News

After the EU Referendum: Impact on EU research programmes
The UK’s status as a full member of the Horizon 2020 programme has not changed as a result of the referendum vote. Existing project grants and contracts will be honoured. The Prime Minister and senior officials in the European Commission have confirmed that UK participants can continue to apply to Horizon 2020 until any withdrawal from the EU is complete.

The extent of UK participation in future EU research programmes will depend on domestic decisions by the UK Government, and negotiations with the EU. The Government has stated that it is “determined to ensure that the UK continues to play a leading role in European and international research.” Read the full statement by Jo Johnson, Minister of State for Universities and Science.

A web page containing detailed FAQs, external links and providing regular news and updates has been set up as part of The LSE Blog. It will be regularly modified and added to as developments occur.

Colleagues with ongoing projects or who are considering submitting new proposals to Horizon 2020 should contact Research Division for more information and up to date advice.


European Commissioner Moedas writes in Times Higher Education
EU Research and Innovation Commissioner Carlos Moedas has sought to reassure UK researchers post-Brexit with a short article in the THE. The European Commission has also released a statement, which "confirms that until the UK leaves the EU, EU law continues to apply to and within the UK, both when it comes to rights and obligations. This includes the eligibility of UK legal entities to participate and receive funding in Horizon 2020 actions."
(Source of photo:Times Higher Education)


Academy of Social Sciences Briefing on EU Referendum and UK Social Science
The Academy published a professional briefing on “The Implications of the EU Referendum for UK Social Science” with data input from LSE Research Division highlighting LSE as a case study. Authored by Prof. Linda Hantrais, Visiting Senior Fellow in LSE Centre for International Studies, the report provides an analysis of the relationship between UK social science and the European Union.
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After the EU Referendum: Where next for UK Social Science
Jon Deer, Research Division's Deputy Director, was a panellist at a debate organised by the Campaign for Social Science (CfSS) last week. The panel discussed the challenges awaiting UK Social Science after the EU referendum. Jon highlighted that the social science community would need to focus on reminding the policymakers of the importance of “science”. He then addressed the significance of the design and machinery of institutions that would help us re-define the research community and our partners within the EU. Other panellists included Prof. James Wilsdon (CfSS), Sharon Witherspoon (Head of Policy at Academy of Social Sciences), Prof. Graeme Reid (UCL) and Prof. Antje Wiener (Hamburg University). Event details can be seen here. For more information contact the Research Development team.

(Photo left to right: Prof. Wilsdon, Prof. Reid, Jon Deer) (Photo by Sylvia Chant)
 

£1.5 billion for research on global challenges 

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a £1.5 billion fund which aims to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries whilst developing our ability to deliver cutting-edge research. 
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LSE academics named Fellows of Academy of Social Sciences 
The Academy of Social Sciences conferred the award of Fellow on a number of distinguished social scientists including three LSE academics this year: Prof. Sylvia Chant (Geography and Environment), Dr. Ruth Kattumuri (India Observatory) and Prof. Emeritus Eileen Barker (Sociology) are among the new Fellows of the Academy.

(Photo left to right: Dr. Kattumuri and Prof. Chant) (Photo by Aygen Kurt-Dickson)

 
ESRC Impact Prize 2016 – two LSE academics are runners-up
ESRC’s annual impact prize winners in a number of categories have been announced. Martin Hearson of the Law Department is the runner up finalist for the Outstanding Early Career Impact category. Martin’s research has highlighted how tax treaties reduce the tax that some of the world’s poorest countries can collect from multinational companies. In the Outstanding International Impact category, Professor Sonia Livingstone’s research on the benefits and risks of children’s internet use was selected as the runner up.
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Dr Anke Goerzig from LSE's Deparyment of Media and Communications receiving the runner up prize on behalf of Prof. Livingstone. Source of photos: ESRC.


Annual £1 million Newton Prize to be awarded
Minister Jo Johnston has announced that each year, from 2017/18 until 2021, five Newton funded research partnerships or teams, each from a different Newton partner country, will be awarded the Newton Prize. Each Prize will be worth £200,000. The Prize will be awarded for the best science or innovation that promotes the economic development and social welfare of Newton partner countries, aligning with and strengthening the Newton Fund’s overall objectives. To be eligible to apply for the Prize, applicants need to be existing or past recipients of Newton funding. The Prize will be awarded to advance their work and will need to be spent in the Newton partner country.
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Public Consultation on UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Revising the European Consensus
The European Commission is inviting a range of stakeholders to help shape the development of a revised European Consensus on Development and other external aspects of 2030 Agenda implementation. The consultation seeks views on how development policy, in the context of EU external action as foreseen by the Lisbon Treaty, should respond to the range of landmark 2015 summits and conferences, and also to the rapid changes happening in the world.
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You’ve got mail!  
Have you received an email from LSE Research Online? Every month, the LSERO team receive alerts for LSE published articles. If they don’t already have a copy of the article in LSERO, they will send you an email requesting the accepted manuscript. Please help them by sending the requested documents and they will ensure your work is eligible for the next REF.
 
If you have any questions about depositing papers in LSE Research Online, contact the team at Lseresearchonline@lse.ac.uk.


Data management plans for funded research
From October 2016, to comply with new research data security recommendations, all researchers will be asked to submit a data management plan (DMP) for any funded research. (Many funders already require DMPs as part of their funding application process.)

Guidance on writing a DMP can be found on the data library webpage. Researchers can also make use of DMPonline, an easy to use tool which includes templates for different funders.

For any queries regarding how to complete a DMP contact Datalibrary@lse.ac.uk. For other queries regarding research proposals contact rescon@lse.ac.uk.

Final preparations for year end 2015/16
LSE's financial year end is fast approaching. It is important that transactions are recorded in the School’s accounts in the right financial year. The year end schedule and memo to budget holders can be found on Finance Division's web pages.

Key deadlines for research and research related accounts:

• Accounts Payable will stop posting invoices, expense claims and executive card transactions at 12 noon on Tuesday 2 August 2016. Expense claims and supplier invoices needing Research Division approval should be sent to Research Division by Friday 29 July 2016 in order for us to process them in time.
• If you have transactions relating to 2015/16 that miss the 29 July 2016 deadline let your research awards manager know as early as possible. Up to Wednesday 10 August 2016 we can use a year end accruals voucher to record them in the correct financial year.    
• The payroll deadline is Friday 5 August 2016. Submit all 2015/16 payroll information to the HR Pay team in Finance Division.
• Final date to correct any errors on your accounts is Wednesday 10 August 2016. Advise your research awards manager if adjustments are needed. After this date corrections cannot be made. 

Throughout July and beginning of August you should: 

1. submit expense claims and supplier invoices in good time and on a regular basis to Research Division for payment.
2. regularly check your research account(s) to ensure all transactions relating to financial year 2015/16 are complete and accurate. 

You can access your account(s) in Statements5 via the Start menu: Start – Administrative Applications – Aptos Reports – Statements 5 Live. If you are unable to access your account through Statements5 contact your research awards manager who will e-mail a transaction report to you.   

ESRC, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) funding calls

• Secondary Data Analysis Initiative: funding up to £200,000 for projects utilising existing data resources or improving the capacity and methods for secondary data research in and on developing countries. Deadline: Friday 15 July 2016 >>More
• Forced displacement call: up to £300,000 for between 6 to 24 months on the experiences of the forced displaced (both internationally and internally) due to poverty, war, conflict, persecution or human rights violations. Deadline: Wednesday 20 July 2016 >>More
• Strategic Networks call: to fund 20 to 25 networks up to £150,000 over a period of 12 to 18 months around ESRC’s 5 priority areas. Deadline: Tuesday 2 August 2016 >>More
• Centres competition: Foundations of inclusive growth: up to £5 million funding for a research centre based around ESRC’s 5 priority areas. Deadline: Tuesday 6 September 2016 >>More
• Cross-council initiative on tackling AntiMicrobial Resistance (AMR): this call accepts interdisciplinary research on behaviour within and beyond the healthcare setting:

1. Pump-priming grants will fund research primarily relevant to the needs of Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), maximum of £250,000. Deadline: Wednesday 20 July 2016.
2. Large scale: maximum of £2 million for up to 48 months. These grants will be open to proposals focusing on the UK or global settings. Deadline: Thursday 8 September >>More

British Academy, Sustainable Development Programme

British Council, Cultural Protection Fund

The Fund is designed with applications from UK organisations in mind, but any organisation is eligible to apply. Organisations must be working with local partner organisations in one or more of the Fund’s current target countries within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, specifically: Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.

The initial round of funding is for applicants with existing partners in target countries only. Applicants will need to complete a two-stage application process, initially completing an Expression of Interest Form in order to confirm eligibility, before being invited to complete an Application Form. Deadline for Expression of Interest: Monday 1 August 2016. Deadline for Full Application: Wednesday 31 August 2016.
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ESRC, Understanding the Macroeconomy Network Plus
ESRC invites applications for an interdisciplinary ‘Network Plus’ to develop the capacity needed to sustain a substantive policy-oriented research programme focused on the macroeconomy. Proposals are invited to lead, develop and administer a single Network Plus, with funding available of up to £4.6 million (100 per cent fEC) over 48 months.

The Network will promote methodological innovation, explore the potential offered by new data sources and associated new research methodologies, and develop and initiate a series of small-scale pilot studies aimed at testing the ground and demonstrating the value of a potential larger-scale research initiative in this area. Deadline for outline proposals: Tuesday 20 September 2016.
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Data management, data protection, and research ethics surgeries

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Recent awards

Professor Martin Lodge, Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation, and Government, has received funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to develop a roadmap and regulatory framework for logistics infrastructure investments in Brazil. The project assesses Brazil’s regulatory frameworks for logistics infrastructure regulation in general, and in the railway sector in particular, and develops regulatory approaches to encourage private investment into logistics infrastructure to enhance Brazil’s infrastructure and thereby encourage economic growth and development.


Professor Ricardo Reis, Centre for Macroeconomics, has been awarded an European Research Council Consolidator Grant for the INFL project. The project pursues an alternative approach which examines the causes and effects of inflation from the perspective of the value of financial assets.


Dr Leigh Jenco, Government, has received an award from Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) for a collaborative research project on "East Asian Uses of the European Past". The project aims to trace how intellectual entanglements across the Eurasian region from 1600 to the present shaped the conceptualization of historical temporalities, or "chronotypes." It will examine four such chronotypes, those of "awakening and rebirth, "recurrence and return," "decline and fall, and "timelessness and permanence." 


Professor Henrik Kleven, STICERD, has been awarded an European Research Council Consolidator Grant for the DEPP project. The project aims to achieve a comprehensive understanding of how government interventions affect two key markets: the housing market and the labour market.


Professor Declan Conway, Grantham Research Institute, has been awarded funding under the NERC DFID collaboration El Niño 2016 programme. The research will assess the impacts of and responses to extreme drought (Botswana and Zambia) and floods (Kenya) associated with the 2015-16 El Niño (EN) and subsequent rainy season. The aim is to examine the economic consequences for small and medium enterprises (SME) in the agricultural/urban sectors, as they are affected by: water supply disruption in Botswana's capital Gaborone; the direct and indirect effects of flooding in Kenya; and load shedding in Zambia's electricity supply from disrupted hydropower production caused by low reservoir levels. In all three cases it will track the physical hydrological impacts and responses of water resource managers and SME as their sectors are affected by climate anomalies associated with 2015-16's EN.


Professor Silvana Tenreyro, Centre for Macroeconomics, has been awarded an European Research Council Consolidator Grant for the MACROTRADE project. The project will study macroeconomic fluctuations, identify the mechanisms that drive and propagate these fluctuations, and use the empirical findings to formulate models used for quantitative policy and positive analysis.


Professor Martin Bauer, Psychology and Behavioural Science, has received funding from the European Commission for the OPEST project. This Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship for Marta Entradas will examine how research centres and institutes are engaging society and assemble an international database on the culture of public engagement in the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the US. 

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Findings

LSE Research Online is a service provided by LSE Library to increase the visibility of research produced by LSE staff. It contains citations and full text, open access versions of research outputs, including journal articles, book chapters, working papers, theses, conference papers and more.


LSE Health publish study on antibiotic innovation
LSE Health has published a study, commissioned by the Dutch government, outlining a range of policy recommendations for improving the global research and development agendas for antibiotics.

Targeting Innovation in Antibiotic Drug Discovery reviews and analyses the existing European and international initiatives to support innovation of novel antibiotic drugs. The findings from the report provided a platform for discussion among European Ministers of Health and Ministers of Agriculture during the 2016 Ministerial Conference on AMR.
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Simplify setting up cohousing communities say housing experts
It should be made easier for groups to set up their own co-housing communities says a new report recently launched in the House of Commons.

According to the report, written by academic housing researchers working with the UK Cohousing Network, cohousing could be much more widely adopted if it were easier for groups to get planning, financial and development support.
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Greater freedom for overqualified employees can improve performance
Overqualified workers will improve their performance and wellbeing if they have greater freedom within their role, new LSE research has found.

The research, published in Personnel Review, found that overqualified workers who are given higher levels of job autonomy are more likely to be motivated and embrace change.

The research concludes that improved job design, which allows workers greater autonomy in their roles, can act as a buffer to mitigate negative behaviour patterns of overqualified employees such as boredom and frustration.
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Read more about LSE's cutting edge research.

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Top tips

Top ten tips for getting your research the attention it deserves
This month’s tip comes courtesy of LSE’s The Impact Blog. Authors are facing more competition than ever for funding and career development opportunities. The volume of scientific content has risen dramatically in the last 10 years, and continues to do so. Read the blog post on The Impact Blog.

For more information about how to apply for funding to further your research idea contact the Research Development team, Research Division on rescon@lse.ac.uk or 020 7106 1202.

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60 second interview

David Coombe joined LSE in 2010 as Director of Research Division. Previously he was Director of Research Services at Kent, Head of Administration at Kent Business School, and held various posts at University of Kent and Swansea University. At various times he has been an RAE2008 panel secretary, a member of the HEFCE/JISC-funded RMAS project, and a QAA institutional audit secretary. He has been a member of the ARMA conference planning committee since 2008 and is now Director of Conference Planning. 
 
Tell us about your experience since joining LSE and what was your first task as Director of Research Division?
The very first tasks Stuart Corbridge gave me to do when I arrived at the School over five years ago were to resolve difficulties in the start-up of a large research contract and to sort out the incentives for research grants. Despite progress on both, neither seems quite to have disappeared altogether…

What are your priorities going forward?
From my very first day, we have been striving to provide the very best possible support for our academic colleagues. This never stands still, and we are still working on different aspects of our strategy. There is a renewed focus on customer service and on core elements of new developmental services we are offering in pre-award, post-award, and in support of knowledge engagement and REF, and ethics support. We will be significantly helped towards these goals through the implementation of two new systems in the near future - Converis, our new grants management system, due online in Michaelmas term 2016; and Pure, our new current research information system (CRIS), will be in place around 12 months later (more on this below). Pure will significantly improve arrangements for our REF preparations among other things. 

You sit on the Board for the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) as Director of Conference Planning. Tell us a bit about ARMA and your role.
ARMA provides training and development opportunities for research managers and administrators (RMAs) up and down the country. The annual conference is our flagship event, bringing together over 600 RMAs to learn from each other and from others working in the sector. We constantly strive to put professionalism and the quality of the support we provide for our respective academic communities at the heart of what we do. We also encourage colleagues consciously to enhance their services from the best practice they pick up at the conference. I have gained enormously from the interactions with my counterparts and from the networking opportunities the conference provides with funders and policy-makers. 

How did this year’s ARMA conference go and what were the highlights? 
This year’s conference planning was more challenging than most, with headline speakers pulling out late in the day because of purdah and key members of the organisation team moving on at just the wrong time. With the support and goodwill of all our speakers, everything came together extremely well and feedback has been gratifyingly positive. Our plenary sessions stand out as a particular highlight, but nothing could top the moment when LSE’s Research Development team (pre-award) was announced as ARMA’s Research Management Team of the Year. Coming on top of the highly commended award our Research Awards team (post-award) achieved last year, we are now the only university in the country to have two award-winning teams.

You are leading on the implementation of Pure, a current research information system (CRIS) at LSE. What key benefits will the CRIS provide for individual users and LSE as a whole?
The CRIS will make our REF preparations as administratively straight forward as possible. Heads of Department (HoDs) and REF Strategy Committee will have all the information they need in one, integrated system. Integrating various data sources will also provide better information on LSE’s research activities internally (for HoDs and senior managers) and externally, feeding the School’s website and providing a next-generation ‘LSE Experts’ database. And much more besides.

What is the timeframe for the CRIS and how can colleagues get involved? Who do we contact if we want to know more and how can we follow progress?
We will start the implementation process over the summer, put the building blocks in place throughout the first half of next academic year, and configure it in the second half. So all being well, we will be using it in earnest from summer 2017. Speak to me, Amanda Burgess or Jo Hemmings if you want to know how things are progressing. We plan to keep you updated with regular bulletins anyway.

Do you have any advice for your fellow colleagues (researchers and faculty) in applying for and/or managing a grant?
Steel yourself for the inevitable knock-backs (it’s not personal, and always the wrong decision anyway…), work hard on the fundamentals (what is the problem, why is it important, why are you the answer), use the support of your grant applications manager, keep trying and you will win the funding. Once you have the funding, we’ll make it as easy as possible for you to manage, but do be realistic about compliance issues. Your research awards manager will walk you through it.

What 3 items would you rush to save from a fire?
My Kindle, my bicycle, my passport.

Who was your hero when you were growing up?
Cubillas, the ‘Pele of Peru’. As a returning ex-pat from Peru, I was taken more seriously in my primary school when Peru beat Scotland in the 1978 World Cup finals. No more quips about marmalade and Paddington Bear…


If you could do it all again, what alternative career would you choose? 
When wrestling with the latest regulatory compliance issues myself (we don’t make them up for fun, honestly), or packed like a sardine on my commute, my mind does sometimes wonder what might have been if I had followed my childhood dream of becoming a pilot…