{"id":348,"date":"2021-11-11T14:12:43","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T14:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/?p=348"},"modified":"2021-11-11T14:22:43","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T14:22:43","slug":"embedding-research-impact-into-funding-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/2021\/11\/11\/embedding-research-impact-into-funding-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Embedding research impact into funding applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following UKRI\u2019s removal of \u2018pathways to impact\u2019<\/a> from funding bids last year, many were left wondering where impact should go now. The Association of Research Managers & Administrators (ARMA<\/a>) ran a workshop in October to discuss this further.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate to be able to attend after applying for funding from the training bursary strand of the University\u2019s Impact Fund<\/a>. The application process was very easy (just a short form) and the turnaround was really quick - I was informed of the decision the day after I applied.<\/p>\n

The interactive workshop was a blend of Q&A, break out group discussions and presentations, which included a guest speaker from NERC to provide a funder\u2019s perspective. It was a great opportunity to engage with colleagues who supported research in other institutions, discuss the challenges faced and share good practice.<\/p>\n

The main concern raised about the removal of \u2018pathways to impact\u2019 was the risk that impact might be overlooked in applications. However, several advantages were also discussed. Impact is no longer limited to one section \u2013 it is now integral to the whole application. This provides an opportunity to think differently about impact and discuss this alongside research. From a funder\u2019s perspective, a well-written proposal that clearly explains how the research will lead to impact (on the economy or society, for example) is much more likely to be funded than a bid where impact is not clearly mentioned.<\/p>\n

The main takeaway points for me were:
\n\u2022 Review the call criteria carefully \u2013 is impact specifically mentioned, or just inferred?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Look out for specific terminology in the call, which signals that impact is important \u2013 for example: engagement, stakeholders, national\/international importance, regional significance, dissemination, sustainability, value for money and partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Funders have different missions, values and priorities. What is the background to the call? Consider why the funder has chosen to fund this area \u2013 is the call part of a broader plan?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Impact must now be imbedded throughout the application and discussed alongside the research \u2013 what will your research change? What problems are you intending to solve? Who or what will benefit?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Impact should be a main focus of the case for support, but also included in other sections - impact and public engagement should inform the planned activities and be included in the justification of resources.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Highlight impact clearly and signpost to the criteria \u2013 make it easy for the assessors to see how your application meets the call criteria.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ensure the proposal is well written, clear and easy to follow - use formatting and headings to help structure your proposal.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Finally, impact is multifaceted, there is no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 \u2013 be guided by the criteria.<\/p>\n

The workshop was really informative and provided useful advice and tools that will inform my work going forward. It also linked in well with the University Strategy\u2019s aims to grow our research strength and drive high research impact. Without the Impact Fund, I could not have attended the workshop. Don\u2019t let a lack of funding be a barrier to your development \u2013 apply to the Impact Fund instead.<\/p>\n

Alison Ryan
\nFaculty Executive Coordinator, Engineering & Design.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following UKRI\u2019s removal of \u2018pathways to impact\u2019 from funding bids last year, many were left wondering where impact should go now. The Association of Research Managers & Administrators (ARMA) ran a workshop in October to discuss this further. I was...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1006,"featured_media":352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[103,99,1],"tags":[109,108,100],"class_list":["post-348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","category-training","category-uncategorized","tag-funding","tag-research-impact","tag-training"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2021\/11\/Imapct-Blog.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1006"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/knowledge-exchange-and-research-impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}