Impact@WLV: for Research Students

What does impact mean for me?

Planning for impact is an important aspect of preparing research proposals and other applications. Individual Funders assess impact according to their specific remit and the call’s expectations so it is important to ask for advice before submitting any proposal for funding to ensure that your application fully aligns to their impact definitions and expectations.

Although it is no longer required to submit a separate Pathways to Impact in research bids to UKRI, impact continues to be a core consideration throughout the grant application process. Identifying the potential impact of the research can help with planning and prioritising knowledge exchange, public engagement and dissemination activities.

As a research student at the University of Wolverhampton, you are part of a research community which is passionate about making a difference within our local community and beyond. Through collaboration and multi-disciplinary projects, our researchers contribute to public debate, create solutions to local, national and global challenges, and preserve and promote cultural works of international significance. By advancing knowledge, and bringing together excellence and innovation, we challenge perceptions and seek to change the world for the better.

Take a look at some examples of our impactful research, and the Research Centres webpage for more information.

Contact us at impact@wlv.ac.uk for more information on how we can help you gain impact from your research, or how our research can help you!

The below diagram demonstrates the lifecycle of a funding application, and the inclusion of impact support and development.

Flowchart showing funding application process

Upcoming impact events and training

Tuesday 8th March 2022 2pm -4pm
Online via Canvas

The ability to demonstrate the potential benefits of your research beyond the academic sphere (for example, the socio-economic, cultural or health benefits) has become an increasingly important skill for a researcher to develop. This session will explore fully the meaning of impact its significance to your research.

Facilitator:- Dr Bozena Sojka, ICRD.

https://www.wlv.ac.uk/research/the-doctoral-college/research-students/research-skills-development-workshops/r40-research-and-impact/

NEXT DATE TO BE CONFIRMED
University of Wolverhampton

In this session you will be given an overview of what research impact actually is. You will leave with an understanding of how to achieve impact in your research and how to make a real difference to the wider world with your future work.

Facilitator:- TBC

On the 25th June 2021 we held our 2nd Wolverhampton Impact Day, aimed at helping researchers working in the West Midlands/Black Country region achieve more impactful research - with the theme “Engaging People”, we held sessions aimed at providing attendees with the knowledge on how to better approach and work with a variety of potential stakeholders, including policymakers, industry professionals, and local communities.

The 2022 Impact Day date is still to be confirmed, but further details will be made available on this page.

If you have any questions, please contact the University of Wolverhampton Impact Team at impact@wlv.ac.uk.

Making a difference...

About Us

Our impact from research undertaken at the University has increased considerably in the last years: for the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) we submitted 38 impact case studies across 17 Units of Assessment (including two new Units for this REF cycle), many of which speak to our research’s effects on policy and society.

The University of Wolverhampton is partnered with the following networks, highlighting how our research can impact on policy:

The Universities Policy Engagement Network, UPEN, is a community of UK universities committed to increasing the impact of research on policy.
The UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN) is a community of institutions aligned to their commitment to sustainability and the climate change agenda.
The Midlands Engine pan-regional partnership, working to accelerate growth and prosperity for every part of the Midlands.
The West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI), whose collaborative partnerships with regional stakeholders involved in planning and delivering growth policies for the region.
The Midlands Impact Group, comprising impact teams from regional Universities.

Contact us at impact@wlv.ac.uk for more information on how we can help you gain impact from your research, or how our research can help you!