Building on research

The critical importance of research and enterprise is highlighted in the Strategic Plan. Improved research and enterprise are vital to BU achieving its vision.

World class research on the rise

In December BU celebrated its best ever results in the national Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) which reported that in terms of its research quality, BU is the 4th most improved university in the UK. Moreover, 80% of BU’s research submissions contained ‘world leading’ research of the very highest level of international standing.

Nationally BU leapt up the national rankings from approximately 100th (where it had been placed in the last few years) to 65th according to the Research Research league table devised using the government’s quality rating system.

BU is among the top 10 new universities for research in the country (in 9th place). Within the South West region, BU is rated 4th overall (behind only the research -intensive universities of Bristol, Bath and Exeter).

Looking at the quality of BU’s research in more detail, over 50% was rated as having international significance - the first time Bournemouth has achieved such a high global profile for its research activities. Of the 10 areas in which BU was assessed, a remarkable 80% feature research that is rated as being of world-leading quality in terms of its originality, significance and rigour.

The results of the RAE are testament to the efforts made by academics over the last seven years. In 2008 BU doubled the number of entries in its submission to the RAE thanks to the hard work of established and new staff.

An increase in research grants

According to a study in the Times Higher Education, BU is ranked 31st out of all UK universities and 13th out of all new universities for conversion of bids into grants from the major Research Council grants.

Research Centres

One of the most effective ways for BU to build on its areas of strength and potential is to develop cross-University Centres of Excellence and associated research capacity.

In October, BU launched its unique Centre for Wellbeing and Quality of Life, based in the School of Health & Social Care. The Centre will examine and develop methods to promote healthy living, such as nutrition and exercise and will concentrate on vulnerable groups to develop ways to self-manage conditions and improve quality of life.

The Centre is already conducting research into psoriasis, eczema and the management of back pain. It will also collaborate with the Royal Society for Public Health to promote education and development in wellbeing and quality of life.

Research groups

The newly formed Psychology Research Group brings together researchers in education, cognition, communication, psychophysiology, information and communications technology and environmental psychology. As well as pursuing individual research interests, a common research focus is quality of life across the adult lifespan.

Members of the group have provided consultancy in occupational psychology (work stress, selection and recruitment, safety management), IT, human factors, psychophysiology, internet design and communication. All are actively involved in teaching psychology at undergraduate level.

The Group’s popular seminar series has attracted high profile academic experts to BU to lead discussions on research in areas ranging from detecting deception, psychological wellbeing and the natural environment to cyber bullying, the factors involved in paranormal belief and experience and psychological factors in pain management and politics.

Research resources

BU’s institutional research repository – one of the largest in the UK – was established in early 2006 and now provides global access to its academic outputs via the internet.

BURO (Bournemouth University Research Online) hosts over 6,000 entries, including 500 full text works, and features material spanning the last five years. The repository is 12 th among 85 international Institutional Repositories in terms of size as recorded by The Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR). This makes it more comprehensive than the repositories of many research-intensive universities.

BU in the pilot’s seat

The development of BURO will give BU a distinct advantage as it participates in the new Research Excellence Framework (REF) pilot.

In 2008 BU was selected as one of only 22 institutions in the UK to take part in a national exercise to pilot the REF. This is a new process by which the quality of all research carried out across the UK will be assessed. It will replace the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2010 and will inform Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) funding for research in future years.

REF will use a range of bibliometric measures (such as the number of times academics’ research is cited by their peers) as one of the metrics used to judge the quality of research.

BU is one of only three universities in the University Alliance to take part in the REF pilot and will ensure that its views are represented at national level.

Further information on BU’s research.

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