Hello Everyone, Welcome to the February 2021 issue of the Sussex Researcher. We are delighted to be moving into February where the programme of events available to support you is really starting to take off. In terms of Training & Development, we particularly would like to highlight:
- A range of new online workshops and webinars taking place over February through to April - do take a look at our events listing and book quickly to grab a place!
- Two Elsevier SciVal Consultants will be delivering online training in February on how to use SciVal to grant access to publication, citation and collaboration data.
- Elsevier's Researcher Academy now provides free access to a series of funding modules that could prove just the boost you need to secure financial support.
We look forward to seeing you all at the various events and activities coming up over the next months, and as always invite you to get in touch with ideas and feedback!
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 10th February, 10:00-11:00
- Tuesday 16th February, 14:00-15:00
- Monday 22nd February, 11:00-12:00
- Wednesday 24th February, 14:00-15:30
- Thursday 25th February, 12:00-13:00 - Thursday 4th March, 10:00-11:00 - Tuesday 9th March, 12:00-13:00 - Wednesday 10th March, 14:00-14:45 - Thursday 18th March, 14:00-15:30 - Friday 19th March, 10:00-11:00 - Wednesday 24th March, 10:00-12:30 - Wednesday 7th April, 10:00-13:00 - Wednesday 7th April, 12:00-13:00 - Thursday 8th April, 14:00-17:00 - Monday 12th April, 12:00-13:00
- Tuesday 13th April, 14:00-15:30 - Wednesday 21st April, 10:00-13:00 - Thursday 29th April, 10:00-12:00
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Events organised by other teams
- Monday 8th February, 12:00-13:00 Leading and Managing Teams - Tuesday 9th February, 10:00-11:30 Coaching Skills for Managers - Thursday 11th February, 10:00-11:30 Effective online teaching - Monday 15th February, 14:00-15:00 Ethical considerations to managing research data - Wednesday 17th February, 10:00-12:00 - Thursday 18th February, 12:00-13:00 Let's have a mental health conversation - for all staff - Monday 22nd February, 10:30-12:00 Let's have a mental health conversation - for Managers only - Monday 22nd February, 13:00-14:30 How to have difficult conversations - Tuesday 23rd February, 10:00-11:30 Understanding citation metrics [pre-recorded session] - Tuesday 23rd February, 11:00-12:00 Introduction to Managing Change - Thursday 25th February, 13:00-14:30 - Wednesday 24th February, 14:00 - Friday 26th February, 10:00 |
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SciVal Training for ECRs & Research Managers Staff at the AVÊÓƵ have access to SciVal (), a research analytics tool that provides quick and easy access to the research performance of 19,600 research institutions and 231 nations worldwide using bibliometrics. Research analytics help identify important patterns and trends within different research domains. As the number of academic publications is rising exponentially, you need smart tools to navigate, review and summarise past scientific activity in a certain field of research. The Research Staff Office has organised for two Elsevier SciVal Consultants to deliver bitesize training sessions on how you can use SciVal to grant access to publication, citation and collaboration data that you can use to your benefit.
- - Wednesday 10th February, 10:00-11:00
- - Tuesday 16th February, 14:00-15:00
Presenters: Sahar Abuelbashar & Zsofia Buttel (Elsevier Research Intelligence Consultants)
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Research Data Management Webinars for Research Staff Managing research data responsibly is essential, and it’s becoming increasingly important that it’s stored and organised correctly. As part of our Spring training programme, the Research Staff Office are now offering three important webinars on research data management aimed at research staff. The sessions will be delivered by experienced Sussex Research Data Management Librarians and are suitable for researchers at all stages of their career, as well as anyone looking to update or refresh their skills. The webinars offered during Spring term are:
These sessions are designed to last a maximum of one hour, and include a mixture of presentation and discussion time.
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University signs Knowledge Exchange Concordat The AVÊÓƵ has recently signed up to the Knowledge Exchange Concordat. Knowledge exchange refers to maximising the impact of our research through knowledge-based interactions with all outside bodies e.g. other higher education institutions (HEIs), businesses, government and NGOs. All of which should result in economic and societal benefit to the UK. To support such knowledge exchange, Sussex currently receives about £3.5m each year from Research England’s Higher Education Innovation Fund ().
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Opportunities / External events
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Elsevier Researcher Academy - Free Online Modules on Research Funding Applying for a research grant can be a long and painful process and there are no guarantees it will end in success. now provides free access to a series of funding modules that could prove just the boost you need to secure financial support. Access these modules and learn how (and why) you should critically assess your research idea. You will be walked through all the points to consider when locating the right funding opportunity to match it. You will then hear about some of the common mistakes researchers make when filling in their applications and how your network can help.
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Connecting with Industry - Training Course Wednesday 17th February to Wednesday 24th March Six weekly sessions, 1pm – 3.30pm There are still spaces available for an exciting and interactive programme aimed at giving Early Career Researchers, who are working primarily in , the skills and confidence required to work more effectively in and with industry. It provides a working knowledge of key business issues that impact commercial organisations, which is valuable whether you plan to pursue a career in industry or collaborate with industry as part of a career in academic research. Using social science case studies, the importance of your expertise to the commercial world will be highlighted, and you will be shown practical ways and examples of how you can engage with companies. You will develop professional and transferrable skills and learn a framework to build relationships and meaningful links with industry. In addition, there will be four live interactive forums with diverse guests who provide context, inspiration and real-world stories that bring key learnings to life, while offering you the opportunity to expand your network and build relationships with industry contacts. For more information on the course, go to: To download an application form, please go to the
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Horizon Europe ‘will be open to UK researchers from the start’ The Brexit trade deal agreed on 24 December concluded all of the negotiations needed for the UK to associate to the EU’s 2021-27 R&D programme, Horizon Europe, and researchers based in the UK should be able to participate from the very first calls, representatives of both sides have said. “We already have everything agreed in principle, and the only political step that remains now is European Parliament scrutiny,” said Signe Ratso, the European Commission’s deputy director-general for research and innovation, addressing a virtual conference organised by Science Business on 26 January. “This means that UK entities will be able to participate in the first calls of Horizon Europe, provided that the protocol is adopted before the signature of the first grant agreements, and this is certainly our expectation.” The Commission expects the first Horizon Europe funding calls to be published in April, although calls for the European Research Council (ERC) and European Innovation Council (EIC) could be published sooner. *Article by Pola Lem from Research Professional
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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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Sir Henry Dale fellowships These support postdoctoral researchers who aim to become independent scientists leading their own groups addressing an important research question within their scientific remit. Fellowships are tenable for five years and usually provide around £1.2 million. Deadline for Applications: 29th March 2021
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Short industry fellowship This enables scientists employed in industry or academia and their postdoctoral researcher to have shorter, more dynamic engagements between academia and industry, working on a collaborative project. The fellowship covers the fellow’s basic salary for three to six months. Deadline for Applications: 27th May 2021
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University research fellowships These enable early-career scientists who have the potential to become leaders in their field to build an independent research career in the natural sciences. Fellowships are awarded for five years, but extensions may be awarded for three additional years. Deadline for Applications: 7th September 2021
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Dorothy Hodgkin fellowships These enable early-career scientists who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstance to take the first step into an independent research career. Fellowships last for five years. Deadline for Applications: 10th November 2021
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