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Parallel sessions 6: Wednesday 18 June, 15:30-17:00

601: Funding for Biomedical Sciences: Charities

Simon Denegri, Chief Executive, Association of Medical Research Charities
Speaker from the Wellcome Trust, to be confirmed
Dr Simon Vincent, Head of Personal Awards and Training, Cancer Research UK

The speakers will outline the subject remit of the their respective organisations including details of the current strategic plans and funds available. Details will be provided of the eligibility criteria for applicants, allowed costs, and the application processes. As well as giving a broad overview of the funding themes, the speakers will give details of current funding opportunities, and those which are planned for the near future.

602: Good Practice in Contract Development, Negotiation and Pricing

Dr Phil Clare, Associate Director, Research Services, University of Oxford

This session will look at key issues in the development, negotiating and acceptance of contracts for research and the protection of the university's interests. As well as examining common concerns such as publishing rights, pricing and payment arrangements, indemnities and warranties, confidentiality, intellectual property and termination arrangements, participants will discuss ways to identify 'make or break' issues and to decide when to negotiate on the detail of a contract, and when to advise a client of concerns which should be addressed in any future agreement between the parties. The right balance between in-depth negotiation, model agreements and standard processes will be considered.

Whilst many of the themes of the session will be of relevance in all jurisdictions, specific examples used in the session will draw on English law.

603: The challenges of running a Research Institute or Centre

Nigel Bilsbrough, Finance and Resources Manager, Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University
Mark Smith, Research Institute Manager, Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University

It is increasingly common for universities to set up research institutes or centres as focal points for research activity, especially multi- or inter-disciplinary research. Such research institutes may be considered as academic departments in their own right, or may be more 'virtual' groupings crossing a number of departments. There are also many non-university research institutes, often in competition with universities for public research funding.

Research Administrators responsible for running such institutes face a range of challenges beyond those associated with day-to-day support of funded research projects. As well as routine departmental administration, from staff management to premises matters, these may include local policy interpretation and development, the challenges of overseeing the employment arrangements of a significant body of research staff, and the financial oversight of a varied portfolio of funded research.

The session will include presentations from two speakers responsible for running research institutes in different disciplinary areas, and will offer plenty of opportunity for participants to share their experiences and to identify examples of good practice.

604: Managing overseas ethics: a practical experience

Prof Bobbie Farsides, Professor of Clinical and Biomedical Ethics, Brighton and Sussex Medical School
Dr Melanie Newport, Reader in Infectious Diseases, Brighton and Sussex Medical School
Jimmy Whitworth, Head of International Activities, Wellcome Trust

This session will explore the issues and challenges of setting up and managing the ethical aspects of overseas clinical trials and other research studies. The speakers, who will include a Professor of Clinical and Biomedical Ethics, a Principal Investigator, and a major UK based funder of overseas research, will draw on a real case study based in Ethiopia to illustrate the particular issues discussed.

605: Evaluating and Assessing Research Outputs and Outcomes

Professor Ben Martin, Professor of Science and Technology Policy Studies, SPRU, University of Sussex
Briony Rayfield, Evaluation Advisor, The Wellcome Trust
Anne O'Neill, Research and Development Manager, Research and Development Office, The Children's Hospital at Westmead

This session considers how best to evaluate the economic, social and health benefits of research. As well as considering different methodologies that can be used to measure research outcomes including case studies and KPIs, participants will also learn how a funding body evaluates the research which it funds.

606: Science Policy Development in Europe, the US and Australia

William F Schweri, Director of Federal Relations, University of Kentucky
Campbell Warden, Executive Secretary, Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias
Bradley Smith, Executive Director, Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies

This session will compare and contrast how science policy and funding is developed in the US, Europe and Australia. Understanding how science policy is developed and how subsequent funding decisions are made at the national level provides research managers with a crystal ball to predict future policy directions, funding opportunities and how their organisations can position themselves accordingly. Science & Technology Foresight is one of the tools used in policy formulation, and offers the possibility to involve many of the stakeholders in the process. The session will include, therefore, a discussion of the use of Foresight in policy formulation in a European context.

607: Putting Open Access Publishing into Practice: funding mechanisms, institutional collaboration and building repositories

Matthew Cockerill, Publisher, BioMed Central
Stephen Pinfield, Chief Information Officer, University of Nottingham
Margaret Hurley and Nicola Perrin, The Wellcome Trust
Bill Hubbard, SHERPA Manager, SHERPA

This session includes talks from experts in the field talking about putting open access publishing into practice covering policies, institutional collaboration and funding mechanisms. It will include an introduction to the open access business model and how the success of the model is reliant on sustainable funding from research funders. The session features a presentation on how to set up an institutional repository from the point of view of policy, process and practicality. A case study will be presented on why and how to set up a central institutional fund for authors wishing to publish their work in open access journals. Representatives from the Wellcome Trust will discuss how to comply with their open access policy and the funding they provide for open access publishing.

608: The funder and the funded: the lifecycle of a UK Research Council award

Kate Nimmo, Grants Manager, University of Glasgow
Kenna Bishop, Grants & Awards Manager, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Simon Kerridge, Assistant Director (Research), Academic Services, University of Sunderland
Dr Adam Staines, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

This session will look at the lifecycle of a research grant from inception to final report, highlighting some of the issues that commonly arise along the way. Particular reference will be made to the UK Research Councils and their electronic application/management system JeS (Joint Electronic System). The perspectives of administrators in the funding organisation and the funded organisation will be highlighted to provide a platform for an increase in mutual understanding and better working relationships. The session will conclude with an opportunity for Q&A with participants - numbers have been restricted to encourage in-depth and inclusive discussion.

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