How Can I Enhance, and Provide Evidence of, the Impact of My Research?

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to assist researchers in connecting with the notion of impact. Funding bodies, governments, and taxpayers are currently seeking value for their investments in research and a value for money perspective is dominant. Impact is therefore no longer merely a question of number of scientific publications, building a community of interest or counting patents. Rather, impact now emphasizes the delivery of value to stakeholders, and innovative research must encompass this aspect. This paper surveys the literature on research impact, and presents guidelines for researchers on how to conceptualize and work towards providing evidence of the impact of their own research. The paper rests on a structuring and improvement of guidelines issued by funding bodies for creating impact. It clarifies the link between outputs, outcomes and impacts and how this can be applied to clearly communicating the evidence of overall research impact. In doing so, it aims to clarify the continuum from research exploration and output to exploitation and commercialization. Finally, it identifies policy implications of the value - for - money perspective currently emphasized by funding bodies