An Opportunity To Learn And Network With Peers Across Europe
Tuesday December, 5, 2023 | 10 AM CET
Join research impact assessment champion, Senior Director Strategic Business Development at Elsevier, former CEO of Researchfish, and author of “Research Impact and the Interconnectedness of Stuff” Sean Newell for an informal chat about all things impact.
Sean will be talking with Katy Elliott, Senior Account Executive from Researchfish, about key learnings from 9 years of supporting research funders including National Research Councils, Agencies and Nonprofits to help them understand the impact they are having on society, the economy and even the environment.
This is an exclusive opportunity to chat about all things impact, and ask any questions you might have about how capturing and evaluating your impact can provide clarity and direction in working towards your organisation’s strategic goals.
The idea that research should make a difference should not be controversial. But for some, the idea that you need to demonstrate that difference can be. While the assessment of research impact is not new, over the past ten years it has become mainstream in a number of countries, including the UK, Australia and Canada. This has resulted in some criticism from academic and research communities that research cannot be assessed as it is too complex, takes too long, is driven by serendipitous discoveries and is intrinsically a ‘good thing’ and thus is and should be unmeasurable. But this argument is as persuasive as ‘trust me I am a doctor’. We should not avoid doing something because it is too difficult – indeed the idea that research is unmeasurable is the challenge that makes me want to measure it! More importantly, as the majority of university-based research is funded by taxpayers, philanthropists and donors to research charities, we have a fiduciary duty to demonstrate that those investments – as they are investments – do actually make a difference.
Newell, S 2021, Research Impact And The Interconnectedness of Stuff
Topics For Discussion
- Learn how other research funders have progressed their strategic goals with impact data
- Evaluate what kind of data matters to your stakeholders
- Explore new ways to support the research your organisation funds
