1. Understanding Impact
Stephanie Seavers, Impact Manager

2. Introduction What is impact? Impact in research grants
Impact in the REF
Developing your impact strategy

3. What is impact? Academic Impact:
the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to academic advances, across and within disciplines, including significant advances in understanding, methods, theory, application and academic practice.
Wider Impact:
an effect on, change to or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment, or quality of life, beyond academia.
What is impact?

4. What are the benefits? Raise individual profile and subject profile
Benefit research design through stakeholder engagement and feedback
Establish long-lasting research contacts
Generate new research or funding opportunities

5. Why is impact important?
Grant applications (esp. RCUK). Pathways to impact – outline the potential non-academic users of the research, how they could benefit, and what you will do to engage them in the research.
Career progression. Increasing focus on impact as part of career development.
REF. Impact accounts for 25% of overall REF score.

6. Impact in Grant Applications (RCUK)
Impact Summary: 4000 characters to describe who will benefit from your research and how they will benefit.
Pathways to impact: 2 pages describing the engagement, collaboration and knowledge exchange activities that will enable your research to achieve impact in a non-academic sphere.
Impact is an important part of grant applications. Strong research proposals will not be granted if the pathways to impact is unsatisfactory.

7. Impact and the REF Impact a REF requirement since REF2014
Weighted at 25% of a department’s submission (60% for outputs and 15% for environment)
Assessed by case studies: 4 page documents which describe the underpinning research, the method through which impact was achieved and the ultimate impact of the research.
Evidence to corroborate impact must be submitted with each case study.
Impact assessed according to reach and significance and given a star rating.
Impact and the REF

8. What’s in a REF case study template?
Summary of the Impact
Short description of the impact that has been achieved.
Underpinning Research
Description of the research and the key findings that led to impact.
Research References
Details of the Impact
Description of the impact and how it occurred. Indication of evidence to support the claim for reach and significance.
Evidence to corroborate the impact
No more than 10 sources.
What’s in a REF case study template?

9. Making the case for impact
Underpinning research +
Engagement with non-academics
Change to ideas or practices of non-academics (with evidence to prove this) =
IMPACT!
Making the case for impact

10. Developing an impact strategy
Identify potential audiences/beneficiaries of your research
Why will they benefit from your research?
Identify how you can engage with them and at which stages
Events
Policy engagement
Media
Web/digital media
Collaboration with external organisation
Demonstrate flexibility to be both proactive (organising engagement activities) as well as reactive (e.g. responding to select committee calls/contributing to media discussion)
What resources will you need?
Developing an impact strategy

11. Examples of impact
Research has been used by industry or business, e.g. to improve processes or product design
Research has informed practice or service delivery (e.g. local government, third sector)
Research has informed public understanding, awareness or attitudes towards an issue
Professional standards or guidelines have been influenced by research
Policy decisions have been influenced by research

12. Pathways to impact
Public discussion about your research via web, social media, broadcast media
Non academic event or conference
Stakeholder working groups
Training materials, tools, frameworks, exhibitions, artworks
Liaison with policy makers through select committees, commissioned research or meetings

13. Engagement vs impact
Engagement is the method with which you communicate your research to your chosen audience
Impact is the demonstrable change leading from that communication

14. Demonstrating a change- examples of impact evidence
Citation in policy document
Citation in charity campaign or think tank recommendation
Qualitative feedback from stakeholder explaining how your findings have influenced their work – worth identifying in advance who could provide testimonials
Feedback from event participants or online comments showing change in understanding
Quantitative data, e.g. improved financial gains/productivity

15. Activity: what would your impact strategy look like?
Describe your research briefly
Who are your non-academic beneficiaries?
Why would they benefit from your research?
How would you communicate with them?
What potential challenges might you face?
What might your impact look like?

16. Impact resources Impact Manager Contact details
RCUK pathways to impact
Claire Gerard Social Sciences (interim WMG)
IAA/ WIF applications
Stephanie Seavers Social Sciences (interim Engineering and Computer Science)
Faculty training and online resources (Impact Resource Bank)
Guidance on REF and impact case studies
Katie Irgin WMS, SLS, Psychology, Maths and Stats (interim Chemistry)
Katie Klaassen Arts and Humanities (interim Physics)

17. Impact resources
Faculty of Social Sciences:
Faculties of Science and Medicine:
Faculty of Arts: