Evidencing Impact

Evaluating the impact of your projects, collaborations and programmes is essential for lesson-learning and accountability. The evaluation you undertake should be timely, effective and appropriate in scale and should  demonstrate that you have achieved the impact(s) you set out to deliver. The body of evidence you will gather throughout your project will be a useful asset for:

1. Informing next steps

2. Making a case for future funding

3. Submitting your impact to the REF

Below we have provided some tools and resources for planning effective evaluation. Evaluation doesn’t have to be difficult or labour intensive; the most important thing is to capture information (data, case studies and quotes etc.) that can effectively and concisely demonstrate your impact, and give a comprehensive picture to the project undertaken.

Resources

General

• The Societal and Economic Impacts of Academic Research: International perspectives on good practice and managing evidence

• Collecting Research Impact Evidence Best Practice Guidance for the Research Community

• REF 2014 Impact Case Studies

• Researchfish

Public Engagement

• Public Engagement: Planning for Impact

• Public Engagement: Gathering evidence of Impact

• Research Councils: Evaluation Guide

• UCL toolkit: Evaluating your public events