The presentation is a summary of the key issues raised by Professor Mark Reed in his book "The research handbook" which looks to address the current REF 2021 agenda.

1. REF 2021
Research Impact Strategy
(REF5b)
Michael Johnson

2. Disclaimer!!
Professor Mark Reed
All of the content used within this presentation has stemmed frommy interpretation
ofthe concepts outlined by Professor Reed in the book.

3. Environment template
People
Income,infrastructureand
facilities
1 2
34
Collaboration and
contribution
Unit context, structure,research
and impact strategy
Evidence of the submitted unit’s
achievement of strategic aims for
research and impact during the
assessment period, details of
future strategic aims and goals
for research and impact; how
these relate to the structure of the
unit; and how they will be taken
forward
provide evidence about staffing
strategy and staff development
within the submitted unit; support
mechanisms for, and evidence of
the training and supervision of,
PGR students; and evidence of
how the submitting unit supports
and promotes equality and
diversity.
information about the submitted
unit’s income, infrastructure and
facilities pertaining to research and
research impact.
information about the submitted unit’s research
collaborations, networks and partnerships,
including relationships with key research users,
beneficiaries or audiences; and the wider
activities and contributions to the research base,
economy and society.
ANNEX I

4. The guidance on the UOA Environment Template is extremely
vague suggesting it covers
“how the unit has sought to enable and/or facilitate the
achievement of impact arising from their research and how
they are shaping and adapting their plans to ensure that
they continue to support the vitality and sustainability of
the unit’s impact in the future”
Later, it suggests we may describe “how the unit recognises
and rewards staff for carrying out research and for achieving
impact”

5. Under staffing strategy and staff development in the environment statement,
we can describe policies for impact leave as well as traditional sabbaticals (it
would be interesting to know how many Universities have such policies)

6. Descriptions of impact aren’t limited to case studies. In the
environment statement we can describe “wider contributions to the
economy and society, including evidence of the wider activities and
impact of research carried out in the unit that is not captured in the
impact case studies”

7. The research environment will be assessed in terms of its
‘vitality and sustainability’. Panels will consider both the
‘vitality and sustainability’ of the submitted unit, including its
approach to enabling impact from its research, and its
contribution to the ‘vitality and sustainability’ of the wider
research base.

8. 4*
3*
2*
1*
An environment that is conducive to producing research of world-leading
quality and enabling outstanding impact, in terms of its vitality
and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of
internationally excellent quality and enabling very considerable
impact, in terms of its vitality and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of
internationally recognised quality and enabling considerable impact, in
terms of itsvitality and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of nationally
recognised quality and enabling recognised but modest impact, in
terms of itsvitality and sustainability.
How is it assessed
Environment sub-profile: Criteria and definitions of starred levels

9. Academia in Practice
A TraditionalSense
Interest
Social Class &
educational equality
Research Question
(RQ1): To what extent does
parental involvement impact
educational outcomes amongst
disadvantaged students within
FE in greater Manchester
Results
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………..
New Knowledge/
Publication
……………………………………………
……………………………………………
………..
Citations/Refs
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………..

10. 4*
3*
2*
1*
An environment that is conducive to producing research of world-leading
quality and enabling outstanding impact, in terms of its vitality
and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of
internationally excellent quality and enabling very considerable
impact, in terms of its vitality and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of
internationally recognised quality and enabling considerable impact, in
terms of itsvitality and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of nationally
recognised quality and enabling recognised but modest impact, in
terms of itsvitality and sustainability.
Is This Enabling Outstanding Impact
or is it leaving it to chance?

11. Theory of Change
ResearchImpactstrategy
ACTIVITIES
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………..
OUTPUTS
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………..
SHORT-TERM
OUTCOMES
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………..
LONG-TERM
OUTCOMES
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………..
IMPACT
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………..

12. TOC
IMPACTSTRATEGY
Theory of change (TOC) is an approach that is increasingly being used by research projects to design, plan for and evaluate the impact of their research. It maps out the expected pathways or links
betweena project’sactivitiesanditsintendedimpact, whilsttakingintoaccount differentcontextualfactorsthatmightinfluencechange.
This process encourages strategic planning for research impactfrom the beginning of the research cycle, and ongoing reflection and critical thinking about how change happens. Anticipated pathways
ofchangearemadeexplicit asassumptionsand testedusingindicators.
TOC is useful for research projects because research influences policy and practice through non-linear, iterativepathways. Thinking through how research evidence might be communicated, taken up
andapplied bystakeholdersindifferentcountrycontextsfromtheoutsetcan strengthenthedesignofthewholeresearchprocessandmaximiseitsprospectsforimpact.

13. 4*
3*
2*
1*
An environment that is conducive to producing research of world-leading
quality and enabling outstanding impact, in terms of its vitality
and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of
internationally excellent quality and enabling very considerable
impact, in terms of its vitality and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of
internationally recognised quality and enabling considerable impact, in
terms of itsvitality and sustainability.
An environment that is conducive to producing research of nationally
recognised quality and enabling recognised but modest impact, in
terms of itsvitality and sustainability.
Theory of Change Facilitates Pathways to Impact
The Research Begins with the Impact in Mind

14. FourSteps to Developing a Theory of Change
Each ofthe following documents arefrom The Research Impact Handbook
Stakeholder Analysis
Thiswill give youa sophisticatedandholistic understandingofthoseyoumay wanttoengagewith,
andhelpyouprioritise thelimited time youhaveavailable forimpact.
Impact Planning Logic Model
Ifyouwantyourresearch tohavemaximum impact forthebeneficiaries thenyouhave
tostrategically plan activities whichengageeachofthedifferentgroups.
Social Media Strategy
Having an onlinepresenceallows youtomaximise yourpublic engagementwhilst
specifically targeting differentgroupsofstakeholders.
Impact Tracking
Monitor theprogressofimpact linked toeachofthespecificpathwaysand
indicator toensureprogress is beingmade.
1
2
3
4
Theoryof Change

15. Stakeholder Analysis
Name of organization
or group of
beneficiaries
Likelyinterest in your
research
Which aspects are they
likely to be interested
in
Level of influence on
your capacity to
generate impac
Comments on level of
influence Positive or
Negative
1
2
3
4
5

16. Name of
organization,
group or
segment of the
public
Likely interest
in your
research
H/M/L
What aspects of your research
are they likely to be interested in
(or why are they likely not
interested)?
What level of influence might
they have on your capacity to
generate impact (to facilitate or
block) and/or what level of
impact (positive or negative)
might they derive from the
research?
H/M/L
Comments on level of influence (to
facilitate or block impact) and/or
likely impact (positive or negative)
e.g. times or contexts in which they
have more/less influence over the
outcomes of your research, ways
they might block or facilitate your
research or impact, types of benefit
they might derive from the research

17. Multifaceted Planning to “Enable & Facilitate Impact”
Target
Stakeholders?
IMPACT
GOAL
Why would they
be interested?
Activities to
engage this
target group?
Indicators of
successful
engagement
Indicators of
progress towards
impact
Risks to impactRisks to activities
Mitigation… Mitigation…
Who is
responsible?
What resources
are needed?
Time Scales?

18. Impact
goal
Target
stakeholders or
publics
Reasons for
being interested
in the project
Activities to
engage this
target group
Indicators of
successful
engagement [and
means of
measurement]
Indicators of
progress
towards impact
[means of
measurement]
Risks to
activities
[and
mitigation]
Risks to
impact
[and
mitigation]
Who is
responsible
and what
resources are
needed?
Timing

19. Social Media Strategy
Four Leading Questions tobeing moreefficient with youronline engagement
What offline impacts do you want
to achievevia social media? 1 2
3 4
Who are you trying to reach,
what are they interested in &
what platforms are theyon?
How can you make content
actionable shareable & rewarding
for those who interact with you to
forge relationships beyond social
media?
Who can you work with to make
your use of social media more
efficientand effective?

20. Impact
goal
What would I
expect to see
happening
offline that
would indicate
my engagement
with social
media is moving
me closer to this
impact goal?
Which
stakeholders or
publics on
social media can
help me reach
this goal?
Which social
media platforms
are these
stakeholders
and publics
most active on?
What aspects of
my research are
these
stakeholders
and publics
most likely to be
interested in?
Linked to these
interests, what
content,
resources or
opportunities
would these
groups find
most valuable or
rewarding?
What actions or
activities could I
promote via social
media to
encourage deeper
engagement with
my research,
which might lead
to conversations
offline that could
help achieve
impact?
What are the main social
media accounts that
have content linked to
this impact goal? What
can I learn from their
most popular material?
Regularly update this list
of accounts and insights,
and promote your work
to their followers by
directly requesting
retweets/likes or
following their followers.

21. Objective
Tracking Research Impact
Delivery Mechanism or
activity
Comments Against
Progress
MeansofMeasurement
Activity Indicator
MeansofMeasurement
Progress
Progress
Impact Indicator
CommentsAgainst
Progress

22. Impact outcome or
objective
Delivery mechanism or
activity
Activity indicator
Means of
measurement
Progress Comments Impact indicator
Means of
measurement
Progress Comments
Restore 20 million
hectares of damaged
peat bog by 2025,
based on published
research into the
methods and benefits of
restoration
 Develop Peatland
Code to publically
demonstrate
progress towards
policy statements
on private-public
partnerships for
conservation
 Policy brief
 Presentations to
policy analysts
 Briefings to
Ministers via
trusted NGOs and
other contacts
 Input to
development of
Peatland Code
Peatland Code
developed,
piloted &
launched with
high-level
support from
Government
Peatland Code
launch event and
documentation
Launched October
2015
Number of hectares
of land restored per
year
Peatland Code
Register
Peatland only
restored in one
pilot project so
far
Sponsorship
funding
Peatland Code
Register
Funding for pilot
projects only at this
stage
 Sponsorship
catalogue
 Twitter to raise
awareness
among business
stakeholders/cust
omers & LinkedIn
to get new leads
& feedback
 Brokered
meetings with
CEOs and
philanthropists
 Event stands
Peat-free
pledges
Website counter Approaching 1000
pledges
Meetings via
LinkedIn and
event stands
Meeting minutes Meetings held with
CSR leads but did
not lead to
decisions, so now
focussing on CEOs
(see below)
Meetings via
broker
Meeting minutes In progress
Catlogue
produced
Catalogue online Done October 2015

24. Pathways to Impact
How toEnable Outstanding Research by Engaging with stakeholders
LinkedIn
….
Mainstream Media
….
Twitter
….
Facebook
…….
Youtube
…

26. Attitudinal impacts
Social media is not an impact but it is a pathway to
impact IE knowledge dissemination via social media
platforms can change attitude towards a particular topic
a change in attitudes, typically of a group of people who
share similar views, towards a new attitude that brings
them or others
benefits.
Social Media allows to target specific groups

27. Tracking Public Engagement
www.uobimpact.co.uk
FacebookTwitter MSM YouTube

28. Social Media & Public Engagement
ALTMETRICS
9 10
21
16
40
43
32
38
50
56
44
52
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
April
Monthly Analysis
Short-termOutcomesfrom theimpact pathwayactivitiesanalysed
usingAltmetrics
August
Monthly Analysis
Long-termoutcomesfrom thespecificresearchactivitieswhich looked
to createdsomeform of impact.
December
IMPACT
Thechallengenowisto turnthe implicit impactswhich the impact
pathwaywould havecreatedintoexplicit forms of expressionthatcan
be documentedwithina tangibleformat.
SHORT-TERM
OUTCOMES
LONG-TERM
OUTCOMES

29. UOBIMPACT:
Each of thePlatformallows forsignificantpublicengagementwhich looks tospecificallytargettheresearchbeneficiary’sandthenallowsfor valuablefeedbackto begained…..
ALTMETRICS, PUBLIC ENGAGMENT & IMPACT
Turning the Implicit Explicit
YoutubeLinkedInFacebookTwitter
65%
54%
82%
48%

32. Knowledge dissemination is the same irrespective ofthe platform that it is shared on the goal
however is still to turn the implicit into the explicit in regardstoits specific impact.
From Pathway To Impact
Platforms Polls
Video example of a lesson I used AR in the classroom…
Start of the video – Have you used AR in the Classroom?
End of video – How likely are you now to use AR in the classroom?
85 80
90
70
80
6060
95
50
100
90
70
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

33. Pathways in Practice
Bolton Worktown
Youtube with Poll
Survey Feedback
Case Study
Testimonials
Conference
Stakeholders
Activities which have been meaningfully planned in
orderto engage thestakeholderswith theresearch
ShortTermOutcomes
The initial activities produce a series of short term
outcomes which we can capture and use later for
impact
LongTermOutcomes
Additional activities within each of the specific pathway
which look to follow up on the impacts earlier
evidenced and identify any potential new which has
arosesince

36. How do we Enable?
Pathways in Practice
Youtube with Poll
Survey Feedback
Case Study
Testimonials
Conference
Stakeholders
Activities which have been meaningfully planned in
orderto engage thestakeholderswith theresearch
ShortTermOutcomes
The initial activities produce a series of short term
outcomes which we can capture and use later for
impact
LongTermOutcomes
Additional activities within each of the specific pathway
which look to follow up on the impacts earlier
evidenced and identify any potential new which has
arosesince

37. FourSteps to Developing a Theory of Change
Each of the following documents are from The Research Impact Handbook
Stakeholder Analysis
Thiswill give youa sophisticatedandholistic understandingofthoseyoumay wanttoengagewith,
andhelpyouprioritise thelimited time youhaveavailable forimpact.
Impact Planning Logic Model
Ifyouwantyourresearch tohavemaximum impact forthebeneficiaries thenyouhave
tostrategically plan activities whichengageeachofthedifferentgroups.
Social Media Strategy
Having an onlinepresenceallows youtomaximise yourpublic engagementwhilst
specifically targeting differentgroupsofstakeholders.
Impact Tracking
Monitor theprogressofimpact linked toeachofthespecificpathwaysand
indicator toensureprogress is beingmade.
1
2
3
4
Theoryof Change

39. The Research Environment Template
So What Makes a Four Star Environment?
Key Terms
Vitality
Sustainability
Approach to
enabling impact
Impact Strategy
Theory of Change
Pathways to Impact
Impact Metrics
Wider contributions to
society & the economy
Additional Impact
Unit Recognition & Reward for
staff achieving impact
Jenkinson Award
Policies for
Impact
Sabbatical /
Maternal

40. The REF Impact Strategy
Key Documents & Content
Download the Documents
Via the QR Below
https://uobimpact.co.uk/resources/
Find additional content on
the link below