Logo for Impact 2021 Conference

IMPACT 2021, a conference led by the new Culture & Creativity Research Institute, invites doctoral students and early career researchers to explore the value and influence of research, and the ways that research impact can be understood, evaluated and articulated from different perspectives. All doctoral researchers at SHU are welcome to submit abstracts and present papers. We anticipate the conference will be online unless options arise for some sessions at SHU.

Below you will find three pieces of information about the conference – please read through these carefully:

1. About IMPACT 2021.

2. Submission details.

3. Training opportunities.

Key dates:

· IMPACT training: Monday 5 July 2021.

· Deadline for submission of abstracts: Monday 19 July 2021.

· IMPACT conference: Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 September 2021.

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1. About IMPACT 2021

IMPACT 2021 focuses on how we can articulate the wider value of our research.

In the past decade there has been an increasing demand to demonstrate how research moves beyond ‘contribution to knowledge’ and makes an impact on social, economic, technological, cultural and environmental life beyond academia. This agenda seeks to create mutually beneficial interactions between researchers and citizens, to encourage participation, to make research more transparent, more accountable and better value for money.

Right from the beginning of doctoral study, researchers are asked to identify the contexts for their research – academic and cultural – and to consider what it is about a certain context they hope to influence or transform. ‘Impact’ is a way of thinking about this influence and how we might recognise and articulate it. Doctoral research does not by necessity have to generate impact – however understanding how impact might be envisaged, generated and articulated is a valuable part of a researcher’s professional development.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) broadly understands impact as something that has ‘an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life beyond academia’ (http://www.hefce.ac.uk/rsrch/REFimpact/).  Impact is something that happens when people interact with research, take it up, react and respond to it.  The Economic and Social Research Council defined impact as, ‘the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy’ (https://esrc.ukri.org/research/impact-toolkit/what-is-impact/).  This is an exciting and optimistic vision resting on an expectation that all research can and should contribute to society and the economy beyond academia. It has also been criticised for its emphasis on income-generation, competition and promotion.  By separating academic contribution to knowledge from social and economic impact it implies that academic contribution is not part of society, or that economic gain might be considered separately from societal value.  It also focuses on immediate, quantifiable indicators of impact.

Given the varied forms research impact can take, and the different organisational contexts that might generate or support it, it is important to have a nuanced and critical understanding of the ways it can be identified and articulated.  Conventionally, thinking about research impact means considering who the beneficiaries of research are – might they be certain specified elements of the ‘public’ such as service-users, audience, or customers?  In many instances of research, impact and value might grow as the research is undertaken, blurring the line between the research process and its findings, or between those who perform, and those who ‘receive’ research.  Given the intertwined relationship between research and its beneficiaries, the pursuit of impact may also have ethical consequences or dimensions that are important to explore.

It is also important to think about the spatial qualities of impact.  Much research happens in situ, in industry and communities, so might generate forms of communal and situated knowledge. Thinking about impact always involves thinking about time and space – might there be different stages of impact and scales of impact?  Some impact might be easy to see and measure, whilst some might be subtle, gradual, multi-dimensional and non-linear: a type of ‘influence’ that is much harder to quantify or isolate.

Over the past year and a half, the pandemic has deeply affected how research students have been able to undertake research, by limiting or preventing access to fieldwork sites and production spaces.  It has also generated considerable challenges to the way universities work, and the ways we understand the value of research and education. In some cases, this has encouraged research students to reflect on their future careers and imagine different ways to contribute to society outside of institutions.  We hope that by understanding impact better, we can also think more carefully and imaginatively about our influence and value beyond the institution.

The IMPACT conference gives us the opportunity to consider the relationship between academic influence and social, economic, cultural, environmental and technological impact, in a pandemic and post-pandemic context.  We invite doctoral researchers and ECRs across the University to reflect on different understandings of impact and research value; how

their own research may generate impact; what impact means to their study; how the pandemic and post-pandemic landscape changes how we understand value and impact; or to reflect on how their research might challenge assumptions of impact and value.  Research students and ECRs at any stage are welcome to attend.  Research students are invited to submit an abstract for a 15 minute presentation.

Participating in IMPACT offers opportunity to:

· Reflect on your research journey and its relation to wider society.

· Understand and explore the definitions of research impact and to be able to approach these debates with a critical lens.

· Be able to recognise who will (or might, or could) benefit from your research, and also to reflect on, and avoid possible negative consequences.

· Develop an understanding of the ways your research might make a difference.

· Be able to identify processes that might generate impact in your research.

· Gain experience in presenting at conferences in a supportive environment.

· Contribute to an interdisciplinary discussion so we all understand impact better.

· Meet some of your colleagues and begin new conversations.

· Think about impact and value earlier than you might have done otherwise.

Details of how to book your place at the conference will follow shortly.

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2. Submission details – abstract guidance for research students

If you are a doctoral researcher and would like to submit an abstract to present at IMPACT 2021, please email it to culture-creativity-pgr@shu.ac.uk by 1300 on Monday 19 July.  If you are a research supervisor, please encourage your student to present and give guidance with their abstract.

The abstract should be a maximum of 300 words, summarising a 15-minute presentation.  It should be in academic English that can be understood by others outside of your discipline.  If you need to use subject-specific terminology provide definitions in the body of the text.

The abstract must address the theme of the conference: research impact.  To do this you will probably need to briefly describe the aims of your research and its context, then move the discussion on to the theme of Impact that you are exploring. You might want to start by considering:

· How you are conceiving the ‘beneficiaries’ and how might the work influence or benefit them?

· What do you want to influence or change or who do you want to build something with?

· What impact might your work already have had and how can you identify this?

· Is there a relationship between academic publishing – conferences, journals etc. – and social and/or economic impact?

· What effect might you want your work to have, and what strategy could you devise to grow this further?

· What strategies have other researchers used to generate impact for their work and how might you draw on these?

· How might technology and social media be used to generate or understand impact?

· What are the different types of evidence of research impact and might some be considered ‘better’ or more problematic than others?

· What are the forms and value of public engagement, or how might we think critically about definitions of participant and engagement? Have you attempted to communicate your research to the public? What were the challenges and outcomes?

· How might we generate new ways to understand or challenge notions of impact?

To help you write your abstract and think about your presentation we are offering a training session led by CCRI PGR staff on Monday 5 July.  This will be informal and centred around your own research and what you might want to present (please see further details below)

We aim to accept all submitted abstracts, so if you submit please assume you will be presenting.  However, we reserve the right to refuse abstracts or to offer feedback and advice to improve abstracts.  Please send abstracts to: culture-creativity-pgr@shu.ac.uk by 1300 on Monday 19 July.

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3. IMPACT 2021 Training Session

IMPACT training:  Monday 5 July, 1030 – 1200.

Training on abstract writing, with a research impact focus

Please come ready to introduce yourself and your research – just to a small group.  Describing your research simply and succinctly is a really valuable skill, especially if you want to engage and communicate with non-academic audiences.  Jot down a few notes and plan to be able to talk for about 3 minutes.  Include a description of your research topic (targeted at a non-expert audience), say why you think research in this area is interesting or of value – this might include who else might be interested or benefit from it, if relevant – and (very briefly) summarize any investigations you have done so far or plan to do.

Please also bring with you a draft of your abstract, or some ideas, so we can help you shape your individual submission.  Further details about booking for training with be sent shortly.

If you have any questions about IMPACT 2021, please contact Becky Shaw at b.shaw@shu.ac.uk