What is Research Impact?
Research impact can be defined in many different ways:
- Direct and indirect influence of research or its effect on individuals, communities, the development of policy or the creation of a new product, service or technology.
- Demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy.
- Benefits to the economy, society, culture, public policy and services, health, the environment, international development and quality of life.
- Translating research into real-world outcomes, benefiting the health, prosperity and well-being of people and society.
- Influence of research or its effect on an individual, a community, the development of a policy, or the creation of a new product or service.
- Innovations which create prosperity, improve quality of life, protect the environment and enrich our culture.
- Demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to academic advances, across and within disciplines, including significant advances in understanding, methods, theory and application.
As you can see above, research impact is not easily definable and is a varied concept. It refers to the real-world impact of research, whether that is academic impact, or societal and economic impact.
European Science Foundation - Categories of Research Impact
The nine different categories of research impact, based on the classification of the European Science Foundation, are shown in the image below. Alternatively you can download or print.
Academic Impact | Societal and Economic Impact
Academic
Cultural
Economic
Educational
Environmental
Health
Political
Social
Technological
Why is research impact important?
- Accountability
- Public funders need to be able to demonstrate the value of the research they support from exchequer sources.
- Stakeholder Understanding
- Demonstrating the value of research, underpinning investment, support and broadest adaptation for all stakeholders.
- Research in Society
- Truly collaborative research….with, not on, people…. focussed on areas of greatest need/concern.
- Holistic approaches to established or emerging areas of economic, societal, cultural or strategic importance.
- Linking Excellence with Relevance
- Holistic approaches to established or emerging areas of economic, societal, cultural or strategic importance.
What is impact made of?
Impact is made up of two things: reach and significance. The biggest impact has both, but one or the other can still be meaningful. Ideally, reach and significance will be considered relative to the academic disciplines and the scope of the research.
- Reach refers to how widespread the impact is, or how many beneficiaries there are – is the impact at a local or regional level, or does it have national or international impact?
- Significance refers to how important or valuable the impact is to each beneficiary, the effects that the research has on people.
A regular example given to distinguish between these two elements is that saving a life is profoundly significant at a small scale. Slightly enriching a million lives has substantial reach but less significance.
The Impact Journey
The impact journey describes how research can lead to impacts on society (and academia). It traces research over time, distinguishing between five different stages on the pathway to impact:
| Pathway Stage | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Inputs |
What researchers need | Funding/support, hosting/admin, facilities. |
| Activities | What researchers do | Awards granted, teams established, research undertaken, education, technology transfer. |
| Outputs | The products of research - the end result of a research programme | Publications, networks, events, databases, repositories, case studies, invention disclosure, patents, exhibitions, performances, compositions, art, new methods, PhD students, products, services, reports, models, prototypes. |
| Outcomes | People becoming aware of, and using, these products. They generally occur in the short- to medium-term | Research capacity/leaders, research quality/productivity, sustainability, recruitment of graduate students, more competitive industry. |
| Impacts | Changes in society that result from outputs and outcomes. Typically, impacts occur in the longer-term | Contribution of research to social and economic development, improved international competitiveness, national employment and growth, scholarship, expansion of existing industry, informing public discourse, shaping legislation, enhanced reputation, mitigation of environmental risk, significant contribution to national/international challenges. |
Confusion often arises regarding the difference between outputs and impact, with researchers often discussing research outputs as the impact of their research. It is what is done with those outputs that constitutes impact.
The diagram below demonstrates this pathway, with examples under each of the five stages.
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Based on the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model.