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Since April 2009 all Research Councils, with the exception of the MRC, now require the inclusion of an ‘Impact Summary’ and ‘Impact Plan’ to demonstrate that applicants have considered the benefits of their research to the wider community.
These Impact statements should identify the societal and economic impact of the planned research, in addition to the advance in scientific knowledge. In addition, they should cover the methods that will be used to ensure the impact of research is maximised.
RCUK are implementing these plans because they need to provide evidence of the impact of research they fund, to secure continued and increased fund from central government.
In addition to the guidelines available on the Je-S website and advice available from Research and Innovation Services, Revealing Research can provide guidance to researchers including Public Engagement and Outreach activities in their Impact statements. Researchers should recognise that the level of support that is available will relate to the amount of time available to advise on Impact before the grant submission deadline. We would urge applicants interested in including Public Engagement activities in their Impact statements to contact Revealing Research early on in the grant writing process.
Both the Impact Summary and Impact Plan should be written by the applicant and should focus on the research described within the application. The Research Councils have indicated that they will not accept generic proposals from institutions. Therefore, it is not appropriate for Revealing Research to provide generic pro forma to include in submissions. However, we have produced a suggested template for Impact Plans that we hope will prove useful for researchers writing research grants.
A good guide to how to construct your Impact Plan can also be found on the NERC website.
What should I include in an Impact Summary?
The Impact Summary (4000 characters max) should address the following three questions:
More information on Impact Summaries can be found at the RCUK Je-S website.
What should I include in an Impact Plan?
The Impact Plan is your opportunity to describe how the potential impacts of this research will be realised. The Research Councils require up to 2 sides of A4 ‘Impact Plan’ that should be attached to the grant submission.
The onus is on the applicant to consider and address the following if appropriate to research of this nature; methods for communications and engagement, collaboration and exploitation in the most effective and appropriate manner. If there are any resource implications arising from the proposed impact activities, funding for those resources can be requested. The costs associated with those resources need to be included in the financial summary and in the Justification of Resources.
More information on Impact Plans can be found at the RCUK Je-S website.
Below is a list of resources specific to individual Research Councils
AHRC Impact Plan and Summary Guidelines
More information can be found on the RCUK Je-S website. AHRC have also produced a document answering FAQ on Impact.
BBSRC Impact Plan and Summary Guidelines
More information can be found on the RCUK Je-S website. The BBSRC now have a helpful section on the BBSRC website detailing all of their schemes that support impact and outlining social, economic and scientific impact case-studies.
EPSRC Impact Plan and Summary Guidelines
More information can be found on the EPSRC website. EPSRC have also produced a Guidance document and further advice can be found in an article in EPSRC's Connect Magazine.
ESRC Impact Plan and Summary Guidelines
More information can be found on the RCUK Je-S website and on the ESRC's website.
NERC Impact Plan and Summary Guidelines
NERC has some excellent guidelines, examples and templates for researchers which can be found on the NERC website.
STFC Impact Plan and Summary Guidelines
More information can be found on the STFC website.
MRC plan to make their research more accessible to the public and policy makers
Whilst research, medical and societal impacts are a key component for assessment of MRC applications, their application process has yet to introduce comprehensive amendments in response to the RCUK impact agenda. The MRC Strategic Plan 2009-2014 describes steps it will take in the future to make the MRC’s work more accessible to the public and policy-makers, demonstrating the value of our research and highlighting our achievements both nationally and internationally.
If you have any questions or enquiries, please email me at RevealingResearch@dundee.ac.uk, phone Jon Urch on 01382 386669/Ext 86669 or visit him at the Revealing Research office on the 8th Floor of the Tower Building.
Revealing Research is not responsible for the content of external internet sites and opinions expressed within.
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