What is research impact?
Impact is about influencing change or having a positive effect on something or someone - essentially it’s about making a difference.
When we talk about research impact, we’re referring to the difference that the University’s research makes beyond academia. This can happen when the right person reads an article, hears a researcher speak, and applies their findings, or it can develop over time through collaboration with people, organisations or businesses.
Impact can be positive or negative and may be perceived differently by various groups. These perceptions can shift as new research reveals complexities or risks.
The research impact team is here to support researchers to maximise the positive impact of their research.
Examples of research impact
Research can bring about changes in areas affecting people, society, and the environment. The below list summarises some examples. REF2021 Annex A Examples of impacts and indicators is a more extensive list and can be a good place to start if you’re trying to work out what impact looks like in your field.
- Improved health and wellbeing
- Changes to professional practices
- Changes to organisational policies
- Improved user experiences
- Increased or changed understanding and/or awareness
- Increased participation
- Improved social welfare (reduced poverty, increased equality, access to resources etc.)
- Changes to policies and legislation
- Revenue generated
- Savings made
- Jobs created (or improved)
- Increased efficiency
- Improved performance
- Improved environment
- Reduced risk
Research impact isn’t just about making things happen — it can also involve stopping something with negative consequences.
Activity, Outcome or Impact?
It’s not always easy to distinguish between impact and the activities, outputs, outcomes, or pathways that can lead to it. Not every positive result is impact, but they can be important steps toward it.
Activity = the thing you do with your research
For example:
- Organising a workshop or training session
- Developing a new product or service
- Implementing a public engagement or information campaign
- Providing support or services to a community
Outcome = the immediate result of the thing you did
For example:
- Increased knowledge or skills after attending a workshop
- Industry adoption of a new product or process
- Increased awareness of an issue after a public engagement campaign
- Enhanced well-being or satisfaction among service users
Impact = the broader, long-term change that occurs as a result of activities and outcomes
This change can be on an individual, organisational, community, or societal level. For example:
- A more educated and skilled workforce from ongoing training
- Improved efficiency or economic growth driven by new products or innovations
- Behaviour changes from increased awareness of issue following a public engagement campaign
- Social change or improved quality of life from sustained community services
Impact often results from a combination of activities and accumulated positive outcomes over time.
While impact can sometimes happen serendipitously, relying on luck isn’t a strategy. Our guidance and resources can help maximise the chances of your research making a real difference.