Faculty Resources

Impact statements demonstrate how our work makes a difference in the lives of people, communities, and the world we live in. 

• A great research idea can double its funding advantage with strong broader impacts. 
• Funded projects with strong impacts have a greater chance of round-two funding. 
• Specific impact can touch the heart of private funders.

• Quality of life - such as improved environment, social cohesion, health, education and cultural advances.
• Policy - the impact that research could have on the creation and application of government policy.
• Business and commercial - what impact could this research have on specified marketplaces, potential financial and efficiency savings, new business and job creation.
• Knowledge Transfer / Exchange - two or multi-way process bringing together academics, users of research (e.g. businesses/charities, practitioners, policymakers) and wider groups and communities, to exchange ideas, evidence and expertise. This can be done through specific KT projects, CPD, consultancy, seminars, and workshops
• Communications and engagement - an explanation of how the research and its impacts will be communicated. This needs to be specific about which (non-academic) journals and conferences would be appropriate to reach the potential beneficiaries and why. Rather than general statements about the usual types of journals that would be used. (taken from the RCUK website).

The Impact Summary (4000 characters max) should address the four R's - relevance, response, results, responsibility. 

• Relevance:  Why are we doing this teaching/learning, research/discovery, and extension and outreach/engagement program?  What needs were expressed?  What was the situation/problem, and why was it a problem?
• Response:  What did you do?; What were the key elements?; Who was the target audience?; What resources were expended?
• Results (quantitative and qualitative):  The impact of your works is in the answer to the question "What is the payoff socially, economically, and environmentally?" What happened to the audience because of the work described? What knowledge gained, skills increased, practices/behavior changed, people changed, money was saved, policies changed as a result?  
• Responsible:  collaborators or contributors.