IMPACTarticulating and measuring

The Science Summit, December 2014

Catriona Manville

RAND Europe is an independent not-for-

profit public policy research institute

Jackson

New Orleans

Boston

Pittsburgh

Washington, D.C.

Cambridge

Brussels

Santa Monicaheadquarters

campus

Canberra

helping to improve policy and decisionmaking

through research and analysis

We have significant experience in

measuring research impact

Current evaluation of the impact

element of REF

• RAND Europe has been commissioned by the funding bodies to evaluate

the submission and assessment process of the impact element of REF

2014.

• Looking at:

– Benefits and challenges

– Intended and unintended consequences

– Examples of good practice

– Improvements for future exercises

Outline

Why measure impact?

Why is measuring impact difficult but not impossible?

What are the ongoing challenges associated with impact

assessment?

1

2

3

why measure

IMPACT?

ADVOCACY

ACCOUNTABILITY

ANALYSIS

ALLOCATION

measuring & identifying

IMPACTis not easy

the challenge

of attribution

dealing with

serendipity

addressing

time lags

examining

the margin

measuring

IMPACT

…but not impossible

is difficult…

what are the ongoing

IMPACTchallengeswith

assessment?

use of

metrics

selection of

case studies

quality of

research

influencing

behaviour