Measuring the impact of research: the story so far, and where to next?

Dr Michael Wykes, Policy, Impact and Performance Manager, 3rd April 2013

http://casrai.org/

Outcomes

• “Assessment, evaluations, and definitions of research impact: A review” Research Evaluation 23 (2014) pp. 21-32, available under Open Access.

• Executive summary and recommendations

• Final report

• Seven essays on Impact

• http://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/inspiring/projects/impact/

Conference Evaluation • Excellent, but....

• “Thought it would be more focussed on REF 2014”.

• “Nice to see an all-female panel! Although complex ideas presented too quickly at times”.

• “Too strategic/systems”.

• ‘Unless academics’ “intellect, imagination and values” were engaged by impact, there was a danger that the agenda would be “a rather limp, bureaucratic and ineffective intervention”’

The Impact Industry?

National and International Context

• A 20% cut in real terms to the BIS budget between 2010

and 2018

• From 20% in REF 2014 to 25% in REF 2020?

• Impact Acceleration Accounts

• Systems

• Public Engagement

• Horizon 2020

• Collaborations: The fourth age of research

• HEIF #6

Where to next?

• How is the Impact important to HEIs and their staff? • Embedding Impact as a cultural norm • Resourcing Impact • Writing and communicating • Causal inference and the counterfactual • Leadership, job descriptions, promotion and reward • Planning the evidence • Institutional memory • ROS & Researchfish • Learning from other sectors • 7,000 • 155 wheels?

Challenge and Opportunity

• The attractiveness and limitations of metrics

• Assess rather than measure?

• Striking the right balance between narrative and numbers

• What would be the alternative to a Case Study approach?

• Risk of oversimplification and translating impacts into numerical expressions.

• Impact. Inspire. Involve. Improve. Influence.

“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count, and everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted”

Thanks for listening

Contact:

Dr Michael Wykes

Policy, Impact and Performance Manager, m.c.wykes@exeter.ac.uk 01392 722351