Hello everyone

Welcome to the first Sussex Researcher newsletter of 2016. I hope you are all having a good start to the year. I would like to welcome Kirsty Bridger, Researcher Development Coordinator to the Research Staff Office team. Kirsty will be coordinating many of our events from now on so you will be receiving communications from her and will meet her at our workshops.

Places for the spring term research staff development events are filling up quickly, so if there is a workshop you are interested in attending I would urge you to book soon; you can see the full programme on our training and development pages.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the Research Staff Forum on 11th February, where we will be joined by Isla Morris, Research Governance Officer. As always there will be plenty of time for discussion and networking and a sandwich lunch will be provided.

Until then, best wishes,

Natalie James (Research Staff Officer, Research and Enterprise)

Drowning in data? Using data management plans for your research - Friday 5th February: 10:30-12:30

To Patent or Not to Patent - Thursday 11th February: 12:00-13:45

Research Staff Forum - Thursday 11th February: 12:00-13:30

Co-producing knowledge: the benefits for researchers and collaborators - Friday 19th February: 13:30-15:30

Getting Research Funded (Sciences, Engineering and Medicine) - Thursday 18th February: 10:00-13:00

Developing an effective impact statement - Friday 26th February: 10:00-13:00

Getting Research Funded (Social Sciences) - Thursday 3rd March: 10:00-13:00

Adding your publications to Sussex Research Online - Tuesday 8th March: 14:00-15:30

Friday 5th February 10.30-12.30 - Book a place

Research data is a valuable resource for both the individual researcher and the research community, and many funders now require a Data Management Plan (DMP) to be submitted as part of a funding bid. This workshop will look at how you can keep your data organised, secure and reusable for the future.

Whilst open to everyone, this workshop will have a focus on researchers working with qualitative data.

During this workshops participants will:

• Consider how to implement good practice in research data management, including organising, saving, backing up and describing their data
• Investigate issues around sharing and re-use of their data
• Explore tools that help with RDM, including practical use of the DMPOnline to create plans to support funding bids

We are very pleased to launch a new 28 page interactive Welcome Guide for new Research Staff joining the University. We anticipate that it will also be a helpful resource to existing Sussex researchers so please take a look.

Alongside general information about the University, the Welcome Booklet includes information about:

• The Research Staff Office and other support services around the university

• Support for your career development

• Support for your research

• Practical guides on factors such as policies, employment queries, term dates, insurance

• Information on living in Brighton and relocating from overseas

The booklet also contains a helpful induction check list for new Research Staff to complete in their first few days and weeks in their new role.

We would welcome any feedback that you have about the welcome guide. Please send your comments to researchstaffoffice@sussex.ac.uk

Soapbox Science, a novel public outreach platform for promoting women scientists and their work, are encouraging women working in STEMM to apply to speak at their events.

The aim of Soapbox Science is to give people the opportunity to enjoy, learn from, question and be inspired by leading scientists. The events follow the format of London Hyde Park's Speaker's Corner as they transform public areas into arenas for public learning and scientific debate.

Last year Dr Kathy Romer, Reader in department of Physics participated. Read more about Kathy's Soapbox Science appearance.

Deadline to apply: 26 February 2016

Vitae have published a new resource to provide tools, guidance and information to aspiring research leaders and new PIs:

Developing the next generation is the primary output from a research project led by Brunel University London and Vitae which aimed to uncover what academics wish they had known when they were starting out as research leaders.

The useful resource provides guidance about:

• Career planning for leadership

• Building a research profile

• Achieving a work-life balance

• Finding mentors and role models

• Management and leadership

The National Archives are running an online survey to find out more about the needs of academics and researchers, the ways in which they might work more closely with the academic and scholarly communities, and help inform the development of their services.

The survey takes around 10-15 minutes to complete and will cover:

• Key changes and challenges in the research and academic landscapes in the next five years
• Ways in which The National Archives might support and work more closely with academics, research students, research bodies, and the scholarly community
• Identification of perceptions of The National Archives and its role

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.

The Researcher-Led Initiative Fund call is open, with the deadline of Friday 18th March 2016.

The RLI Fund is available to support doctoral researchers and early career research staff to organise activities that will enhance their professional and research skills. For further information visit the Researcher Led Initiative Fund Webpage

Presenting your research through the media is an effective and efficient way to communicate with large audiences. This course provides an ideal introduction to the media and how to use it to promote your science.

The course is tailor-made for scientists working on BBSRC science and is aimed at scientists with limited, or no experience of working with the media. However it can also be valuable practice for researchers who have already dealt extensively with the media.

The course is delivered by practising print and radio journalists and has a strong practical flavour. The course provides the opportunity to practise managing the thrills and challenges of a live radio interview without worrying about it being broadcast and will also develop your skill at writing for a general audience.

Course date: 29 April 2016

As part of a range of activities to support the contribution which arts and humanities research can make to public policy, AHRC has launched a highlight notice in it's Leadership Fellows scheme to stimulate proposals under relevant themes or strategic priorities in order to rapidly advance thinking or collaboration in those areas. Grants are worth between £50,000 and £250,000 over a period of between six months and two years.

Deadline for applications: 30th September 2016

More information

Cancer Research UK and the Bupa Foundation Fund are inviting applications for their innovation grants. These aim to catalyse new multidisciplinary collaborations and develop innovative research in cancer prevention via sandpit workshops. Funding period is expected to run for up to 12 months from June 2016.

Deadline for applications: 29th February 2016

More information

The Sussex Social Science Impact Fund (SSSIF) is the largest of the funds available under the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) at the University of Sussex. It provides funds of up to £20,000 (or £40,000 if cross-departmental) for University of Sussex social science impact activities.

Expressions of interest deadline: 7th March 2016

Deadline for application: 8th April 2016

More information

If you have an article or information you would like included in The Sussex Researcher please send it to researchstaffoffice@sussex.ac.uk