IMPACT 360°

SUE SUCCESS STORIES WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

Make and maintain relationships with experts in different sectors Make the most of your contacts by staying in touch and sharing ideas. Having a large network of contacts is of no significance unless you put your network to productive use. Connecting with people and sharing ideas can have unexpected consequences Areas of mutual interest can be revealed through discussions on a completely different topic, so make the time to connect and talk with people. 1.WHO DO YOU KNOW? THE VALUE OF NETWORKING

2. WHO CAN YOU WORK WITH? ENGAGEMENT IS A SKILL WORTH WORKING AT Work at being a good partner Understand why you are entering this partnership and what you hope to gain from it Be willing to put time, energy and resource as necessary into the partnership Have the flexibility to deal with operating in a potentially ‘alien environment’: adapt to the different priorities, timeframes and viewpoints that your partner may have Choose your project partner with care! Make sure you each understand the expectations of the other Understand why your partner is interested in working with you and what they hope to gain from it Check that they are willing and able to put time into the partnership and that you have a shared understanding of the time commitment on each side See what you can do to help your partner understand and operate in your world, which may seem to them to be an ‘alien academic environment’

3. WHO DO YOU KNOW IN HIGH PLACES? ADVOCACY IS POWERFUL Involvement paves the way to influence Taking the time to be involved in an advisory or expert group can pave the way to influencing decision makers, and is often a vital prerequisite to any advocacy. Such involvement takes time – be tenacious and recognize the impact on the outside world that your commitment and involvement will generate Find a messenger or advocate to take your knowledge into decision making circles Identify a credible advocate who is interested in your research knowledge and who has the legitimacy to take it into the heart of decision-making circles

4. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON? RELEVANCE IS VITAL Research outputs that address a specific need are more likely to be immediately utilised By tackling issues that practitioners currently deal with, consultation can become more meaningful. Consultation Pays Dividends Bringing in partners from outside academia can help ensure that the outputs from academic projects are genuinely usable and fit-for-purpose. Engagement should be genuine and initiated at an early stage Consultation needs to be more than a box-ticking exercise. By scheduling regular meetings and beginning early in the research cycle it can significantly shape research outputs, making them more relevant and more valuable. Once areas of shared interest are revealed opportunities for collaboration open up.

5. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO MISS OUT ON JOINT WORK? MAKING AN IMPACT Knowledge exchange can be beneficial for both researchers and practitioners Researchers can have the satisfaction of seeing the work used in real world applications, and practitioners can have the chance to build on cutting edge research.