Research Impact Masterclass Series: No 1
What is research impact
and why does it matter?
WORKBOOK
Course tutor:
Melinda Kenneway,
CEO, KUDOS
www.growkudos.com
Topics:
• What is research impact?
• Why is research impact important?
• How is research impact achieved ?
• How is research impact measured?
By the end of this short course you will
be able to:
✔ Demonstrate a good understanding
of definitions and types of research
impact
✔ Understand how the research
impact agenda is likely to affect you,
your team and institution
✔ Explain the different types of
research impact and how this is
measured
What is
research
impact?
An effect on, change or
benefit to the economy,
society, culture, public
policy or services, health,
the environment or quality
of life beyond academia.
UK Research Excellence
Framework
The potential [for your
research] to benefit
society and contribute to
the achievement of
desired society
outcomes.
National Science
Foundation
The likelihood for the
project to exert a
sustained, powerful
influence on the research
field(s) involved.
National Institutes of Health
The contribution that
research makes to the
economy, society,
environment or culture,
beyond the contribution
to academic research.
Australian Research Council
Proveable change
[benefit] of research
in the ‘real world’.
Julie Bayley, Director of Research Impact
Development, University of Lincoln
www.juliebayley.blog
Types of impact
• Understanding and awareness
• Attitudinal
• Economic
• Environmental
• Health and well-being
• Policy
• Other forms of decision-making and
behaviour change impacts
• Cultural
• Other social
• Capacity of preparedness
Professor Mark Reed,
The Research Impact Handbook
https://www.fasttrackimpact.com/what-is-impact
What is
research
impact?
Exercise 1: for a current or recent research project –
consider the different types of impact that might be
possible and list them here:
Why does
research
impact
matter?
Good ideas are not
adopted automatically. They
must be driven into practice
with courageous patience.
Hyman Rickover
National assessment systems
• UK REF: impact case studies assessment inform
25% of university funding
• Australia has recently introduced Engagement
and Impact assessment
• Other countries that examine research impact
include Italy, France and Belgium
Competitive grants
• Growing competition is driving requirement for
dissemination / impact capabilities for funding
success
• The US National Science Foundation requires a
statement of the potential broader impacts
that a project will lead to as part of the grant
submission
• UK Research Councils require a ‘pathway to
impact’ plan
• Horizon 2020 funding requires a detailed
exploitation and dissemination plan
Political
•
Growing pressures for
evaluation of public
spending on higher
education and research
Environmental
• Demands by policymakers
for strategic intelligence
on research quality and
impact
Social
•
Competition within and
between institutions for
prestige, students, staff
and resources
Technological
•
Increases in the
availability of real-time
‘big data’ on research
uptake, and capacity of
tools for analysing this
Stern Report, published July 2016 – a review of the REF
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-
excellence-framework-review
Why does
research
impact
matter?
Exercise 2: make some notes on why research
impact matters. Consider your personal view and
that of your funder and institution.
Action
Advocacy
Impact
Understanding
Engagement
Awareness
How is
research
impact
achieved?
Access
Available, discoverable
and shareable
Understanding
Explained
and
contextualised
Engagement
Conversations, exchanges,
participation, co
-creation
Action
Uptake: products, services,
projects
Advocacy
Policy change, training and
education
Impact
Proveable change [benefit]
in the real
world
How is
research
impact
measured?
Mark Taylor, Head of Impact the National
Institute for Health has identified four
reasons for measuring impact:
1. Advocacy
2. Accountability
3. Analysis
4. Allocation
Traditional measures of ‘impact’:
• Impact factors
• Eigen factor
• Citations, H-index, M-index and G-index
Emerging measures of ‘impact’:
• Article influence score (Eigenfactor)
• ‘Altmetrics’ – online attention
• Impact case studies
• Impact evidence
Exercise 3: what measures of impact do you
currently do you currently apply?
Research some of the other methods further and
decide which are most relevant to you and your
work:
Summary
• Research impact is real change in the real
world
• There are many different kinds of impact
including attitudinal, awareness, economic,
social, policy, cultural and health
• It takes hard work and persistence to create
impact from research
• Impact is achieved through several steps
that include access, awareness,
understanding, engagement, action and
advocacy
• Impact is best achieved through stakeholder
engagement throughout the lifecycle of a
project
• National assessment programmes and
funding agencies are placing increased
emphasis on dissemination and impact
evaluation, particularly outside of academia
• Evidencing and measuring impact are
controversial and fast developing areas –
likely to comprise a mix of quantitative
indicators and qualitative reviews
• Researchers will need to develop new skills
and capabilities to demonstrate ability to
create impact, which could become central
to career progression and institutional
reputation.
Links and
further
reading
Books:
• Reed, M. S. (2018) The Research Impact Handbook
• Denicolo, P. (Ed.) (2013) Achieving impact in
research. Sage.
• Derrick, G. (2018) The evaluators’ eye: Impact
assessment and academic peer review. Springer
Links:
• https://www.fasttrackimpact.com
• https://juliebayley.blog/
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research
-excellence-framework-review
• https://responsiblemetrics.org/the-metric-tide/
• https://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/special/broaderimpacts
• https://www.ukri.org/innovation/excellence-with-
impact/pathways-to-impact/
• www.rsc.org
• https://www.growkudos.com/about/research_groups
Chemical Science
High quality
Essential reading for
chemists in all areas
Accessible
Free to read and free to
publish with no APCs
Global
Authors from 37
countries in 2017
This masterclass series is sponsored
by the Royal Society of Chemistry
