Plan for research impact

As well as tracking the impact of your research – from the sidelines, so to speak – you can get actively involved in increasing its impact. To do this, you’ll need to develop and then implement a research impact strategy.

Read time: 3 min

Key takeaways

Write down your impact strategy, execute the plan, and refine it over time
The cornerstone of research impact is engagement – don’t make it an afterthought!
Plan for real-world impact by considering translational, co-designed, and collaborative research
Plan impact-generating activities at all points along the impact pathway

Develop your research impact strategy

An impact strategy helps translate your research into impact. Your impact strategy should consider what you’re trying to achieve, who your key beneficiaries are, what engagement and other impact-generating activities you’ll undertake (including at different points along the impact pathway), key indicators and evidence you’ll collect, risks and risk mitigation approaches.

Fast Track Impact’s Professor Mark Reed guides you through each step of creating an impact strategy using the Impact Planning Template, starting with your specific impact goals.

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Impact planning template

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Complete the template to maximise your impact.

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Refine your research impact strategy

To help achieve your impact goals you should incorporate impact planning across all stages of the research impact pathway. You should also consider risks to impact delivery and approaches to mitigate these risks.

For example, a common mistake is to leave engagement with users or beneficiaries to the final stage of the project, after the research is complete, when it may be more appropriate to engage at different stages throughout the project.

Planning questions for each stage of the impact pathway

Click through the carousel for key questions at each stage.

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Have you defined clear impact goals as you plan your project(s) and have you completed your initial Impact Planning Template?
Have you budgeted for impact-generating activities as part of grant applications?
Do you have all the resources that you need to generate impact (e.g. for engagement)?
Do you have clear communication and engagement plans?
Have you identified the risks and mitigation strategies as part of your project planning that could affect your desired impact?

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Are impact and engagement integrated with your research activities, rather than ‘tacked on’ at the end?
Are there defined roles for members of your team delivering user/beneficiary engagement activities?
Are you refining your research project to incorporate stakeholder feedback?
Are you adapting your impact plans as your research progresses?

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How are you disseminating your research findings?
Have you clearly communicated your research findings to your users/beneficiaries?
Have you produced specific outputs targeted at your users/beneficiaries – including beyond journal articles, if relevant?

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Have you actively taken steps to facilitate adoption of your work?
Are you continuing to monitor your impact plan and measure progress towards impact?
Have you followed up to see how your research is being adopted, by whom, and to what extent?

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Have you assessed how any adoption of your research is transforming into downstream benefits over time?
Are you revisiting users/beneficiaries and collecting feedback and testimonials, if relevant?
Has your research been used in unexpected ways?
Are you evaluating the significance and reach of your work’s impact?

Inputs

Research activities

Outputs

Adoption

Benefits

Case studies: Creating impact through engagement

Listen to audio case studies from the University of Sydney (UniKey required)

Plan ahead and overcome barriers

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How to budget for engagement and impact activities

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How to overcome barriers to research impact

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Prioritising blue skies research while building your impact

Planning for real world impact

It’s probably self-evident that certain kinds of research are more likely to lead to impacts beyond academia than others. Research that is designed to be translational, research that is co-designed by consumers, and research that is conducted in close collaboration with industry partners – these are just three examples of research destined for ‘real-world’ impacts.

Depending on your research area, it may be possible for you to plan for such impacts. Perhaps some of your research will remain fundamental, continuing to advance disciplinary knowledge, but you might be in a position to initiate a more ‘applied’ or ‘engaged’ stream of research too.

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Explore more

Evidence of impact

Write about your impact