1. – a view from the Trenches
Impact and the REF
– a view from the Trenches
Anne Sofie Laegran Knowledge Exchange Manager College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science University of Edinburgh

2. The impact of impact in academia
Culture change: All academic staff must consider the potential impact of research
Challenge: Not only create, but demonstrate impact
Incentives: Impact part of career progression
Training: How to develop pathways as well as how to capture and evidence impact
Support: More funding and staff available

3. Collaborators /partners Influencers and decision makers
Beneficiaries
Collaborators /partners
Influencers and decision makers
Developing pathways to impact
Who may benefit from your research?
What might the benefits be?
What can you do to ensure potential beneficiaries and decision makers have the opportunity to engage and benefit?
-> developing new skills and networks

4. Process Result Excellent Research Impact Knowledge Exchange
Public engagement
Influencing policy
Informing professional practice and service delivery
Technology transfer
Excellent Research
Impact
Knowledge Exchange
Process
Result

5. REF impact challenges:
Demonstrating change/benefit as opposed to reporting engagement activity
Attributing that change to research
Providing robust evidence

6. History of Art: ‘Impressionism, Scotland
and the Art Market
Law: Enhancing the effectiveness of youth justice policy and practice
Music: The Skoog: a new kind of musical instrument
Sociology: Impact of Research on the Financial Crises

7. Activity (all based on research)
Organising an exhibition
Providing evidence to government/parliament
Writing opinion pieces/essays for the media
Developing a new technology
Evidence of Impact
Audience feedback; social media; ticket/ merchandise sales; news report/ reviews; change in gallery practice/art market.
Repeat invitations to present evidence, citations in the debate, decisions being based on the evidence, improved outcomes (e.g.reduced crime)
Responses from influential people in public debate, issue being picked up in parliament and/or other public arenas
Spin-out/license, reported sales, benefits to company/customers

8. RepoFringe: The role of
Repositories and Open access
Potentially important
Impact in arts/humanities/social science is often based on “translated” content rather than original research output
Social Media
Need high level of engagement, reach and/or significance to demonstrate more than mere dissemination
Metrics
Numeric evidence important – but must provide context
Standardised metrics/Altmetrics doesn’t work

9. The importance of impact
20% of the REF score
Determined 26% of the funding in Scotland
Funding attracted per annum for next 7 years:
4* case study £45-120K
3* £9-25K
2* £0
4* output: £7- 15K, 3*: £ , 2* 0
-> Not only “what counts as impact” but “what really makes a demonstrable difference to the world”

10. Resources www.ref.ac.uk Results and submissions by institution or UoA
Searchable database of impact case studies