In this page, we share four resources to support you in the process of evaluating the impact of your research project, programme, department or institute.
What is impact research assessment?
As our society continues to face complex and vast challenges, governments and research funders are increasingly seeking evidence that public investments in research will lead to societal impacts. This has generally been incorporated in universities though formal systems and policies that evaluate the quality of research. In The Netherlands, for example, research programmes are evaluated on the basis of the Standard Evaluation Protocol (SEP), paying closer attention to the societal relevance of research.
Our impact evaluation method tools
Impact evaluation does not come without challenges, such as issues in attribution, the time lapse between research and the manifestation of impact, or even agreeing on a common understanding of what ‘impact’ means. Based on a growing body of academic literature exploring the ways to document the impact of research, we summarise four methods for impact planning, monitoring and assessment in the following tools:
Theory of Change (ToC): A Method for Impact Planning and Assessment
A process-based method that can help plan for impact & identify strengths & weaknesses of a project.
Flows of Knowledge: A Method for Impact Assessment
A method for assessing the non-academic impacts of research on policy, practice and wider society.
Productive Interactions (SIAMPI): A Method for Impact Assessment
A method for understanding the interactions between researchers and their collaborators in society.
Proximity Lens on Structural Collaborations: A Method for Impact Assessment
Identify and highlight conditions that enable successful cooperation.
Case studies
Throughout the description of these evaluation methods, we also integrate our experiences with the approaches for some case studies. Review our case studies here:
