Understanding and communicating the impact and potential benefits of research to a wide audience is an increasingly important task for higher education professionals. From realising the economic and social benefits of research work, to engaging with key industry and government contacts to create real-life impact, communicating the power of research has never been so important.

Research Impact: Making a Difference

Now the University of Glasgow has established ‘Research Impact: Making a Difference’, a new short on-line course which promises to show those working with research how to better understand, create and communicate research impact.

For those in Higher Education

The three week on-line course, which is hosted on the digital education platform FutureLearn, is aimed at those working in the Higher Education sector, including postgraduate students, all grades of academic staff (from young investigators to senior academics) and non-academic research professionals such as research managers.

Co-creating impact

The course promises to promote an understanding of the concept of research impact in Higher Education and explain the benefits impact-driven research can have on both society and the economy. Working with a host of partners, including NHS Scotland, GlaxoSmithKline and Glasgow City of Science and Innovation, the course will identify success factors for collaborating and co-creating impact with a wide range of different stakeholders, including industry and government.

Professor Nicol Keith, Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Glasgow who leads the course, said: “Universities worldwide are committed to realising the economic and societal impact of their research. By developing this online course with direct input from a range of stakeholders, we hope to help people understand the research impact landscape and importantly to give them tools, tactics and confidence to really make a difference. The course is interactive and we are looking forward to some lively discussions.”

Top Ranking University award

The development of this course has been funded by the Top Ranking University award made under the Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Excellence with Impact competition. As such this will continue to broaden the vision for maximising research impact and culture change within the Higher Education sector and beyond.

More details

Research Impact: Making a Difference begins on 22 October 2018 and for more details visit  https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/research-impact

First published: 24 August 2018

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