Capture Impact

    The information below will help you work out how to evidence your impact. For more information on the related concept of impact tracking – i.e. identifying where your research is being picked up and used – see the Monitor page.

    Why evidence impact
    Gathering evidence of research impact is important because it shows how your work makes a real difference beyond academia. It helps you demonstrate the benefits your research brings to society, the economy, or the environment, making it more credible and valuable. This evidence can also help you secure funding, build collaborations, and influence policy. By showing the real-world impact of your research, you can engage more effectively with stakeholders and the public, making your work even more impactful.
    Considering impact early in the project will ensure that you have plenty of time to collect the right evidence.

    What to evidence
    Ultimately, to tell a convincing impact story, you need to collect evidence of three things:

    • Reach – how widespread the impact is. In other words, how many beneficiaries there are. Are the impacts at a local, regional, national or international level?
    • Significance – how important or valuable the impact is for each beneficiary.
    • Attribution – showing how your research actually contributed to the impact.

    This might include records of meetings with policymakers, links to media appearances, attendance figures at events inspired by your research, testimonials from beneficiaries, data on the uptake of your tool or device, and so on.

    How much evidence should you gather? Enough to convince people – your funder, case study reader, promotions panel – that your research had the impact you claim.

    Examples of impacts and evidence
    To get a sense of how different types of impact can be evidenced, take a look at this useful document from the UK REF.

    The Irish University Association Campus Engage Initiative has published a number of resources on Engaged Research and Innovation for Societal Impact. This includes an Engaged Impact Framework with impact categories and performance indicators, based on a synthesis of existing categories and indicators used across Ireland and Europe. You can also explore some examples of impact evidence and metrics offered by Campus Engage.