How to include impact in research grant applications

What is impact?

Impact is making change for and with individuals and communities outside of academia as a result of research.

This is different from engagement. Engagement is what you do and impact is what happens as a result of what you do. Engagement is a pathway to impact.

To find out what impact looks like at Reading, take a look at some of our researchers talking about their work and what impact means to them.

Further information around our team of Impact Development Managers and the support available can be found on the Impact team information page.

What our Impact team can do for researchers

Facilitation: Provide information, advice, and guidance about planning, capturing, and creating impactful and engaged research

Specialist support: Inspire confidence plus raise aspiration and impact potential in researchers

Pipeline development: Work with researchers at all career stages to train, generate, and develop impactful research.

Embedding impact into external research funding proposals

Identifying, planning and working towards developing impact have become more important for some external funders such as UKRI, and the individual research councils have their own requirements for impact in funding applications. The ESRC have provided information and help to understand impact and a toolkit for engaging with it.

UKRI AHRC: Additional information on how to demonstrate potential impact can be found in the AHRC Research Funding Guide.

UKRI NERC: Has specific guidance on embedding impact in your application.

UKRI ESRC: Has a very useful ESRC Impact toolkit, and information on including Impact in research grant proposals.

UKRI STFC: Has a comprehensive impact guidance for grant applications document and further details on their STFC impact funding page.

UKRI: Innovate UK: Has project impact guidance here.

UKRI EPSRC: Examples of impact related to their research activities can be found EPSRC research impact and outcomes page.

UKRI: BBSRC: Examples of impact related to their research activities can be found on the BBSRC research impact and outcomes page.

UKRI: MRC: Examples of impact related to their research activities can be found on the MRC Impact Showcase page.

Nuffield: Has specific guidance for engaging with impact in their Guide for Applicants (pp. 35-36) LINK TO https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/Guide_for_applicants.pdf

British Academy: Impact integration is dependent on the funding call, e.g. the mid-career fellowship stipulates that there must be a public engagement element. Please discuss with your Research Development Manager and Impact Development Manager if the call you are applying for has such a requirement.

Useful resources and tips around impact can be found here.