Hello Everyone,
Welcome to the May 2021 issue of the Sussex Researcher.
We start this edition by bringing you news of the newly appointed Research Staff Officer, Parveen Mungroo - please read the news story below for more details. We are very excited to have Parveen join the Research Staff Office team and hope that you will join us in extending her a warm welcome!
During the month of May, we will be taking a small break in regards to our training and events - however - we are keen to continue to provide you with a high level of support via our training programme and ensure that adaptations to our new ways of working still meet the needs and requirements of our researchers.
As such, we ask that you spare a few minutes to give some feedback, comments or insights into ways in which you think we can provide a more enhanced service or let us know if there are any specific training requirements you have that we can help provide.
Please take a few short minutes to complete the following feedback form and leave us your views:
Best wishes,
The Research Staff Office
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- Preparing for leadership & management
- Improving your communication & writing
- Personal effectiveness
- Career development
- Understanding the academic context
- Mental health & wellbeing
- Data Management Skills
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Research Staff Office Events
- Wednesday 9th June, 10:00-11:00
- Tuesday 15th June, 14:00-15:00
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Events organised by other teams
Making the most of your Elements profile - Tuesday 11th May, 15:00-16:00
Manager's Lunch & Learn - Managing Absence - Thursday 13th May, 12:30-13:30
Effective Mentoring Skills for Mentors - Tuesday 18th May, 10:00-13:30
Manager's Induction - Wednesday 19th May, 10:00-11:30
Mindfulness in a Time of Covid-19 - Wednesday 19th May, 16:30-17:00
Developing Your People Management Skills - Wednesday 19th May, 12:00-13:30
Exploring DORA: responsible metrics, research evaluation and you - Monday 24th May, 14:00-15:30
Introduction to Open Access publishing - Thursday 27th May, 13:30-15:00
Thank you, next: the future of research assessment - Wednesday 9th June, 14:00-15:30 |
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Introducing new Research Staff Officer - Parveen Mungroo A warm welcome to our new Research Staff Officer, Parveen Mungroo, who joined the Research Staff Office (RSO) team in April! Parveen has over ten years of Project Management experience and joins us from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), where she worked as a Senior Project Support Officer. During her time at IDS (nearly seven years) she has worked within the Directorate, as an Alumni Administrator and as a Research Project Coordinator, so has a wealth of experience working with Research Fellows, research partners and funders, managing research projects and proposals. Prior to IDS she was a project, relationship and events manager for a local not-for-profit organisation, working with community groups and committees. As an alumna of the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ, having completed her BSc in International Development from Global Studies and her MSc in Project Management from SPRU, she is very familiar with campus and the University ethos. She has worked with a number of researchers from mainly SPRU and Global Studies on collaborative research projects, so has a good understanding of the intricacies involved. With this knowledge, she based her Masters dissertation on the challenges of applying traditional Project Management methodologies to research projects, and is an advocate of Adaptive Project Management discourse and practice. Parveen will be working alongside the university's Director of Research Staff Development to maintain the University’s HR Excellence in Research award and working towards the full adoption of the principles held in the . Parveen is very much looking forward to working with you and hopes that we can meet in person soon. In the meantime, Parveen is very happy for you to contact her directly with any questions you may have, please email pm62@sussex.ac.uk or message her on Teams.
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Research Hive Seminars on Research Assessment The Sussex Research Hive Seminar series continues during the month of May and June, with seminars covering the topic of research assessment and responsible metrics. Please see detail of the following sessions:
- Monday May 24, 14:00 – 15:30
- Wednesday June 9, 14:00 – 15:30
Supported by SAGE Publications and hosted by the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ Library, these events are open to everyone engaged in, supporting or curious about the research process. Where possible slides and recordings of the sessions will be made available.
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Mental Health & Wellbeing Support for Staff During May we are marking Mental Health Awareness Month by collating some of the mental health and wellbeing support across all university services that is available to staff:
- The Occupational Health Service offers advice on health, safety and wellbeing at work to prevent work related ill health, reduce risks to health from occupational hazards and promote health and safety. Counselling provision is available through Occupational Health, and individuals should contact their HR adviser or their line manager if they wish to be referred.
- Although the University counselling provision is primarily aimed at students, staff can be seen for a consultation should there be an incident at Sussex where a one-off session with a University counsellor might be helpful.
- As a member of staff you have access to a range of benefits that can be found on the Staff Reward and Benefits page. There you will find a link to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) partners . There is a 24 hour / 365 days-a-year telephone help line that can provide counselling and specialist advice on a range of matters.
- Chaplains at the Meeting House do not just provide a service for members of their faith group but are here for the whole campus community, whether this means having a chat about faith issues or matters unrelated to religion and faith.
We hope that you found this information useful, and remember to check out our Researcher Wellbeing webpage for more information on all of these services.
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Opportunities / External events
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Elsevier Researcher Academy - Free Online Modules on Writing Skills No matter how novel your research, or how much time you’ve invested in your work, you still need to pay attention to some basic writing rules if you want to get published. now provides free access to a series of writing skills modules that offer helpful advice around ensuring poor use of language or sloppy article structure doesn’t let you down. You will discover the 10 most common mistakes researchers make in their manuscripts, from ambiguity and inconsistency to incorrect referencing, as well as the ethics of plagiarism. The modules also look at the topic of manuscript language in detail, and offer some advice on where you can find support to improve it.
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Applications still open for Business Collaboration Fund (up to 5k to support projects) As part of the IAA Business Boost programme, Early Career Researchers can now apply for grants of up to £5,000, to enable business collaboration projects. This fund is available to academic staff, who define themselves as Early Career Researchers, working in from across the This funding can cover the directly incurred costs of working on a project that will provide benefit to a business. This fund is a flexible means of enabling a wide range of commercial proposals, some potential uses of the fund may include, but are not limited to:
- Co-produced projects/activity which support the growth of the business.
- Working with the business to share best practice.
- Sharing of data and expertise with the business for the wider benefit of the business.
Projects must be undertaken as soon as possible, and be completed no later than 31st August 2021. This is a rolling call, and applications can be made immediately.
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Mixed messages over depth of cuts to aid-funded research *Article by Robin Bisson from Research Professional The government has failed to clarify mixed messages on how much of its reduced international aid budget is being spent on research, with questions swirling around the UK’s long-term international science budget. Appearing at the International Development Committee on 22 April, the foreign secretary Dominic Raab said that 4 per cent of all Official Development Assistance would be spent on “science and technology” as part of the government’s commitment to spend 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product on R&D by 2027. The same day, in response to a parliamentary petition to reverse cuts to ODA-funded global health research, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “At the spending review in November, the government announced...6 per cent of UK ODA spend [will] be ringfenced for R&D.” But no such ringfenced ODA R&D budget appears in the text of the spending review. The Treasury referred queries from Research Professional News to the Foreign Office, which did not respond to multiple requests for clarification.
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Research Funding
If applying for funding, remember to check funders' eligibility criteria carefully and discuss the opportunity with your host institution/department prior to preparing any applications.
Do look at Research Development webpages for guidance around applications
For more information about ECR Fellowships, check out our new webpage:
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/research/researchstaff/funding/fellowship-opportunities
For Coronavirus information for research grant applicants & grant holders check out:
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/research/development/covid-19 |
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Early career researcher grant
This supports newly established early career researchers to develop their own independent programme of research related to any area of human health. Grants are worth up to £20,000 each to cover direct costs and consumables for one to two years.
Deadline for Applications: 8th July 2021
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Discovery programme foundation awards
These enable cancer researchers with a salaried independent position to further develop their research programme and build reputation as a leader. Awards are worth up to £1.5 million each for projects lasting up to six years.
Deadline for Applications: 14th September 2021
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