Research, enterprise & regeneration activities

from Financial Statements 2022

External engagement

Research, enterprise and regeneration activities

While Buckinghamshire New University is known as a teaching-intensive, civic institution with a sector-leading track record in widening participation, we are also showing strong results for research and knowledge exchange. BNU’s mission emphasises our society-shaping mission that makes a positive difference to industry and society through our research, innovation and practice.

BNU’s year on year research successes created a ‘critical mass’ by focussing our activities on interdisciplinary areas that are both appropriately specialised and inclusive of the academic and student community. Our research is focused on ensuring that the University is a catalyst for positive change.

Our success stories are supported by an excellent reputation for research and knowledge exchange, with the benefits this brings to the regional and global communities we serve.

We engage with the wider world in many ways, and knowledge exchange has long been at the heart of our research and innovation activities. We are passionate about working collaboratively with industry and our local communities to benefit both the economy and society.

Our success stories are supported by an excellent reputation for research and knowledge exchange, with the benefits this brings to the regional and global communities we serve.

Research highlights

Buckinghamshire New University is committed to generating quality research that tackles the challenges of today and makes a difference to the lives of people in our local community, across the UK and around the world.

We develop our research across a wide range of fields which include; renewable, deforestation, energy storage, energy use and carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology. Our teams work with stakeholders to find sustainable solutions.

For example, aacademics from our School of Aviation and Security have collaborated with the European Commission Joint Research Centre to estimate regional variation in air transport connectivity across the EU, UK and EEA regions and the impact of airport incentive schemes and policies on these disparities. The research project, supported by Research England’s Quality-Related Policy Support Fund (PSF), involved the development of a new regional air transport vulnerability and dependence index and European Airport Policy Incentive Database to estimate the impact of incentive policies on disparities in air transport access during the pre-pandemic period.

Academics in the School of Aviation and Security were also successful in being awarded funding from Bristol International Airport’s Carbon Transition scheme to conduct research into several carbon reducing journey to work schemes, informed by a large-scale employee journey-to-work survey. Water management: research value of £350k

BNU’s research on water management brings innovative science together with communities and stakeholders across six European countries to promote sustainable water management and a better environment as their population grows.

Europe faces major challenges in water supply security as well as a high vulnerability to floods. This is likely to worsen due to climate change along with the expected economic growth of Europe and associated increase in population. In addition, relationships between the natural environment and urban water infrastructure are highly complex, comprising several elements – from hydrological to social and political - and its respective stakeholders (government and planning authorities, industry, developers and citizens). Furthermore, governance is historically ill-equipped to handle these challenges. To address these challenges, Europe’s water management needs integrated, collaborative and appropriate management, informed by the latest scientific understanding of hydrological and ecological systems which is delivered by the work led by BNU.

Solutions for easy access to hygienic drinking water: research value of £205k

Solar disinfection (SODIS) containers developed by BNU provide a practical, affordable and safe solution for easy access to hygienic drinking water. SODIS containers are also usable as a stage-two drinking water treatment technology during disaster relief operations suppliable through UNICEF procurement services.

The technology was initially developed under the WATERSPOUTT project in Africa, then further utilised and developed in the subsequent PANIWATER project to provide communities in peri-urban India with safe water. A BNU-developed educational programme ensured that technologies developed through the programmes are adopted and provide

safe, drinkable water to the target communities at risk of deprivation.

The work undertaken at BNU for WATERSPOUTT and PANIWATER demonstrated the clear impacts of clean water on health (in Ethiopia and Malawi), the economy (in Africa and India), sustainability (Africa), gender issues and education, demonstrating the potential for further potential research and economic impacts including exploitation models for SODIS vessels.

Monitoring hydrological status of complex upland heath communities using canopy conductance and thermal imaging: research value of £45k In partnership with Queensland University of Technology, Earth, Environment and Biological Sciences, BNU is working on a project with the aim of identifying a remote sensible signal for water deficit in the canopy of upland heath vegetation. This project uses small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for remote sensing, providing complete coverage quickly and without physical impact on the areas of interest. Numerous projects have developed remote sensing tools for monitoring vegetation changes in areas with limited, sensitive or dangerous access employing visible and near-infra red spectra to identify green vegetation and bare ground. However, these methods are less practical for upland heath and swamp vegetation, as they are composed of predominantly perennial species that may be able to tolerate periods of drought.

European Cloud Computing and Internet of Things: research value of £35k

BNU is supporting and delivering the European Cloud Computing and Internet of Things (CC+IoT) learning programmes and excellence in teaching and skills development that tackle skills gaps and mismatches through innovative practices supported by digital platforms. This project developed innovative, modern and easy-to-implement learning and practising modules in the areas of CC+IoT, which have applicability within the Industry 4.0 area at the Vocational Education Training (VET) Schools of IT and Universities.

HE’s digital carbon footprint derived from e-learning: research value of £20k

During the pandemic, online education was widely used to replace traditional education all over the world. There is a lack of empirical studies on whether and to what extent the change of an education model can reduce carbon emissions. Taking UK and Spanish universities as cases, BNU and the Open University constructed a model that calculates the impact of online education in higher education on carbon emissions. The results show that - especially during this period - students have formed good online education habits and academics have developed online education abilities. This study also demonstrated that there is a close relationship between online education and carbon emissions. Thus, countries all over the world can further strengthen online education through institutional design and legislation in the following ways:

- increase the development of online education and greatly increasing the proportion of online teaching in non-degree education; - comprehensively develop promotion of online education in nonpractical education and promote the use of online education in

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics non- (STEM) education, as well as the use of non-internship training education activities in STEM subjects; - promote online education to partially replace traditional classroom teaching, improve the quality of course education, and reduce the energy consumption of offline education through methods such as Massive Open

Online Courses (MOOCs); and - extend the range of use of online education in the education for international students to reduce the carbon emissions caused by cross-border mobility. Healthcare workforce development projects BNU has an outstanding track record in delivering professional practice workforce development, including the following projects funded by external agencies:

Examples of BNU’s work in partnership with Health Education England includes:

- Identification of prospects for advanced clinical practice in oncology, specifically reviewing therapeutic radiography. - Third Sector Workforce: – Providing training to those who support people with learning disabilities or autism. BNU has worked in partnership with Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust, funded by Health Education England, on the following projects:

- Practice Education Resource Project / Feasibility study for radiography. - Exploring Advancing Clinical Practice (ACP) roles, and status and training needs of Independent Prescribers from a system wide perspective. - Orthoptist CPD provision on

Visual Processing Difficulties

Knowledge Exchange Framework Knowledge Exchange provides a means to ensure that BNU’s research is put to work on behalf of society, by pro-actively shaping the pathways from research to impact. Knowledge Exchange is an important contributor to BNU’s academic excellence and civic contribution priorities which are set out in the University’s Impact 2022 strategy. BNU strives to deliver impactful research and teaching that encourages the innovation, leadership and vision needed to help our community thrive.

Exposure to real world problems outside of academia through mutual knowledge exchange often leads to longer term impactful relationships and increases the impact of research.

Consultancy activity working with business and the community plays a key part in achieving our mission. We recognise and support creativity and entrepreneurship and, as sponsors

of Buckinghamshire New Business of the Year Award, we highlight how our civic role and responsibility is used more effectively as an agent to drive positive societal change.

BNU is a proud consortium member of the MedTech SuperConnector (MTSC) accelerator programme, led by Imperial College London, that provides funding, training, advice and access to industry networks. The MTSC allows Early Career Researchers to connect with peers from other academic institutions and facilitates the networking opportunities participants need to fast-track the translation of their MedTech research discoveries. The MTSC programme is now on the sixth cohort of grant funding allocations and, as part of this cohort, BNU has received an MTSC award to support the development of a mobile application that captures professional development whilst promoting mental wellbeing and reflection. The work funded through the MTSC demonstrates the potential to transform the health and social care landscape through translating research into innovative medical technologies.

Oxford-Cambridge ARC Universities Group Buckinghamshire New University is a proud member of the OxfordCambridge Arc Universities Group (AUG), a network of nine universities between Oxford and Cambridge, formed to foster collaboration, research, skills and innovation to support the economic growth of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc region. Our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Braisby is a member of the AUG’s Governing Board. The boards comprise senior representatives from the AUG who work together with government, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Growth Boards and business to deliver the Arc’s economic development goals and support growth, inclusivity and resilience across the region.

The forum of the AUG allows BNU to work together with the other eight Universities to share ideas, tackle problems and innovate for the future.

This innovation focus is particularly evident when considering the work of the AUG's working groups, which pool research expertise and capabilities located at individual universities and apply these to tackle global challenges. One of these groups is the OxfordCambridge Arc's Virtual Institute of Aviation (OCAVIA), which brings together five of the universities, including BNU, to work on the creation of a net zero aviation sector for the future.

Impact Centres Four Impact Centres were established during the year to develop and accelerate the exploitation of BNU research and enterprise initiatives through increased engagement with key stakeholders. This in turn will demonstrate the impact of BNU's research on society in the UK, both socially and economically. Capitalising on REF2021 successes, the Impact Centres will spearhead our REF2027 submission.

The Impact Centres will make a valuable contribution to the University’s extensive expertise in health, wellbeing, sustainability and education. By engaging academics with industry to develop novel solutions that can have an immediate and demonstrable impact in practice, the scholarship and research undertaken by these centres will be at the forefront of tackling societal issues.

The four impact centres are for the:

• Improvement of Health and Wellbeing; • Enhancement of the

Environment and Innovation;

• Enrichment of Culture and Identity; and • Advancement of Learning.

Our Graduate School

BNU launched a university-wide Graduate School that lead to the delivery of an enhanced postgraduate programme for our diverse body of students, consolidating and integrating the research environment and culture across all disciplines and academic Schools to produce wellrounded early career researchers.

The Graduate School is a dynamic institutional hub, at the centre of which is a programme of events, research activities and training sessions. It brings together doctoral researchers, supervisors, and BNU’s Impact Centres to inspire and encourage high-quality innovation and fresh thinking and to foster collaborative research.

The Graduate School enriches BNU’s student experience by engaging students at every stage in the university research environment lifecycle, supporting their continuing professional development, and creating a forum for sharing and enhancing good practice. Enterprise activities The expansion of the University’s Research and Enterprise Directorate has led to increased external engagement within the local community, both with local businesses and institutions increasing our research impact, reputation and involvement within Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas. BNU is now represented as members of various local Chambers of Commerce and engages with the Buckinghamshire unitary authority through a range of partnerships and projects to ensure that we actively utilise our academic expertise to engage and participate in ways that benefit our external partners.

BNU has been successful in two Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) applications in Round 2 this year having secured a total of £350k funding from Innovate UK. KTPs are collaborative projects between BNU, a UK business and a graduate and are part-funded by UK Research and Innovation through Innovate UK. The aim of a KTP is to generate profit for a business, while presenting an academic challenge. Knowledge transfer is key to KTP, setting it apart from traditional consultancy. Through collaboration, BNU creates new capabilities for local businesses by transferring knowledge for long-term profit generation.

The collaborations with the Schools of Business & Law and Art, Design & Performance will equip the business partners with the capabilities to grow and develop innovative management solutions and disruptive products which are low cost, highly accessible and have lower gross margins than their incumbents in the market. The partnership research will develop a light engine that will use spectral output of light, biomedical engineering, and healthcare sciences to develop advances in emerging technologies to ease symptoms for individuals suffering debilitating conditions such as migraine, tinnitus and myopia. The partnership will create a unique market segment focused on the performance impacts obtainable from varying the projected spectral power distribution of a light source. The aim is to create a better light source with the potential to be protected by IP. The management Knowledge Transfer Partnership will equip the charity partner with the capabilities required to launch, manage, and continue to develop new commercial services, to increase surplus income which will sustain and extend the services the charity provides to core clients.

BNU is also actively involved in the development and delivery of Continuing Professional Development programmes. In 2022, BNU’s Aviation School partnered with a not-for-profit organisation called Resilient Pilot to run certified short courses on aviation resilience and sustainability, targeting aviation professionals that were heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Regeneration activities BNU supports regeneration activity in the region with projects to support graduates’ start-ups and to provide know-how to SMEs in Buckinghamshire following a £1.2m investment from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Community (DHLUC), as part of the European Regional Development Fund Programme (ERDF).

The GLIDE programme seeks to increase entrepreneurship and stimulate the local economy by supporting small and local businesses during the economic recovery period following the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the use of knowledge, expertise, technology and research capabilities that already reside within BNU, the programme aims to help our graduates start their own businesses across a variety of industries, as well as to develop and enrich existing SMEs to develop their business and increase reach within the market.

GLIDE, supported by BNU academics, facilitated Creative Entrepreneurs Bootcamps, a Sustainable and Circular Economy Course, a Circular fashion course in collaboration with our Fashion School, and a Radical Collaboration Course that was attended by 95 local and nationwide young entrepreneurs.

All programmes and initiatives involve close working with BNU staff, alumni, BNU Students' Union and student success teams to ensure that everyone in our university community is made aware of these opportunities. The team also works closely with other community stakeholders such as Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce and Buckinghamshire Business First, to extend offers of support beyond the University’s walls.

The University’s two incubation hubs, a Healthtech hub in High Wycombe and a Digitech hub in Aylesbury, provide services for local businesses wanting office accommodation and business support. Created with funding from the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership, both centres offer short or longer-term desk or office rental which includes support from our entrepreneurin-residence and with access to BNU’s facilities and intellectual capital.