Category: networking events

Designated Collections MUPI Match event (June 14)

Posted by on in Birmingham Museums, Funding, networking events, Upcoming opportunities

MUPI Match Designated Collections, Arts Council England Offices, Birmingham, 14 June (10am-4.30pm)

Are you:

  • A postgraduate, postdoctoral or established researcher, keen to explore the rich possibilities for working with collections that are a vital part of England’s artistic and cultural heritage;
  • An academic whose students would like to research designated collections?

If so, this MUPI National Sandpit could be just what you are looking for! The event is interactive and free to take part in. Bring your ideas, your energy, and your expertise and prepare to be challenged and inspired.

Register for this event

A key element of the Arts Council England Designated Collection scheme is that the collections meet the Research Value criteria – so that the collection is, or has the potential to be, an essential research collection; and the collections makes a major contribution to the public understanding of the subject. One of the major challenges faced by museums developing academic partnerships is networking with academics, and having sufficient resources to plan effective and mutually beneficial projects.

 The ACE funded MUPI project aims to address this by bringing together museums and academics in a series of focused and facilitated networking events; which will help academics explore the research potential of designated collections, meet potential museum partners, and have the opportunity to apply for seed funding grants to help develop project ideas. The MUPI Match event on Wednesday 14 June is dedicated to museums with Designated Collections.

To find out more about the Designated Collections scheme, click here.

There are many benefits to museums and universities working together, from improving audience understanding to developing more effective collections knowledge or interpretation; from inspiring museum audiences with cutting edge research to developing new exhibits and exhibitions; the opportunities are endless; and networking within and between the sectors can help museums and academics realise the research potential of these nationally important collections.

However, finding a partner and having the resources to explore how you might work together can be challenging. This MUPI National Sandpit draws upon a tried and tested methodology, which brings people together to develop new partnerships. Each session involves museum staff, volunteers, and academics working together to find mutually beneficial ideas that they would like to develop together. This event focuses on unlocking the research potential of designated collections.

 A small grants fund of £6000 available; the MUPI Match event includes an opportunity for teams formed at the event to bid for funding (of between £500-£1500) from the MUPI Match fund. This ‘thinking funding’  will enable people to do desk research; have conversations; travel and attend site visits/meetings; test ideas; and work together to plan their potential project. This thinking funding provides a critical part of the process, helping people to work out if and how to work together and refine their ideas. Teams will be supported to develop their partnership, and find effective ways to fund their project in the future.

Please note that booking is essential. You can apply for a place using the registration link above.

MUPI Match events are delivered through the Museum University Partnership Initiative, funded by Arts Council England’s Museum Resilience Fund and developed in partnership with the Share Academy project and Paddy McNulty Associates.

Science & Religion – BSA Science Communication Masterclass (10-11 May)

Posted by on in good practice, networking events, Training Event, Upcoming opportunities

The British Science Association and Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum, are pleased to announce a free, two-day workshop on Science Communication and Religion.

The event is particularly recommended for science communicators with an interest in religion and faith, or those working with emotive or sometimes controversial themes.

You can read more about the project here:http://sciencereligionspectrum.org/about-2

The event aims to:

  • Improve familiarity and literacy in communicating on science and religion
  • Explore areas of faith, trust, belief, and religion in science communication
  • Support attendees to develop new outputs, partnerships and projects

Sessions will be led by science communication practitioners and academics from a variety of disciplines researching the intersection of science and religion in public spaces. The sessions will be framed by preliminary data from the Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum project and there will be practical exercises built around case-studies, proposals and evaluation plans. The full programme will be released over the next few weeks, with sessions including:

  • Storytelling: balancing narrative and ‘truth’
  • Hosting constructive debates
  • Science and religion, past and present
  • Partnerships and participation: an external perspective
  • Beyond box ticking: The evaluation, revision, and re-delivery cycle
  • Trust in science, trust in sci-comm? Moving the conversation forward

Presenters and panelists include: Dr Alexander Hall (Newman University), Professor Fern Elsdon-Baker (Newman University), James Riley (Rising Ape), Ivvet Modinou (British Science Association), Charlotte Hale (FLUX: Moving Science), Brian Lobel (Sick of the Fringe) , and more to be announced.

The event is free to attend, including travel and accommodation costs associated with attendance. Places are limited, so early-sign-up is encouraged. A deposit of £15 is payable to secure your place on this event, which will be refunded upon attendance.

Note that this workshop is funded by the Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum project. Attendance, travel, and accommodation are provided free of charge on the understanding that participants contribute to the workshop debates and engage with the project’s research. Post workshop there will be opportunities for attendees to create science communication materials and outputs related to the workshop content and wider research findings of the project.

For information and to sign up go HERE 

Image & content: British Science Association

TEDxBrum… what happened.

Posted by on in networking events

On 11th June, Impact Hub Birmingham hosted the fourth TEDxBrum event at Birmingham Town Hall, with the theme for 2016 being “Power Of Us”. TEDx events are independently organised gatherings with local speakers and performers as well as screenings of TED talks, intended to bring communities together and present them with “ideas worth spreading” in the spirit of the original TED talks (with TED standing for Technology, Entertainment, Design).

The University of Birmingham were a major sponsor of this event, and several of our academic staff were invited to speak about their research. Professors Alberto Vecchio and Andreas Freise from the School of Physics and Astronomy took to the stage to explain the significance of the recent discovery of gravitational waves, followed by Dr Neeraj Lal from the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences who spoke about his pioneering research into the use of immunotherapy to fight bowel cancer.

Other high-profile speakers included Simon Willis, the European Managing Director of the website change.org, and Sacha Romanovitch, CEO of Grant Thornton UK LLP, while the performers included Midlands singer Mahalia, Kathak dancer Vidya Patel, and The People’s Orchestra.

The University’s gravitational waves research group were also well represented in the exhibition space, running a very successful stand to explain their research to people interested in finding out more following the main talk. They were even approached during the day by both an artist and a documentary maker interested in engaging with them on different outreach projects, making this an even more exciting time for the group.

The day was a tremendous success, with a buzzing atmosphere in the Town Hall and the hashtag #PowerOfUS trending nationally on Twitter. The University are proud to have played a part in this event and hope to strengthen our relationship with Impact Hub Birmingham and TedX in the future.

For more information please contact Andy Newnham, Business Engagement Partner, a.newnham@bham.ac.uk

Free Workshop: Fun Palaces & Wellcome host event for you to find out more

Posted by on in networking events, Upcoming opportunities

Culture belongs to us all! Find out how anyone, anywhere can make a Fun Palace, where everyone is an artist and everyone a scientist. Change the world with radical fun.

A Fun Palace is a free, local event using arts and science to celebrate each unique community and the skills and interests of those who live there.

FUN PALACES AND BIRMINGHAM REP

 Invite you to a free workshop to find out how anyone, anywhere can make a Fun Palace.

 Last year there were 142 Fun Palaces across the country with 2079 people involved in making them and over 50,000 people participating. People gathered to make and share arts, sciences, learning, games and have FUN – this workshop is your chance to find out how to get involved. You don’t need to be an expert in anything to make a Fun Palace – you just need to want to make something happen (however tiny) with and for the people that live around you.

“Loved meeting so many other creatives within our area and realising that we can do whatever we want – the world’s our oyster!!” 

2015 workshop participant

Are you intrigued to find out more, interested to meet other people who might want to get involved; got some ideas you would like to share, some questions about how it works?  Then come along to this conversation event and see what you think. You can find out more on our website: funpalaces.co.uk/ Or watch this video to find out what happened at Fun Palaces 2015: http://bit.do/FP2015

Any questions? Prefer to book by phone? Need help with access or travel costs? Get in touch. E-mail kirsty@funpalaces.co.uk or ring 0208 692 4446 ext. 203 and leave a message

Date and Time: 10th May, 5 – 7:30pm (children welcome)

Where: Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Square, Broad Street,  B1 2EP

Free, but please book your place here as space is limited: http://fpbirmingham2016.eventbrite.co.uk

Fun Palace Workshop Brum 2

WORKSHOP / Revealing Research: An Introduction to Public Engagement (Feb 24th)

Posted by on in networking events, Training Event

Are you a PhD student or early career researcher? Are you interested in getting involved with public engagement but are unsure how to communicate your research effectively? If so, come along to an introductory workshop to learn valuable skills to get you started with public engagement!

The workshop is a 3 hour interactive session designed by UoB researchers for UoB researchers. It aims to develop and build upon some of the essential skills necessary to deliver research effectively to the public. The brief aims of the workshop are:

  • Meet PhD students/ECRs from across the University and find out about the public engagement they do.
  • Explore what public engagement with research means and develop useful skills through interactive group activities and discussions.
  • Network with others and learn about opportunities for you to get involved.

Learning objectives:

  • Deepen your understanding of public engagement with research.
  • Learn essential skills/techniques which can be applied for your own public engagement.
  • Identify your skills and think about next steps or further training to take you forward.

The workshop is open to postgraduate and early career researchers from all Colleges and will be based at N334 in the Gispert Kapp building on Wednesday 24th February 2016 from 1-4pm.

To reserve your place, please email c.d.t.gillett@bham.ac.uk with ‘Revealing Research Workshop’ in the title. Please also include your name, position (e.g. 2nd Year PhD, Postdoc), School/department and your College.

The workshop has a limited number of spaces so registration is essential and will be on a first-come basis.

REVEALINGRESEARCH

PubhD Birmingham is here & looking for speakers!

Posted by on in networking events, Upcoming opportunities

PubhD is a public speaking event set in the friendly surroundings of the pub. Started in Nottingham in January 2014 and spreading to other cities across the UK and Europe, it’s now arrived in Brum!

For info contact the organizers HERE

Each month PubhD will gather in a local pub and listen to 3 speakers talk about their research. The format is simple:

  • Each speaker will each have just 10 minutes to present their research to an interested audience.

  • Afterwards there’s a chance for informal Q&A (up to 20 minutes)

  • Only a whiteboard and coloured pens will be provided…

  • Each speaker will be rewarded with a pint (or other drink of their choice).

On the night, PubhD ask for a donation of £1 per audience member to help fund future events and allow our three speakers the free drink they have earned!

PubhD invite researchers from all over the area to come and join us! If you are interested in being involved get in touch here.

Age Well 2015

Posted by on in Dissemination, good practice, networking events, News

Age Well went ahead as planned on Thursday the 10th September. This was the 6th annual event of its kind since it began in 2010. Once again, this year saw us move to a bigger venue as the event continues to grow in popularity with approximately 200 ‘delegates’ or attendees from the Birmingham 1000 Elders group –1000 Elders.

Age Well has become an annual public engagement event and is designed as a ‘thank you’ event in recognition of all the assistance the Birmingham 1000 Elders have provided over the course of the year in research studies, but also acts as an opportunity for researchers to communicate back to the Elders their latest research findings on how to age healthily.

Read More “Age Well 2015”