This programme will help researchers to articulate the value of their research beyond academia by providing the tools and training they need to embed impact into their research throughout all stages of their career.

To access the courses listed below you will need to register for an account at https://courses.epigeum.com/using your shu.ac.uk email address and enter the relevant token 1b54d4f6. You do not need to pay for these courses. Please see here for details on how to do this. The hyperlinks below will work once you are logged in (they work best in Chrome, Firefox or Edge).

An introduction to research impact

This introductory course looks in detail at definitions and examples of research impact in different contexts and provides an overview of how impact was assessed in the 2014 UK REF exercise. It encourages researchers to think more broadly about why their research is important, what motivates them and what they want to achieve. This course will take around 55 minutes to complete.

The research impact process

This course provides an overview of the steps involved in achieving impact, including setting impact goals, identifying stakeholders, planning impact-related activities and capturing evidence of impact. It also looks in detail at the different types of funding available for impact and provides advice on how to write about the potential impact of research and justify costs in a funding application. This course will take around 120 minutes to complete.

Tools and techniques for research impact

This course provides practical advice and guidance on how to achieve impact from research and looks at some of the tools, methods and approaches that can assist researchers in their activities. Topics covered include project planning, stakeholder analysis, risk analysis, communication and dissemination, and monitoring and evaluation. This course will take around 155 minutes to complete.

Writing about impact: Guidance and templates 

This course provides advice and template documents to help researchers develop written materials about their research and its impact. Researchers will have an opportunity to define their long-term impact objectives; review and revise the impact section of their funding application; produce a detailed impact plan to ensure that their impact remains on track; write an impact case study; and write a report for a funder or for their institution. This course will take around 55 minutes to complete.