Guide to undertaking knowledge exchange and impact
Funding bodies increasingly require academics and universities to consider and plan for the impact that they hope to make, for example the Research Councils have a ‘Pathways to Impact’ component of their applications for funding (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/innovation/impacts/). From the very beginning of a research idea or project, it is essential to consider why that research should take place, the different audiences it could potentially benefit, and the most relevant ways in which to reach these audiences. Whilst delivering the project, it is also fundamental to recognise and monitor the resulting outputs and outcomes, as this step-by-step guide illustrates:
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STEP 1
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RESEARCH |
What are you trying to find out? What difference are you trying to make? Why does the research matter? Are you trying to make a change? |
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STEP 2
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AUDIENCES AND STAKEHOLDERS |
Which groups/organisations/individuals
might be interested in this research?:
What is the best way to reach these audiences? How can they feed into your research? |
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STEP 3
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ACTIVITIES |
Workshops, conferences, talks and other
events Consultancy or training Online engagement (blogs, social media) Publications and active dissemination Policy papers Creating films |
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Through evaluation data: |
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STEP 4
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OUTPUTS (direct, measurable results, quantitative) |
Number of people reached Number of events delivered Citation data Number of people trained Online/social media statistics Number of research/policy papers created Number of films made Number of toolkits created |
| STEP 5 |
OUTCOMES (the effects arising from the outputs achieved, qualitative) |
Evidence of change in thought, behaviour, understanding Evidence of policy change Identification of new ways of working/processes More efficient allocation of resources Improved decision-making structures Evidence of secondary reach Creation of partnerships with other groups/organisations Evidence of improved opportunities Contribution to discussion/debate Savings or reduced costs New or modified practice |
