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Impact in funding applications
Which kinds of impact are considered, and where?
Impact is an increasingly common assessment criterion in funding applications. As well as concentrating on producing high-quality research, it can therefore pay (literally) to produce research that also delivers impact.
Key takeaways
Funding applications typically assess both past and potential future research impacts.
The track record sections describe the past (retrospective) impact of your research.
The project description describes the potential future (prospective) impact of the proposed research.
Impacts both within and beyond academia are usually considered.
Read time: 3 min
Types of impact considered in funding applications
The demonstrable past (retrospective) impact of your research is increasingly being taken into account as part of your track record when you apply for grants and fellowships, prizes and awards, or nomination to a learned.
The potential future (prospective) impact of your research has always been, and continues to be, a consideration in the assessment of proposed research projects, whether in a grant or fellowship application. Conventionally you write about the project’s potential future impact in a ‘benefits’ or ‘significance’ section of the proposal.
Let’s look at two common examples: ARC and NHMRC funding (grant and fellowship) applications.
Impact in ARC funding applications
Retrospective (past) impact
In the track record section, or ‘ROPE’ (Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence), applicants are instructed to provide details of their contributions to the field (i.e. past impact, within academia), and if your research has had real-world benefit beyond academia, that would also be highlighted in the track record sections of your application.
ARC applications also have a Capability Statement which, if appropriate, might reference past impact if it relates to the capability to deliver the proposed project.
Prospective (future) impact
In the ‘Benefit’ section of the full Project Description, applicants are asked:
What new or advanced knowledge will result from the research? (i.e. future impact, within academia)
What are the potential economic, commercial, environmental, social and or/cultural benefits for Australia and/or international communities of the research? (i.e. future impact, beyond academia)
There is also a National Interest Test Statement that asks about the economic, societal, environmental, commercial, or cultural benefits to Australia.
Impact in NHMRC funding applications
Retrospective (past) impact
In the track record sections of NHMRC Investigator and Synergy Grants, applicants are required to write an extensive response (3 fields x 3000 characters each) to a Research Impact section. Here, impact is defined as:
the verifiable outcomes that research makes to knowledge, health, the economy and/or society and not the prospective or anticipated effects of the research’ (i.e. past impact, both within and beyond academia)
The four types of impact in Investigator and Synergy Grants are defined as follows:
Knowledge: ‘Benefits emerging from adoption, adaption or use of new knowledge to inform further research, and/or understanding of what is effective’ (i.e. past impact, within academia)
Health: ‘Improvements in health through new therapeutics, diagnostics, disease prevention or changes in behaviour; or improvements in disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment, management of health problems, health policy, health systems, and quality of life.’ (i.e. past impact, beyond academia)
Economic: ‘Improvements in the nation’s economic performance through creation of new industries, jobs or valuable products, or reducing health care costs, improving efficiency in resource use, or improving the welfare/well-being of the population within current health system resources. An economic impact may also contribute to social or health impacts, including human capital gains and the value of life and health.’ (i.e. past impact, beyond academia)
Social: ‘Improvements in the health of society, including the well-being of the end user and the community. This may include improved ability to access health care services, to participate socially (including empowerment and participation in decision making) and to quantify improvements in the health of society.’ (i.e. past impact, beyond academia)
Prospective (future) impact
All NHMRC grants have Outcomes & Significance sections, usually at the end of the Research Proposal. This is always future-oriented, and you can write about potential impacts within and beyond academia.