Hello everyone

Welcome to this issue of the Sussex Researcher. We are pleased to bring you details of the summer programme of development events and workshops for researchers. There are opportunities to attend workshops you may have missed earlier in the year along with some new additions.

Don't miss your opportunity to nominate your and/or others' work for this year's Sussex Impact Awards (see article below). Last year research staff were well represented amongst the winners. It would be great to build upon the success at this year's awards, which will be announced at Sussex Impact Day on Tuesday 14th June 2016.

This month the Research Staff Reps and the Research Staff Working Group will be meeting to discuss plans to support Sussex researchers over the next academic year and beyond. If you have any ideas about how the University can support you and your career please contact us or speak to one of the Research Staff Reps.

Best wishes,

Natalie James (Research Staff Officer) and Kirsty Bridger (Researcher Development Coordinator)

What Works for me in Teaching - Wednesday 6th April: 12.00-13.30

First Steps in Public Engagement - Wednesday 6th April: 14.00-17.00

Managing your Research Data - Friday 8th April: 10.00-12.00

Academic Social Media in the Research Economy - Friday 8th April: 13.00-15.00

Researcher Development Career Stories: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences - Wednesday 13th April: 10.00-12.00

Exploring Ethical Issues in your Research - Wednesday 13th April: 14.00-16.00

Welcome Lunch for New Research Staff - Monday 25th April: 12.00-14.00

Thinking Strategically About Your Research - Thursday 19th May: 10.00-13.00

Research Staff Forum (Career benefits of developing your enterprise skills) - Wednesday 25th May: 12.00-13.30

Getting Research Funded: Arts and Humanities - Thursday 26th May: 14.00-17.00

Doctoral School Summer BBQ - Thursday 26th May: 15.30-18.00

Thursday 19th May, 10.00-13.00 - Book a place

In this interactive workshop we will explore strategic tools and approaches to assist longer term research planning. You will have an opportunity to take an objective view of your broader research field and start to build a research career plan that enables you to be proactive in pursuing your research goals and responding to the big questions in your field.

Following this workshops participants will:

• Have examined the components of a successful research career and their own motivations for pursuing research.
• Understand the drivers for taking a strategic approach to research planning.
• Have strategically mapped their research field(s) and have an awareness of how their research fits within the broader ‘research landscape’.
• Have considered key stakeholders within research environments and how best to engage with them.
• Have considered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for their research career over the longer term.
• Have developed a plan for taking a more strategic approach to their future research career.

We are very pleased to launch the summer programme of development events for Sussex researchers.

The programme includes workshops covering the themes of:

• Research funding and fellowships
• Thinking strategically about your research
• Data management
• Creativity and innovation skills
• Public engagement
• Communicating your skills to employers
• Mentoring and coaching skills
• And more!

All events are free to attend and are now open for booking. Places are limited so we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment.

See the research staff training and development page for the full programme, workshop outlines and booking information.

This year the Doctoral School's free BBQ for doctoral researchers and research staff will be taking place on Thursday 26th May 2015 (15:30 - 18.00), in East Slope Bar.

Over 250 researchers attended the BBQ last year. Booking is essential and all researchers who register in advance will receive vouchers for food and one drink.

Book your place

It contends that effective mentoring on seven fundamental values of research goes a long way to promote meaningful science. These values are: honesty, fairness, objectivity, reliability, scepticism, accountability and openness.

Read the article.

Read the full report.

The Brilliant Club are offering great opportunities for postdoctoral researchers to sign up as a tutors and be paid to teach small school tutorial groups.

Brilliant Club tutors:

• Gain valuable teaching experience
• Receive training from outstanding teachers
• Earn £450 per placement
• Get experience of widening participation and an opportunity to design a course of tutorials based on their own research

The Brilliant Club is a charity that seeks to increase access to highly selective universities by placing researchers in non-selective state schools.

More information.

The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Writing Fellowship Programme provides support for staff and students who want to improve their writing skills for their projects or articles.

The Library host Royal Literary Fund Writers-in-Residence. Our two fellows, Kevin Clarke and Bethan Roberts, offer free one-to-one tutorials of approximately fifty minutes. During that time they can discuss your concerns, capitalise on your strengths and get you writing well-written and well-structured work.

For more information and to book a tutorial, see Study Direct.

The Research Hive seminars are a popular series that brings together the Sussex community to discuss current issues in research.

This year's speakers considered a range of topics that included: publication quality and the development of publishing strategies, reaching new and expanded audiences, the benefits of ORCiD, research funding (speaker Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Michael Davies) and taking ownership of your research identity.

Access the Audio and Slides.

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 Sussex Impact and Research Awards recognise Sussex researchers who have made an outstanding impact beyond the academy. They also recognise exceptional research achievements by early career colleagues.

Winning entries will receive a certificate, presented by the Vice-Chancellor, and funding of £1000 for their research and impact activities.

Full details can be found here.

Deadline for applications: 2nd May 2016

These aim to support researchers who are capable of becoming independent principal investigators and who are ready to take the next step towards that goal.

Applications are accepted in the scientific areas covered by the following research boards

• Infections and Immunity
• Molecular and Cellular Medicine
• Neurosciences and Mental Health
• Population and Systems Medicine
• Methodology Research Programme

Deadlines will depend on the board to which you are applying

Applicants are expected to combine their time with a portfolio of other activities, such as other research grants or clinical duties, teaching, administration duties, or other time spent in faculty.

More information

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council invites applications for its future leader fellowship up to the value of £300k. This enables early-career researchers to undertake independent research in any area within biotechnology and biological sciences, and to gain leadership skills.

Applications that address the following strategic priority areas are particularly encouraged:

• agriculture and food security
• industrial biotechnology and bioenergy
• biosciences for health

Application deadline: 12th May 2016

Participants enter as teams and develop a business plan for a company based on a hypothetical but plausible idea based on real markets over the course of a three day residential workshop. The workshop encompasses presentations and mentoring sessions from leading figures in industry and culminates in the presentation of the business plans to a panel of 'equity investors' drawn from industry and academia.
Prize fund: £5,000

More information

Application deadline: 27th May 2016

The Natural Environment Research Council, under the international opportunities fund, invites proposals for its pump priming and pump priming plus grants. This provides resources to NERC-supported researchers to allow them to forge long-term partnerships with overseas scientists that add value to current NERC-funded science.

Maximum award: £250,000

More information

Application deadline: 19th May 2016

The scheme currently invites proposals that focus on any of the following priority areas within a UK and/or global health context. These priority areas are not mutually exclusive and applicants are welcome to incorporate either or both in their proposals.

More information

Application deadline: 16th June 2016

The Return to Research Support Bursary is intended to provide support for those seeking to resume an academic research career to develop a proposal suitable for submission to the STFC Fellowship scheme. The period of absence from active research could be due, for example, to family or other caring responsibilities, long-term illness or working in a non-research role.

The maximum term of an award is six months.

Activities undertaken may include literature reviews, familiarisation with equipment and techniques and attendance at meetings and seminars, culminating in the production of a proposal for funding through an STFC Fellowship.

In addition to this, the holder of the bursary may also contribute to the preparation of an application for funding for which they are a named researcher.

Maximum award: £2,500

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