Plan for impact
Impact can be broadly defined as the contribution that research makes to society and the economy. There are a number of ways to create impact with your research including public engagement, policy engagement, business engagement and commercialisation.
It’s best to consider impact as an integral part of your research plans right from the start. If you are applying for a research grant, consult the funder’s guidance for their specific requirements.
How to plan for impact
When planning for impact, you should consider the following:
Think about what drives you
First take some time to reflect on what you personally want to achieve through your research. Are you motivated to bring about change in the world, and what could that change look like? Aligning your personal motivations with the impact you might create will give you the best chance of success.
You should consider the broader and longer term impact of the potential research outcomes beyond the academic community. What social impacts could arise from your findings? What groups, organisations or individuals may be able to apply your research in practice?
Research has diverse and sometimes surprising impacts. Read about other researchers’ stories from our library of case studies to fire up your imagination.
Invest in strong partnerships
Collaborative partnerships can create more impact and value from your research. Choose your partners carefully. Good partners will:
- understand the value of your research to them
- have the people and funds to engage with your research
- be open to working with academia
Be prepared to invest time to build mutual understanding. You may have very different motivations and drivers – for example, academia’s quest for discovery versus industry’s desire to solve problems and improve financial performance.
Make your proposal SMART
SMART means: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely.
Building SMART objectives into your Pathway to Impact will show that you have a clear understanding of how to engage with your stakeholders and partners, and appropriate plans to carry this out.
Budget for your impact activities
Effective engagement with research partners and stakeholders takes time and effort. Grant applicants should budget for the costs of impact and engagement activities including specialist resources and expertise where needed.
You may also be able to apply for impact funding to support your activities.
Evidence and evaluate your impact
Impact evaluation is essential for lesson-learning and accountability. You should create an evaluation plan that should be timely, effective and appropriate in scale. Choose an approach which enables you to demonstrate whether you have achieved the impact(s) you set out to deliver. The body of evidence you will gather throughout your project will be a useful asset for:
- informing next steps
- making a case for future funding
- submitting your impact to the REF
Regularly review your activities
During the course of your research project, you should periodically review the progress and effectiveness of your engagement and impact activity. Be flexible, take risks and respond to new opportunities when they arise.