1. Research Impact
Carly Chadwick, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Officer

2. Overview of session
Introduction: what is impact?
Impact pathways
Tracking and documenting impact
What makes a good case study?

3. What is impact?
“The demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy.
Economic and societal impacts embrace all the extremely diverse ways in which research-related knowledge and skills benefit individuals, organisations and nations by:
Fostering global economic performance, and specifically the economic competitiveness of the UK
Increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy
Enhancing quality of life, health and creative output.”
RCUK
We’re referring in this session to societal and economic impact, rather than academic impact (the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to academic advances, across and within disciplines, including significant advances in understanding, methods, theory and application - RCUK).
Impact is the difference that academic research makes outside the academy.

4. Enhancing cultural life Informing policy making
Societal and economic impacts
Enhancing cultural life
Informing policy making
Contributing to public debate and understanding
Improving healthcare and outcomes
Contributing to social equity, inclusion and cohesion
New products, processes and spinouts

5. Why is impact important?
Manchester 2020 Strategic Plan
“We will ensure our research and discovery make a positive difference to society.”
Research funding landscape
Applicants must consider who, outside academia, might benefit from the research, how they might benefit, and what the applicant(s) can do to make this happen.
Research Excellence Framework (REF)
REF2014 was the first time that societal and economic impact was included in the national research quality assessment exercise – we expect greater weighting to be placed on impact next time.
Academic research had non-academic impact even before its inclusion in RCUK applications and REF.
We do research to make a difference, not with the aim of writing a REF case study. If REF didn’t exist, impact would still be the right thing to do. REF simply measures what we’re doing anyway. But the policy context is still important:
Impact is central the University’s goals for world-class research and social responsibility – the University has made a commitment to ensure that our research makes a difference.
Applicants are asked to think about the impact of their research outside academia – for RCUK this means submitting an Impact Summary and Pathways to Impact Statement
We are already planning for the next REF – how to develop case studies and effectively gather evidence of impact.
But it’s about much more than this – engaging with external partners and research users can result in:
career development opportunities (expanding networks)
informing research and generating new research questions by understanding the needs of potential research users
gaining access to new data and funding sources

6. Impact pathways Policy briefs Reports for research users Toolkits
Websites and blogs
Select Committee evidence
Events and exhibitions
Workshops
Social media
Co-production
Things you might do to engage with non academic stakeholders and potential research users. Impact pathways will vary between projects and should be tailored to specific stakeholder groups. Think about the best way to present your findings to those who are interested in the research.
Important to make a distinction between dissemination and impact. Social media/press articles/tv or radio interviews/blogs are a pathway to impact rather than impact in themselves. They can help you to reach the right audiences and encourage engagement with your research. Impact is what happens as a result.
Examples from UoM:
Jonny Darling submitted evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into accommodation for asylum seekers; his evidence was cited in the report, so Jonny can claim that his research is influencing policy debates.

7. Impact pathways
Sarah Hall worked with an artist to translate her findings on everyday austerity into an exhibition, which is currently touring Greater Manchester

8. Impact pathways
Tine Buffel trained older people as co-researchers on her project on age-friendly cities. The researchers conducted interviews with hard to reach older people who were experiencing social exclusion, isolation, poverty or health problems. The team have been able to make recommendations for urban design, regeneration, policy and community engagement, taking into account the needs of older people.

9. Impact pathways www.climatejust.org.uk
Sarah Lindley worked with external partners to develop the ClimateJust mapping tool. The tool uses data on flooding, heat and fuel poverty, shows the geography of England’s vulnerability to climate change at a neighbourhood scale – it highlights which places and people are likely to be most vulnerable to extreme weather and its purpose is to support local planning and responses to a changing climate.

10. Impact pathways Choose a REF2014 Impact Case Study
What pathways to impact are described in the narrative?
So whilst REF isn't the reason we do work like this, the REF results give us a great range of case studies to look at and learn from.
These examples have been chosen from UoAs to which SCI colleagues are currently submitted, and from institutions whose impact submission was graded at least 3*.
Concentrate on section 4 (details of the impact)
What did the authors do to realise the impact of their research?

11. Tracking and documenting impact
Consider how you will go about tracking and documenting your impact, ideally before you begin a project.
Collect evidence of impact. Try to do so as you go along rather than (only) at the end of the project.
Maintain relationships with stakeholders so you can contact them about how they are using your findings.
Examples of impact evidence:
Letters or statements attesting to the impact
Citation in policy or strategy documents
Visitor or audience numbers and feedback for events and exhibitions
Examples of evidencing and documenting impact – citation in policy, regulatory, strategy documents; citation by journalists or social media; mentions in Parliamentary debate; use in Select Committees; visitor or audience numbers (for events/exhibitions); evidence of debate among practitioners, leading to developments in attitudes or behaviours; testimony of experts or users who can attest to the reach and/or significance of impact

12. Tracking and documenting impact
So Sarah has collected numbers of visitors (stickers) and the thoughts of visitors to her exhibition. You can see she is collecting a baseline with the first question so she can compare and changes to people’s attitudes or understanding.

13. Tracking and documenting impact
And with this data can start to demonstrate a change in people’s attitude to or understanding of austerity and its effects on people’s everyday lives.
Sarah Lindley has been tracking use of the website and surveying users of the mapping tool – how are they using it and how can it be improved?
As well as monitoring policy changes, Tine Buffel is tracking who else uses her findings and methodology, and who requests copies of her book, and contacting them to find out how her research is making a difference.

14. Tracking and documenting impact
Go back to your REF2014 Impact Case Study
What evidence of impact have the authors provided?
Concentrate on sections 4 and 5
Is the evidence qualitative or quantitative?
How does it relate to the pathways?

15. What makes a good case study?
A good case study should be a convincing and credible narrative explaining how the underpinning research made a difference.
Be specific about what the impact was and who benefitted
Write for a non-academic audience
Be concise
Use quotes from research users to bring the case study to life
Explain how the sources of evidence support the specific impacts claimed
Source:
Be specific – which user groups has your work reached? How exactly did they benefit from it? This might be policymakers, NGOs, schools, businesses, the public (but be specific about which members of the public you mean. Customers? Pupils? Voters? Employees? Patients?)
Write for non-academics: use simple and direct language – REF2014 impact case studies were assessed by research users as well as academics
Be concise – pull out the key points easily for readers
Evidence: make links between the evidence sources listed and how these back up your claims

16. What makes a good case study?
Go back to your REF2014 Impact Case Study
Is the narrative and associated evidence convincing?
Are the links to the underpinning research clear?
Is the language clear and easy to understand?
Did they convince you of the difference they’d made? Why? Why not?

17. What makes a good case study?

18. Opportunities and support
Humanities Strategic Investment Fund (HSIF) and ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)
Calls currently closed but look out for updates
Internal School-level funds
For example small grants and seed-corn funding for impact
Skills development opportunities
Look out for Festivals (e.g. ESRC Festival of Social Science) and training opportunities via the University, funders and other external organisations (e.g. media, public engagement, Parliamentary Fellowships and impact training sessions).
Knowledge Exchange and Impact Officers
Supporting impact activities, grant applications, REF preparations

19. Useful Resources ESRC Impact Toolkit
National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)
Fast Track Impact
Research to Action
University of Manchester (Staffnet)
Impact planning for research projects
Pathways to Impact guidance document
Costing and resourcing impact activities

20. Knowledge Exchange and Impact contacts
Alliance MBS & Law Leanne Munroe
63369
SALC Lucy Stone
61723
SoSS & SEED Carly Chadwick
54685