. There are also Collaborative Programme contracts worth c£2m per annum across all five faculties. Other innovation activity includes academic conferences, short courses, CPD, and staff secondments, to name a few, along with any other funding that doesn’t fall under the research definition.

How does the work of your team add value to the University?

We ensure that innovation contributes to the overall financial sustainability of the University, that the University is aware of any VAT or tax implications and that all costs of a project are included in the business plan, which generates the price we quote to the customer. There are occasions when we either cannot or do not want to pass on all the costs to the customer, but we ensure the Head of Department, Dean and the Deputy Director of Finance are fully aware of this.

If someone has a project, what’s the best way to go about engaging your team? What should they be thinking about and who should they contact?

All faculties will have an innovation contact whether that is an AD(I), Business Development Manager or Faculty Finance Officer. If they are unsure who these people are then please contact Kate Smith or myself. It is useful to know about the scope of work of the project and, of course, any deadlines.

What makes you get up in the morning?

I have worked for the University for 21 years and strongly believe in the reasons why we exist – education, research and innovation and to increase our students’ employment prospects, both at home and overseas. Although workloads seem to be increasing, the different teams at all levels across the institution make this enjoyable.

What makes you want to cry at work?

European audits and the endless amount of paperwork/evidence required to prove each transaction has been spent. I would support a lighter touch audit trail to these projects. Often the time taken to complete an audit trail takes longer or costs more money than the project itself it seems. It also takes time away from where we can add value at the start of projects which might be more financially viable. Luckily my team don’t have too many of these as most of them fall under the research umbrella.

Spotlight on financial support for Innovation



In 2013, Dr Bridget Waller and Dr Juliane Kaminski, from the Department of Psychology, developed a new tool to study the facial communication of domestic dogs. The Dog Facial Action Coding System (DogFACS) came about through a collaboration between the two scientists. Dr Waller is an expert in the evolution of social communication at the University of Portsmouth, particularly human and animal facial expression, and Dr Kaminski is an expert in dog cognition. Kaminski is also the lead scientist behind Britain’s first Dog Cognition Centre for studying dogs’ ability to understand humans and the world around them.

DogFACS is now available for scientists, vets, dog trainers and other animal behavior professionals to use. The tool works by identifying the facial muscle movements that dogs use to produce facial expressions. It is an anatomically based facial expression coding system based on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) first developed to study facial expression in humans. DogFACS identifies observable facial changes associated with underlying muscle movement allowing an objective, reliable and standardized measurement of facial movements. Other FACS systems have been developed for the scientific study of facial expression in other animals, such as chimpanzees, orangutans, macaques, and other domestic animals such as cats and horses. Using FACS is important to make sure that facial expressions are being studied scientifically, and without anthropomorphism (using human concepts to explain animal behavior, without sufficient evidence).

The scientists use DogFACS to investigate the extent to which dog communication might have changed when dogs adapted to their new environment, the human environment. For example, using DogFACS the scientists recently discovered that dogs that raised their inner brows more were adopted

from dog shelters more quickly than dogs that did not move their eyebrows as much. The particular movement widened the dogs eyes and made them look more child-like, which potentially attracted the owners more quickly. Previous studies have repeatedly shown that humans find large eyes appealing, not just in human infants but also in animals. DogFACS can also be used in combination with the other animal FACS systems to trace the evolution of facial expressions, and understand what is uniquely human about facial expression, and what is not.

Long-term, DogFACS should help scientists and practitioners better describe and understand the communication of domestic dogs. Specifically, with more research, any facial movements associated with pain, anxiety and discomfort should be identifiable using the DogFACS system. Identification of these subtle signals could have important implications for animal welfare.

For more information, please visit www.dogfacs.com.

Dr Juliane Kaminski

DogFACS – Tool for studying facial communication of domestic dogs developed by University researchers

Forensic psychologists leading the way for Knowledge ExchangeOn Friday 11 September, members of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology (ICRFP) invited stakeholders to hear about their recent research findings at a Knowledge Exchange Day. Over seventy guests attended, including police and probation officers, fraud investigators, health service professionals and those working for banks and insurance companies. They heard short talks from five members of the ICRFP and joined the speakers for discussions that explored avenues for future collaboration.

Professor Lorraine Hope focused on how innovative new research-based approaches to eliciting information can contribute to the task of obtaining detailed and accurate accounts in challenging reporting contexts (eg. eyewitness accounts and post-surgery briefings). Professor Aldert Vrij acknowledged that detecting deception is a difficult task and suggested that people can improve their ability to detect lies by using various interview strategies rather than trying to spot the often misleading cues to lying. Dr James Ost summarised research evidence that should be used to inform decision-making during investigations of crimes alleged to have occurred many years ago. Dr Dominic Pearson outlined lessons learned from the application of research evidence to routine practice in offender management, in particular the importance of evidence-based supervision in reducing recidivism. Finally, Dr Claire Nee

Dr Bridget Waller

brought the audience up-to-date with what is known about the decision-making and behaviour of burglars on their journey to commit a crime and during the commission of the act.

At a Q&A session, the audience resonated many of the concerns of the speakers, particularly the importance of spreading the message of psychological science to as wide an audience as possible. There was a lively exchange of ideas and avenues for new collaborations around important real world issues were identified. Since the event, all of the presenters have begun email exchanges with guests they met during the day. It is hoped that a variety of new and fruitful collaborations will emerge, including consultancies, student sponsorship and collaborative bidding to research councils. All agreed that it was a very productive day, and a great example of the benefits of academic-practitioner engagement.

Dr James Ost, Dr Lucy Akehurst, Professor Lorraine Hope and Dr Dominic Pearson (from l to r)


www.dogfacs.com


Researcher Development ProgrammeFor all University of Portsmouth research and academic staff

You can reserve your place on events at Researcher Development Programme

Broadening Horizons/Career Management for Researchers Thursday 10 March and Friday 11 MarchTime: 10.00am–4.00pmThis interactive two-day workshop (participants need to attend both days), enables researchers to gain a clearer perspective on where they are within their career, and to consider what their next steps might be, whether their aspirations are to remain in research and/or academia or to move into other areas.

To book your place please visit Eventbrite

Peer Reviewing in the Humanities and Social Sciences Tuesday 19 April Time: 10.00am–4.00pmThis workshop, with Josie Dixon, an experienced facilitator with an extensive background in academic publishing, is designed to de-mystify peer review in the humanities and social sciences, examining it in a broad context, and analysing and developing the necessary critical skills. It highlights the reviewer’s ethical responsibilities, and offers a range of practical guidance on the principles and standards involved in making a constructive contribution to the advancement of others’ research and the integrity of the discipline.


Grant Writing with Andrew DerringtonTuesday 26 April Time: 9.30am–4.00pmProfessor Andrew Derrington is an experienced academic and researcher who has sat on many funding panels. During the workshop, Andrew gives insights into how to write your proposal so that it has the best chance of making it through the rough and tumble of the funding panel decision process. To attend this workshop, you need to be ready to talk about the research project that you want to apply for funding for.


Forthcoming inauguralsBrain glue: where would we be without it?Wednesday 16 March 2016Time: 6.00pm–7.00pm Venue: Portland BuildingAn inaugural lecture by Arthur Butt, Professor of Cellular Neurophysiology, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences.

The brain contains two main kinds of cell – nerve cells and glial cells. Nerve cells are the ‘thinking’ cells of the brain. Glial cells are the support cells – their name literally comes from the Greek for glue. This is not a misnomer – without glia the brain falls apart both structurally and functionally. In this seminar, Professor Butt will provide an overview of 25 years’ research into glia and how they are essential for brain function and neuropathology.

Memory at the sharp end: the psychology of eliciting informationWednesday 27 April 2016Time: 6.00pm–7.00pmVenue: Portland BuildingAn inaugural lecture by Lorraine Hope, Professor of Applied Cognitive Psychology, Department of Psychology.

Witness memory is a compelling, if somewhat fragile, source of information, intelligence and evidence. In this inaugural lecture, Professor Hope will discuss the effects of challenging witnessing contexts on memory and focus on the development of innovative new tools and techniques for eliciting reliable information in forensic contexts.

If you’re unable to make it to an inaugural lecture, catch it afterwards online at www.port.ac.uk/research/meet-our-professors/

Other public eventsA bit of a yarnFriday 4 March 2016Time: 1.00pm–2.00pmVenue: Park BuildingA public lecture by Sandi Toksvig, Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth.

Sandi Toksvig takes a gallop through the ages to see how revolutions seeking democracy have consistently failed to deliver equality for women. From France to Egypt, America to China, she examines how it is that women have ended up as the great underdogs of history. Caution – this show contains knitting.

Supported by the Women’s Staff Forum and the Women’s and Gender Research Cluster, Centre for European and International Research, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Portsmouth.

Forthcoming events




http://broadenhorizons.eventbrite.co.uk

http://peerrev.eventbrite.co.uk

http://grantwrite.eventbrite.co.uk

http://www.port.ac.uk/research/meet-our-professors/


Forthcoming events

Conferences and SeminarsCafé Scientifique PortsmouthFourth Tuesday of the monthTime: 8.00pm–10.00pmVenue: Le Café Parisien A science discussion session in a relaxed café atmosphere, Café Scientifique Portsmouth is organised in collaboration with Portsmouth City Council and Blackwell, usually monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

It is part of the worldwide Café Scientifique movement www.cafescientifique.org, encouraging people to take an interest and learn about science. Sessions are held at Le Café Parisien, Lord Montgomery Way, Portsmouth PO1 2AH. Participation is free and open to all.

Tuesday 22 March: Dr Maria Salta on environmental microbiologyTuesday 26 April: Anniversary eventFor more information visit www.port.ac.uk/cafesci or call 023 9284 3757.

Innovation Space eventsInnovation Space is a University of Portsmouth initiative that helps entrepreneurs and innovation start-ups, to turn clever ideas into brilliant businesses by moving them into a professional, creative environment without distractions and with the right connections, advice and support. Innovation Space runs an events programme for entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses and academics interested in business engagement. Their upcoming events are free to attend and will be held at Innovation Space, 1 Hampshire Terrace, Portsmouth, and include:

How to write a successful business planWednesday 9 March 2016Time: 5.30pm – 6.30pmUnderstanding what goes into a successful Business plan can not only help get your business off the ground and satisfy the bank manager, but could also help to identify areas of weakness that need to be plugged and prompt thoughts of other areas opportunities. Lee will help guide you through the basic requirements a successful business will need and show why this could be the most important document you write for your business!

Presenter: Lee Scott of Addo Accounting, a local accountant and lecturer at Portsmouth Business School. Lee has many years’ experience in accounting, having previously worked for many large and small businesses, including many household firms, in all aspects of the accounting function.

To book your place, please visit Eventbrite.

Portsmouth Female Entrepreneurs NetworkThursday 17 March 2016Time: 6.00pm– 8.00pmCelebrating and supporting female entrepreneurs across the south coast.

Starting your own business can be daunting, but it’s important to remember you’re not alone!

Our free networking events are aimed at women who already run their own businesses or those who are considering doing so. They offer an opportunity to hear from guest speakers who have already started their own businesses, as well as the chance to ask questions, discuss ideas and gain support from other women in similar situations.

On 17 March we will be hearing from Nikki Shepherd and Liz Walmsley.

Nikki’s business life was thrown into chaos when the Pampered Chef franchise was withdrawn from the UK. She will be talking about how she’s now applying her knowledge and skills to a new business venture, proving you can’t keep a good entrepreneur down!

After retiring from a successful career in the Royal Navy, Liz has built a new enterprise combining coaching with walking. By getting people out of their normal work environment and being physically active, Liz helps stimulate the ideas they need to move forward in their lives and their careers.


Save the date! The next Female Entrepreneurs networking event will be on 19 May 2016.

Mentoring Scheme for creative businesses Thursday 7 April 2016Time: 6.00pm–8.00pmVenue: TBCInnovation Space is collaborating with Hampshire Chamber and Creative Network South to host a launch event aimed at supporting the development of an intensive mentoring scheme for creative businesses in the Solent.


www.cafescientifique.org

www.port.ac.uk/cafesci

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-write-a-successful-business-plan-tickets-20940922864

http://fen-march2016.eventbrite.co.uk


Focus on a researcherProfessor David Brown Professor of Industrial Systems and Director of the Institute of Industrial Research

Research area:

• autonomous systems: with research projects in: marine, transport, aviation and industrial applications

• data analysis: feature extraction, classification and anomaly detection

• energy efficient computing

• image processingWhy did you become a researcher?

Focus! Studying for a PhD at the University of Southampton offered me that and I absolutely loved it. You are in your own contained environment and I felt compelled to leave industry and carry out my own research. Now I run a research group, which is a management role. I no longer have the opportunity to focus on just one research project. Even now, I miss that.

I joined the University of Portsmouth in 1998, as a Senior Lecturer and I then set up the Institute of Industrial Research (IIR). As a research group we have achieved significant success in attracting funding from commercial research partners. We are an independent group and are part of the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries – a faculty synonymous with ‘imagination’. I believe engineers should be imaginative.

Describe a typical day

I arrive at work at around 7.30am as I like to use that time to prepare for meetings. I’ll meet with my team, which grew to ten in January 2016, and we’ll discuss the on-going projects, looking at issues that have cropped up.

I like to seize upon opportunities that arise within the University, linking up with other departments such as Mathematics, where there is a lot of activity happening relevant to us.

Connecting with industry takes up a lot of time but is vital if we want to be successful in our bids. I think what we’re doing at the IIR is very desirable and our area is in vogue all of a sudden. For example, we’ve just responded to an invitation from the Satellite Applications Catapult (Harwell, Oxfordshire) to apply for a Centre of Excellence. It’s a very exciting time for us.

What do you perceive to have been the biggest challenge you have ever undertaken?

I see my life as having been a series of small challenges, but I think probably starting up a business tops everything else. I set up my first business at the University of Southampton Science Park. It was such a massive undertaking because when we started, we didn’t have any money so it was imperative that we attracted investment quickly. We had a very short time period in which we needed to start making a profit. Making it work became a way of life!

What is your greatest achievement?

Since joining the University, I would say that securing industry interest in our research has been a huge achievement. We won some funding and, with the support of Dr Kate Charles from RIS, we developed a demonstration unit. Being able to offer companies a practical demonstration of our work helped to get them on board and secure their backing.

However, I actually feel that my greatest achievement is to have focused the research group’s remit in on autonomous systems and data analysis. Having that focus helps to give us an identity.

Who has influenced you most in your life and why?

My PhD supervisor from the University of Southampton, Professor Jim Nightingale, was very imaginative. He knew how to develop equations and apply them to engineering problems. Additionally, Professor Percy Hammond, also from the University of Southampton, helped to shape the way I approach running a business and managing a research group.

What are your interests outside of work?

I’ve been building push bikes since the age of 14. Push bikes are fantastic because you can build one in a couple of days and go out cycling on it. I’ve built loads! I also love repairing my motorbike, which is a Triumph. With the motorbike you can take the cover off and you’ve got immediate access to the engine, electrics and gear box. I’ve been working on it for the last two years after my interest was sparked by the idea of riding it to Le Mans. I’m getting it ready for the 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans in June this year.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (past or present) who would it be?

• Alan Turing

• Albert Einstein

• Jim Nightingale (my PhD supervisor)

Pick five words that you associate the most with your research.

• industrialists

• techniques

• teamwork

• funding

• enjoyment

Professor David Brown



Research and Innovation Conference 2016

26 May 2016, 9.00am–4.00pm

Alternative Funding – exploring our future landscapeThe University’s bi-annual Research and Innovation Conference will be taking place on 26 May at the Portland Building.

This event is aimed at all staff involved in Research and Innovation activity across the University. It will look at current successes within the institution and ways that we can grow into more diverse areas of income, as well as focusing on the cross-disciplinary themes outlined in the new Research and Innovation Strategy.

Please reserve your place at:

http://researchandinnovationconference.eventbrite.co.uk


http://researchandinnovationconference.eventbrite.co.uk

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