Developing a toolkit for increasing the participation of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in health and social care research

Background It is recognised that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations are generally underrepresented in research studies. The key objective of this work was to develop an evidence based, practical toolkit to help researchers maximise recruitment of BAME groups in research. Methods Development of the toolkit was an iterative process overseen by an expert steering group. Key steps included a detailed literature review, feedback from focus groups (including researchers and BAME community members) and further workshops and communication with participants to review the draft and final versions. Results Poor recruitment of BAME populations in research is due to complex reasons, these include factors such as inadequate attention to recruitment strategies and planning, poor engagement with communities and individuals due to issues such as cultural competency of researchers, historical poor experience of participating in research, and lack of links with community networks. Other factors include language issues, relevant expertise in research team and a lack of adequate resources that might be required in recruitment of BAME populations. Conclusions A toolkit was developed with key sections providing guidance on planning research and ensuring adequate engagement of communities and individuals. Together with sections suggesting how the research team can address training needs and adopt best practice. Researchers highlighted the issue of funding and how best to address BAME recruitment in grant applications, so a section on preparing a grant application was also included. The final toolkit document is practical, and includes examples of best practice and ‘top tips’ for researchers.

A Toolkit for Developing Effective Projects Under the Federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program

In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, now referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes multiple provisions related to conserving fish and wildlife. One of the most exciting elements of this historic legislation is a dedicated $350 million competitive grant program called the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. In order to assist eligible applicants and partners to understand and take advantage of these new funding and policy opportunities, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation’s Corridors & Crossings Program has created “A Toolkit for Developing Effective Projects Under the Federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program.” The document provides: An overview of the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program and other fish and wildlife provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, suggestions for how applicants and their partners can engage, best practices, examples, and resources for designing effective wildlife crossing projects in accordance with each of the grant application criterion of the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program.

Magneto-electric nano-composite for analog tunable radio frequency filters

<p><b>The emerging field of magnetoelectric electronics opens significant opportunities for the next generation of sensors and wireless devices. A key feature of magneto-electric materials is the coupling between their magnetic and electronic properties that enables a voltage to be induced by a magnetic field, or a magnetic response to be induced by an electric field. This occurs in ferroelectric and ferromagnetic bi-layers. It also intrinsically occurs in multiferroics but obtaining a large room temperature magneto-electric effect with such materials can be challenging.</b></p> <p>The National Isotope Centre, part of the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science), has been working with Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) on a novel idea to use low energy ion implantation to create ferromagnetic nanoparticles on ferroelectric and multiferroic thin films to create a magneto-electric nanoparticle composite thin film. They demonstrated the viability of magneto-electric nano-composites in two early stage proofs-ofconcept: a tunable radio frequency filter for wireless systems and a zero-power magnetometer measuring small electrical signals. The aim of this project is to assess the range of fields that this composite could have applications in, identifying the most promising of those fields and assessing the most promising applications in that field. Furthermore, this project also seeks out potential partners in New Zealand and a business case was subsequently prepared, which will be used to apply for government funding to pursue research on the technology, and to begin its commercialisation.</p> <p>In this study nine fields were found to potentially benefit from the use of this technology. They were analysed and compared, using preliminary market validation, resulting in the decision to investigate further the tunable radio frequency (RF) filter market, which is projected at US$13 billion by 2020. RF filters are designed using an original method patented in the 1930s allowing a filter to address only one frequency. As a result, a device must integrate as many filters as frequencies it needs to use, which could be more than 50 for a recent smartphone. A tunable RF filter with a 20% tunability could disrupt this market by providing a huge gain of space, weight, and power efficiency. The RF market is also promising because of the wireless trend, which is occurring all over the world where everything is progressively connected to the what is called the ‘Internet of Things’ – the most important market for the next generation of interconnected electronics. During a year of literature review, interviews and participation at international fairs, the research team has built a value proposition case, a technology review, a market and competitive analysis, an intellectual property assessment and a commercialisation pathway, which are detailed in this project report.</p> <p>The initial Smart Idea funding from the government has now ended and, if the project is to be kept alive, it needs to produce a quick-to-market application to unlock new credits. This report proposes a structured roadmap for several applications, starting with a tunable RF filter prototype for underwater communication. This has been progressed by GNS Science, embarking on a grant application during this writing. If granted, this funding could open the way to make New Zealand a champion in tunable RF filters and a research and development (R&D) hub for next generation nano-electronics.</p>

Magneto-electric nano-composite for analog tunable radio frequency filters

<p><b>The emerging field of magnetoelectric electronics opens significant opportunities for the next generation of sensors and wireless devices. A key feature of magneto-electric materials is the coupling between their magnetic and electronic properties that enables a voltage to be induced by a magnetic field, or a magnetic response to be induced by an electric field. This occurs in ferroelectric and ferromagnetic bi-layers. It also intrinsically occurs in multiferroics but obtaining a large room temperature magneto-electric effect with such materials can be challenging.</b></p> <p>The National Isotope Centre, part of the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science), has been working with Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) on a novel idea to use low energy ion implantation to create ferromagnetic nanoparticles on ferroelectric and multiferroic thin films to create a magneto-electric nanoparticle composite thin film. They demonstrated the viability of magneto-electric nano-composites in two early stage proofs-ofconcept: a tunable radio frequency filter for wireless systems and a zero-power magnetometer measuring small electrical signals. The aim of this project is to assess the range of fields that this composite could have applications in, identifying the most promising of those fields and assessing the most promising applications in that field. Furthermore, this project also seeks out potential partners in New Zealand and a business case was subsequently prepared, which will be used to apply for government funding to pursue research on the technology, and to begin its commercialisation.</p> <p>In this study nine fields were found to potentially benefit from the use of this technology. They were analysed and compared, using preliminary market validation, resulting in the decision to investigate further the tunable radio frequency (RF) filter market, which is projected at US$13 billion by 2020. RF filters are designed using an original method patented in the 1930s allowing a filter to address only one frequency. As a result, a device must integrate as many filters as frequencies it needs to use, which could be more than 50 for a recent smartphone. A tunable RF filter with a 20% tunability could disrupt this market by providing a huge gain of space, weight, and power efficiency. The RF market is also promising because of the wireless trend, which is occurring all over the world where everything is progressively connected to the what is called the ‘Internet of Things’ – the most important market for the next generation of interconnected electronics. During a year of literature review, interviews and participation at international fairs, the research team has built a value proposition case, a technology review, a market and competitive analysis, an intellectual property assessment and a commercialisation pathway, which are detailed in this project report.</p> <p>The initial Smart Idea funding from the government has now ended and, if the project is to be kept alive, it needs to produce a quick-to-market application to unlock new credits. This report proposes a structured roadmap for several applications, starting with a tunable RF filter prototype for underwater communication. This has been progressed by GNS Science, embarking on a grant application during this writing. If granted, this funding could open the way to make New Zealand a champion in tunable RF filters and a research and development (R&D) hub for next generation nano-electronics.</p>

Shining a Light Inside the “Black Box” of NIH Application Submission and Review

What happens to applications after they are submitted to the National Institutes of Health, and how can you better prepare yourself and your application for the process of peer review? The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) works closely with the 24 funding institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health that provide funding support for projects of high scientific merit and high potential impact. CSR conducts the first level of review for the majority of grant applications submitted to the NIH, which includes 90% of R01s, 85% of Fellowships, and 95% of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) applications as well as many other research and training opportunity activities. In this capacity, CSR helps to identify the most meritorious projects, cutting-edge research, and future scientists who will advance the mission of the NIH: to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The purpose of this project is to provide an overview of 1) what happens to NIH applications before, during, and after peer review at CSR; 2) a summary of new and current peer review policies and practices that impact investigators and their submitted applications; and 3) strategies for developing a strong NIH grant application. Peer review is the cornerstone of the NIH grant supporting process, and an insider’s view can shine a light inside the “Black Box” of how the most meritorious projects are identified.

Industry Collaborations of Research Teams: Are They Penalized or Rewarded in the Grant Evaluation Process?

This paper explores the relationship between the industry collaborations of grant applicant teams and the outcomes of a multistage grant evaluation process. We studied this relationship by focusing on two possible channels of impact of industry engagement—team diversity (or the diversity effect) and prior collaboration experience (or the experience effect)—and examined their influence on the evaluators' decision by using the proxies of direct industry engagement (i.e., the involvement of a company-affiliated researcher in the grant applicant team) and indirect industry engagement (i.e., joint publications with a company-affiliated researcher prior to the grant application), respectively. We analyzed data extracted from the application and reviewed materials of a multidisciplinary, pan-European research funding scheme—European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES)—for the period 2002–2010 and conducted an empirical investigation of its three consecutive grant evaluation stages at the team level. We found that teams presenting an indirect engagement were more likely to pass the first stage of selection, whereas no significant relationships were found at any of the three evaluation stages for teams presenting a direct engagement. Our findings point to the heterogeneity of the decision-making process within a multistage grant evaluation scheme and suggest that the policy objective of fostering university–industry collaboration does not significantly impact the funding process.

The socio-spatial politics of royalties and their distribution: A case study of the Surat Basin, Queensland

This paper is concerned with the socio-spatial and ethical politics of redistribution, specifically the allocation of natural resources rents from political and economic cores to the economic and geographical peripheries whence the resource originated. Based on a case study of the coal seam gas sector in Queensland's Surat Basin, this paper focuses on the operation of the Queensland State Government's regional development fund for mining and energy extraction-affected regions. Employing an environmental justice framework, we critically explore the operation of these funds in ostensibly helping constituent communities in becoming resilient to the worst effects of the ‘staples trap’. Drawing on secondary demographic and housing data for the region, as well as primary information collected from key respondents from mid-2018 to early 2019, we show that funds were distributed across all of the local government areas, and allocated to projects and places primarily on a perceived economic needs basis. However, concerns were raised with the probity of the funds’ administration. In terms of recognition justice, the participation of smaller and more remote towns and local Indigenous communities was hampered by their structural marginalisation. Procedurally, the funds were criticised for the lack of local consultation taken in the development and approval of projects. While spatially concentrated expenditure may be the most cost-effective use of public monies, we argue that grant application processes should be open, transparent and inclusive, and the outcomes cognisant of the developmental needs of smaller communities, together with the need to foster regional solidarity and coherence.

Ethical funding for trustworthy AI: proposals to address the responsibilities of funders to ensure that projects adhere to trustworthy AI practice

AI systems that demonstrate significant bias or lower than claimed accuracy, and resulting in individual and societal harms, continue to be reported. Such reports beg the question as to why such systems continue to be funded, developed and deployed despite the many published ethical AI principles. This paper focusses on the funding processes for AI research grants which we have identified as a gap in the current range of ethical AI solutions such as AI procurement guidelines, AI impact assessments and AI audit frameworks. We highlight the responsibilities of funding bodies to ensure investment is channelled towards trustworthy and safe AI systems and provides case studies as to how other ethical funding principles are managed. We offer a first sight of two proposals for funding bodies to consider regarding procedures they can employ. The first proposal is for the inclusion of a Trustworthy AI Statement’ section in the grant application form and offers an example of the associated guidance. The second proposal outlines the wider management requirements of a funding body for the ethical review and monitoring of funded projects to ensure adherence to the proposed ethical strategies in the applicants Trustworthy AI Statement. The anticipated outcome for such proposals being employed would be to create a ‘stop and think’ section during the project planning and application procedure requiring applicants to implement the methods for the ethically aligned design of AI. In essence it asks funders to send the message “if you want the money, then build trustworthy AI!”.

Latent Factors of Non-filer: An Analysis of Data from Inland Revenue Office, Surkhet

This study examines the inducing factors of non-filters in income tax that analyses the data from one of the remote administrative unit of the Inland Revenue Department of Nepal, Surkhet. Descriptive analysis as well as a Chi-squared test is carried out to examine the impact of government grant policy on elevating non filers. “Grant in agriculture” is assessed as one of its latent factors. Result confirms its significant positive impact on upraising non-filers with a minimal impact on revenue. Therefore, it suggests to free-off grant seekers from compulsory registration in income tax as one of the eligibility criteria for grant application.

Critical Practice of Grant Application and Administration

Critical Practice of Grant Application and Administration