University of Lancaster

UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER

RESEARCH IMPACT STRATEGY

Impact Mission Statement

Lancaster University is committed to enhancing the relevance of its research to societal challenges from local to global scales. We are creating the conditions in which the wider impact of research can arise,and a supportive culture that recognises the importance, timeliness and diversity of that impact. By promoting an environment conducive to engagement with external partners, our research aims to deliver both planned and unforeseen benefits.

1. Context

This document presents Lancaster University’s strategy for promoting and achieving outstanding,impactful research that is relevant and responsive to societal challenges. It complements the Research and the Engagement strands of Lancaster’s Strategic Implementation Plan. Whilst the focus here is on the wider impact of our research, the University is also committed to increasing social and economic impact through a range of other means including teaching and through business, civic and community engagement.

RCUKdefines impactas “the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. This occurs in many ways – through creating and sharing new knowledge and innovation; inventing ground-breaking new products, companies and jobs; developing new and improving existing public services and policy; enhancing quality of life and health; and many more.”

Impact is at the heart of Lancaster University’s vision: to be a “university that is globally significant – a leader in higher education that provides the highest quality research and teaching, and engages locally and internationally on the issues and debates of the day and future. Driven by research and stimulating learning, [Lancaster’s vision is to] inform and change practice and thinking worldwide.”

Research impact is also a significant component of the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Impact case studies are important due to their contribution to the REF quality profile and consequently to the level of QR funding received. It is critical for academic departments to develop a portfolio of high-quality impact casesat various stages of development due to the long term nature of some impact. The University needs a sufficient number of quality case studies ready forthe next REF exercise, as well as other impact cases being planned and prepared for subsequent exercises. For the purposes of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, impact was defined as “an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.”

The University’s strategic philosophy is to focus on engagement with stakeholders on whom the research outcomes have an impact and with end-users of research. To promote research that is both responsive and relevant to societal challenges and business needs, there is an emphasis on co-design, co-production and co-delivery of research and associated outcomes i.e. engagement and involvement of end-users and stakeholders at each stage of the research process.Lancaster has a long and reputable history of delivering research impact through partnership with organisations and groups outside of the university sector, be these business, government departments, NGOs, community organisations or special interest groups.

1. Our Commitment

Lancaster University is committed to supporting impactful research at the highest level. This will be achieved by continuing to support and grow impact and an impact culture and continuing to build an environment conducive to engagement and partnership, working with stakeholders and the end-users of research, including businesses.

Lancaster University is committed to maximising the benefits of our strong research portfolio, for the academic community and the wider community, economy and society. This includes playing a key role in driving innovation in products, services, processes and polices, as well as changes in cultural understanding, public ethics and social attitudes.

Research impact is an integral part of academic activityand the University recognises the need for explicit recognitionof impact activity and to embed this in University processes.The University is committed to supporting, acknowledging, and rewarding academic staff in generating impactful research outcomes.

Both fundamental (or pure) and applied research have the capacity to generate impact and the only difference is that the timescales for impact arising from the former may be much longer and the appropriate stakeholders to work with will differ.

1. Organisational Support Structures

The University has a wide range of mechanisms to provide comprehensive support for all elements of sustainable impactful research and the associated impact agendafromHEIF and ERDF funded business development,partnership working, support programmes which deliver PhD, masters by research and student projects to UK businesses,support for research grant applicationsthrough to the documentation of impact, and its communication. These include staff in Research and Enterprise Services (RES), Knowledge Exchange and Business Development staff, Research Impact Managers, Industrial Liaison, Impact Champions/Directors and staff in communication and marketing. This support network iskey to realising our goals through our research impact implementation plan.

1. Strategic Objectives

1. To promote and supportsustainable impactful research of the highest quality that is relevant and responsive in addressing societal challenges, both national and global.
   
2. To actively engage and develop innovative and lasting relationships and partnerships with the full spectrum of stakeholders and end-users of Lancaster University’s research outcomes,including business, policy makers and public bodies to enhance involvement of users of research in the design (co-design) and execution (co-production) of research, anddissemination and application of research outcomes.

1. To create a strong culture of impactful research and associated impact activity engaging all research staff, from research managers and PIs to research students, under-pinned by an enabling support infrastructure.

1. To ensure that every academic discipline is on track to developing a portfolio of high-quality impact case studies for the next and subsequent REF exercises.
   
2. To promote and communicate the significance and benefits of Lancaster’s research outcomes using all forms of media, with a view to enhancing its wider impact, both by direct public engagement and by attracting research collaborations and partnerships, enhancing reputation (of the University, research group, and individual researchers), recruitment (staff and students) and retention.

1. To support, recognise and reward impactful researchand the various formsof impact activity and to acknowledge that the development of impact is a substantial activity and requires explicit recognition,for example, in workload models and promotions criteria.

8 March 2017

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RESEARCH IMPACT STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Strategic objective / Activity / Measures of success / Lead individuals / Review Date
1.Promote and support impactful research / 1.1 / Normalising the perception of impact and raising discussion at Faculty/Institute/Department Research/Impact Committees / Impact is a standing agenda item on Faculty/Institute/Department Research Committees or Impact Committees (which report to Research Committees) are established / Deans,
ADR or ADE/I
HoDs, Directors
1.2 / Impact Directors (terminology may differ across faculties), working closely with Faculty Impact Managers, provide discipline-specific help and advice to colleagues on ideas for pursuing wider impact from research / Individuals identified as holding responsibility for impact activities for faculties/institutes/departments / HoDs, Directors
ADR or ADE/I
1.3 / Identify and promote the various mechanisms and internal infrastructure to support impact / Clear institutional guidelines for staff on where to seek support i.e. through Faculty Impact managers, BDMs, Liaison Officers etc. / All
1.4 / Share ideas and good practice between departments/institutes and faculties to support impactful research / Frequent exchange of ideas across faculties on best-practice (whilst still supporting disciplinary differences ) by Faculty ImpactManagers / Head of Research Services,
ADR or ADE/I
1.5 / Provide internal funds to support activities related to impact and to develop collaborative ideas for impact / Institutional Impact Fund awards made and progress on activities monitoredand reported. / Faculty Impact Managers, Impact Directors
2. Engagement & partnerships / 2.1 / Support current, long-term mutually beneficial relationships with external partners. Enable new relationships to be formed and helpthem to achieve success / Institute/department impact plans reflect current and desired external engagements with named partners / ADE/I, BDMs, Industrial Liaisons, KE staff, Enterprise Team, Impact Directors
2.2 / Encourage and support the pro-active engagement with research-users and beneficiaries at all stages of research and development / The number of research-users engagements increases beyond the current level / All
2.3 / Manage our intellectual property with a view to it achieving wider impact by simplifying the IP policy to facilitate this / Increased number of licences, spin outs, agreements / IP Management Team
2.4 / Provide research-based support for businesses, particularly SMEs, to help them ensure economic sustainability / Numbers of SMEs supported increases / BDMs, Industrial Liaisons, KE staff, Enterprise Team
2.5 / Inform and influence policy decisions locally, nationally and internationally in areas related to our research strengths. / Number of potential impact cases is increased / BDMs, Industrial Liaisons, KE staff, Enterprise Team
2.6 / Collaborate with cultural organisations (e.g. museums, galleries, heritage sites, etc) to help ensure that our research can contribute to innovative approaches in their public work, collections and performances. / Number of collaborations and partnerships with cultural organisations increases / BDMs, Industrial Liaisons, KE staff, Enterprise Team
2.7 / Improve health and well-being of our communities and environment though our work with environmental and health organisations, as well as community groups. / Number of strategic partnerships pursued e.g. NGOs, private enterprise and embedded at departmental /institute and faculty level / BDMs, Industrial Liaisons, KE staff, Enterprise Team
3. Strong culture of research impact and an enabling support infrastructure / 3.1 / Attract external funds from a diverse range of sources to support impact activities e.g. IAA and KE funding. Embedding the costing of impact activities into research grant applications. / Number of impact awards increases.
Recovery of impact activities as direct costs on grants increases. / All
3.2 / Raising awareness of the impact agenda throughout Lancaster’s researcher community. / Departments establish mentorship programmes to allow knowledge of impact to permeate departmental culture.
Faculties/institutes/departments regularly invite Faculty Impact Managers to brief staff on evolving developments / ADRs, Directors, HoDs, RDs
3.3 / Provide support and practical resources to equip our staff and research students with the relevant knowledge to maximise potential impact from research and to develop knowledge around routes to achieving impact. / RDOs ensure impact is embedded in the submission process through pathways to impact.
Faculty Impact Managers conduct regular workshops. / RDMs/ RDOs
Faculty Impact managers
BDMs, OED
3.4 / Provide opportunities for training and development to ensure all staff and research students have a full understanding of how their research can have a real world impact and the confidence, capacity and skills to achieve this, using examples of the benefits of industrial/academic collaborations. / Expanded programme of support available through OED Researcher Development Framework and other training options (e.g. Library Research Bites). Faculty Impact Managers/ BDMs conduct workshops and training events. / Head of OED
Faculty Impact Managers
Library
3.5 / Develop multiple and novel mechanisms to initiate and generate impact and sharing best practice across the institution. / Impact personnel (BDMs, KE staff, Faculty Impact Managers, etc.) share ideas and best practice. / All
4. REF Impact Portfolio / 4.1 / Regularly review and identify impact case studies and their level of readiness for inclusion in REF submission. / Regular Faculty census undertaken and list of case studies established in Pure. / ADR or ADE/I,
Faculty Impact Managers,
BDMs
4.2 / Run workshops to promote use of Pure to record Impact in the Impact Module. / Workshop attendance and numberand quality of impact records in Pure increases. / Impact Directors,Faculty Impact Managers, Pure administrator
4.3 / Impact case ‘owners’ work with Faculty Impact managers to develop impact into REF impact case studies and into REF environment/impact statements / ICS are strengthened and portfolio for REF is developed, material is gathered for impact/environment statement. / ADRs, Faculty Impact Managers, BDMs
4.4 / Improve our evidence base for the impact of the University’s research activities / Evidence is recorded in Pure alongside impact records. / Case owners
4.5 / Assessment of the developing impact case studies by both internal REF panellists and external non-academic assessors (REF panellists). / REF portfolio of ICS is strengthened further through external, expert and end user reviews. / ADRs, Impact Directors
5. Promote and communicate Lancaster’s research outcomes and impact / 5.1 / Highlight impact achievements through regular ‘impact showcases’ inviting external users and partners to attend / Showcase events are well attended by external users / All
5.2 / Ensure our research is accessible to the general public though open access initiatives and communication through a variety of means, including conventional and social media, to raise awareness and maximise opportunities / Impact stories on websites and increased use of social media e.g. twitter / All
6. Recognise and reward impact activity / 6.1 / Departments recognise impact is a substantial and integral part of academicactivity and staff are allocated sufficient time for impact activity. / HoDs gain a firm understanding of which academics are developing strong impact case studies for REF and an appropriate allowance for impact activities is built into workload models. / Deans
HoDs
6.2 / Impact activities are discussed in PDRs and form part of the criteria for promotion cases. / More staff have impact included in their PDRs. Impact is rewarded through promotion. / Deans
HoDs
6.3 / Impact is recognised through the University Staff awards. / An ‘impact award’ is established as part of annual staff awards / OED/HR

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