The Paradigmatic Shift Towards Research Impact in the Academy
In the last four decades there has been increased emphasis for faculty to show and effectively expand the impact of their Academic Research Work*. This trend has occurred nationally, internationally, and is expected to persist through recent national and international events.
There is rapid proliferation of both new businesses and independent organizations that focus on helping others manage and maximize the impact of their research. These businesses and organizations range from assessment to communications and scholarship, to training individuals on how to extend the reach of their research work. Some examples of these are: Knowledge Translation Australia by
Tamika Heiden who also facilitates the largest online impact summit; Jenny Ames Consulting Ltd in the United Kingdom (UK) by
Jenny Ames; Institute for Knowledge Mobilization and Peter Norman Levesque Consulting in Canada by
Peter Levesque; and Broader Impacts Productions, LLC in the United States (US) by
Kirsten Sanford.
Evidence of this paradigmatic shift can also be seen by the number of societal benefitting-like terms, names and phrases now being used around the world. Many of these terms, names, and phrases have been contextualized for maximizing the impact of academic research. These include but are not limited to phrases, terms, and concepts such as: Capacity Building in Africa; Equity in Development in India; Broader Impacts, Broader Implications, Collective Impact, and Relevant or Ultimate Outcomes in the US; the Engagement and Impact Assessment (EI) Framework and Knowledge Exchange in Australia; Knowledge Mobilization in Canada; Valorization in the Netherlands; Harmonious Development in South America; Economic & Social Development and Influence in China; and the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in the European Union. Almost every country,
roughly eighty-two percent (82%), uses a societal-benefit name, term, phrase, or concept that indicates ARI is important.
This is accompanied by the growing number of professionals and positions to address and actionize these concepts, names, and phrases in academic institutions, agencies, organizations, and governance. For example, there is
Susan Renoe, Director of NABI and ARIS who started The Connector formally called the Broader Impacts Network (BIN) in the US;
David Phillips who leads an award-winning Knowledge Mobilization Unit in Canada;
Julie Bayley who is the Director of Impact Development and
Mark Reed who is a professor and transdisciplinary researcher specializing in environmental governance and research impact in peatlands and agri-food systems both in the UK; and
Emma Johnston who initiated a Science for Impact Center in Australia focusing on Knowledge Exchange.
In addition, some ranking organizations have started to include Overall Impact on Society (OIS) metrics to rank universities and colleges. This includes how university’s and college’s research are benefiting society.
For example, in 2019 “THE WORLD University Rankings” facilitated by Times Higher Education, provided their first ever rankings specifically focused on University’s and College’s Impact on Society. These impact rankings are based on the United Nations (UN) seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provided in Figure 1.