The ESRC's National Centre for Research Methods, Methods Network is holding a series of events to help social scientists understand how to ensure their research makes an impact. The Academy of Social Science is one of three networks that makes up the Methods Network.

Location: Scottish Universities Insight Institute, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, James Weir Building, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow, G1 1XJ   http://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/

Date: 30th January 2012

Time: 11:00 am - 15:30 pm (registration from 10:30 am)

Convenors: Rehema White, University of St Andrews; Daniela Sime, University of Strathclyde; Sue Baines, Manchester Metropolitan University

This workshop is the second of five events organised by the Network, against a background of increasing pressure for social scientists to undertake ‘engaged’ research which contributes to making a difference for the economy, society and culture.  Impact involves conversations and engagement with others.  Some ways of generating impact are well established, while novel modes of knowledge mobilisation that can lead to impact are attracting more interest. The themes of this event are ways of contextualising, demonstrating and measuring research impact in all its diversity.  Ian Sanderson, Professor of Policy Analysis and Evaluation, Leeds Metropolitan University, will set the scene, with a keynote drawing on his experience of providing analytical services for a range of organisations, including the Scottish Government. Other speakers will include representatives from Glasgow City Council and Save the Children, presenting views on how research is used in the public and voluntary sector and what impact does it make on service delivery.

There are many approaches to the monitoring and evaluation of research impact. The uptake of research within policy has attracted the most interest and debate. In this event, we see research users as including, but not limited to, policy makers, public service managers and voluntary sector workers.  We are also concerned to explore how impact is experienced, understood  and valued by non-powerful groups, who are more usually seen as research subjects.  

Questions to be discussed will include:

• How can impact assessment recognise ways in which the research evidence combines with other knowledge to influence decision making?
• How can impact be recorded without making excessive demands on participants?
• How can assessment, monitoring and measurement acknowledge different forms of impact and different perceptions from stakeholders?
• Can we co-construct measures of impact with stakeholder groups?
• What are the challenges and benefits of innovative ways of demonstrating impact (e.g. videos, cooperative research centres)?

Break-out sessions will be used to allow detailed discussions of these topics. Participants will be from policy, practice and user groups who have experiences of impact, as well as university based researchers.