There are increasing expectations from funders that researchers will demonstrate the real world impact of their work. Since 2020, UKRI has made impact a core consideration of the entire grant application process, noting that all research grant and fellowship applications should consider how they will or might achieve impact outside of the academic community. (From, What is research impact)

There is no longer a requirement for distinct impact sections, such as the Impact Summary and Pathways to Impact plan in UKRI applications.

Read the individual call guidance where the expected impact is likely to be described. There may also be guidance about the content expected in the different sections of the application form, including where to insert information about impact as well as what type of information about impact is expected.

While some calls may feature impact more strongly, you should always check the emphasis and focus on impact. Where the call describes specific impact to be expected, you will need to judge what is an appropriate level of detail for impact information across the different application sections.

Below is an example of how you may be expected to include impact in different sections of grant applications:

• Aim and objectives (for research and impact)
• Summary (problem, aims/objectives, beneficiaries of both research and impact)
• Case for support (research and impact including in: track record and staff duties, background and relevance, methods and activities, beneficiaries, outputs and outcomes (impact), monitoring and evaluation, risks, linkages, capacity-building)
• Justification of resources (including impact resources)
• Work plans (include impact activity outlined in CfS)

Find out whether your chosen funders have other helpful resources available, which can be accessed alongside the key guidance documents described above. For example, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has an impact toolkit and others from the research councils are coming soon.

For all the latest guidance and resources, we recommend that you visit your chosen funders websites where you will be able to find the most accurate and up-to-date information. If, however, you would find some general information helpful, we have provided some extracts with links from a selection of funders below (more funders coming soon).

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ‘How to demonstrate support for impact We ask you to consider impact when you apply for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding. Within the case for support you submit with your application, you must consider thoroughly what you will do and how you will: enable your research to connect with others and make a difference conceptually and instrumentally. The resources you apply for in your plan to enable impact are a vital component of your overall research project. They can validate and transform your approach as well as your experience of research and impact work. At the same time, we fully recognise the non-linear, emergent and diffuse nature of the research we fund and the effects it has, and understand that impact cannot be predicted or guaranteed…’

Wellcome ‘Using an engaged research approach Engaging with stakeholders, from the public to policymakers, opens your research to new perspectives… Wellcome is committed to funding research that is open, engaged, equitable and efficient, as: it is the morally right thing to do, it can strategically produce higher quality and more impactful research and research that does not engage appropriately with stakeholders both drives mistrust of the research enterprise and runs the risk of promoting research that is not aligned with the needs of those most affected by health challenges…’

Top tips for including impact in grant applications

1. Always read the guidance of the specific call you are applying to. It will clarify the focus and significance of impact and this will set the tone for the space and detail you devote to impact in your application
2. Avoiding overlaying the expected outcomes and ensuing benefits on the description of your project activities. Describe each separately and clearly.
3. Keep it realistic: Don't promise to disseminate heavily via social media if you can't afford the time to maintain the project's online presence or to be part of the discussions.
4. Schedule the production of any communication materials and decide from the start who will be responsible for collating information, for providing copy and who will coordinate the briefs with graphic designers.
5. Be specific in what you ask the stakeholders to do; inform users in advance that you will be asking for feedback on their involvement at a later stage.
6. Disseminating information about research does not equal engagement. Impact is more likely to happen as a result of two-way interaction. This requires the space to actively listen to the stakeholders' viewpoint and issues of concern.
7. Plan ahead how to best package your research (findings, results): website, videos, research briefings, brochures; decide what best suits the nature of your research and target audience and plan to have the materials ready on time.
8. Use the support that's on offer: this could be support services on campus (e.g. Communications Office, Impact team) or, where appropriate (e.g. in a large grant), cost in your proposal specialised services (e.g. communications consultant, events management company).
9. Where an external partner is experienced with specific aspects of the work (e.g. web content, dissemination), take care to avoid giving the impression of 'handing over' to the partners. It should be clear what the value of the research for the partner is in addition to what work they are leading on and why
10. It should be clear which outputs are co-produced with external partners

In addition to your research problem and project idea, the impact aspects you can describe in your supporting statement include:  

• The problem or agenda or priority that your research responds to. What is being done about it or why has anything not been done about it now?
• Who are the beneficiaries? Who is affected by it and who is a key driver? (You can add more detail as needed, for example, who has a say or a role in this broader situation or problem?). This will give a first idea of who is involved or likely to benefit
• What difference can your research idea make? You can present the change that the research is likely to contribute to. What pathways impact will you take and what does this look like in the short and in the long term? 

Beneficiaries: who are the beneficiaries of your research?

Funders are interested in the plan that you have to engage with a range of professionals beyond the academic community. Such professionals are called 'beneficiaries'. They are likely to 'benefit' from research or more specifically, they might be interested, relevant or affected by research.

• Beneficiaries are the individuals, organisations and anyone who is interested in your research or who might affect or be affected by the outcomes of your research. Some funders may request information about 'research user' or about 'stakeholders'. 
• Be specific: From a broader pool of beneficiaries that indicates the type of beneficiary, for example, government, the media, community organisations, charities, businesses etc. narrow down to specific organisations or individuals whom you might work with. Specificity as regards size (e.g. small and medium enterprises over large multi-nationals), location (e.g. Sussex schools over Schools across the country), and contacts (where available) are key to a credible proposal.
• Start with existing contacts: In the proposal you should be clear where you have existing contacts among your beneficiaries or if you are proposing to build these in the duration of your project. To initiate or develop a relationship with external partners requires time and effort to nurture and sustain the relationship. 

Methods for achieving impact

The term 'Pathways' signifies the methods through which impact can be effected. If we visualise research as a starting point there is a path ahead (with lots of turns) on which researchers work with external partners to work out the implications (beyond academia) of the new knowledge that is being produced. What does this new knowledge mean for thinking, for practice, for decision-making, behaviour? The space for such analysis and interpretation is created in a range of ways, from face-to-face communication and meetings to activities that offer opportunity for such discussions and collaborative thinking.

The methods employed to bring the research to a point where it's likely to have impact need to be:

• appropriate for both your identified beneficiaries and you: it's great if you like small-scale informal events but what if they think their time is better invested on large events that offer more opportunities for networking?

• interactive as possible: we know by now that the more standard and passive methods for impact (e.g. communication, dissemination) are only successful in some cases and tend to be queried by reviewers. The beneficiaries can help jointly design activities for understanding, analysing and interpreting the research

Tips for describing impact pathways

• The planned impact pathways should be proportionate to the budget and the duration of the project
• An initial description of beneficiaries and the expected impact needs to have been given in other sections of the application (e.g. summary, objectives) so that it is easier to match the pathways to them 
• Before going into detail about the methods (of engagement, dissemination, collaboration etc.) it helps to show how your methods are intended to work towards the desired impact. The application is stronger if you show how your plan considers and responds to the needs of your identified beneficiaries 
• Where there are planned events it helps to make clear where they fit in the project, to share initial ideas of topics, content and participants and what you expect to get out of them. This is much stronger than reference to 'a series of workshops' (for example)
• If one of your key pathways is an Advisory or Steering Board you need to describe the Board's impact remit in addition to their contribution to the research and also to provide information on planned meetings and on how the input of the members is considered in the project
• Academic publications are a critical pathway. You can convert them to more accessible outputs for key beneficiary groups (e.g. prepare executive summaries, publish briefings)

Outputs and dissemination

Some funders (such as the Wellcome Trust) request information about the outputs, the expected outcomes and often, the dissemination plan of a project. 

In simple terms, outputs are what the project produces or delivers. These deliverables are important for achieving impact. They can be co-developed with external partners and they can be shared widely with audiences beyond academia and beyond your immediate collaborators.

The expected outcomes of a project in simple words is what you wish to achieve by undertaking the specific piece of research. This question is often about the short-term results that a project can deliver mostly within its duration and shortly afterwards. Outcomes are linked to outputs in the sense that you would expect some results from what the project produces. To answer questions about the expected outcomes, it helps to consider 'what results are expected if our outputs (reports etc) are taken up and are actively considered by our key beneficiaries'? 

Dissemination is technically a method for achieving impact. Funders often request information on how you plan to disseminate your outputs. A strong answer to this question would consider the key audiences you intend to reach. Also the channels for sharing your work for the best chance to be seen. A good way to link outputs to dissemination is by explaining how you are adapting some outputs to suit the key audiences you are targeting.

Public engagement

Some funders and calls often request information about your plans for public engagement. Such questions refer to how you intend to share the research you are carrying out with the broader public. The plan can range from activities to engage the public in your specific research (often in a form of dialogue) to activities where, starting with your research, the intention is to communicate and demonstrate the benefits of science. Strong answers to questions like this would provide information about the format of the outputs (e.g. publications, events etc), the rationale for them (e.g. to engage in dialogue, to consult, listen or to inform) and the details of where and how such activities will be realised.

In addition to the above, funders request applicants to provide information about: 

• Implementation: your ideas for managing your impact plans including any experience you have previously had of engaging audiences beyond academia and any impact you have achieved
• Resources: the costing of the impact activities of the project
• Sustainability: any initial ideas on sustaining relationships, networks, resources and on developing outputs beyond the duration of the project

The RQI team will soon be offering virtual drop-in sessions where we can offer advice on implementing impact in your grant applications. Information about these will be coming soon.