Impact in research funding is understood as the change that the proposed research will effect. It goes beyond outputs (e.g papers published) and outcomes (new genomes identified or categorized) by looking at the more diffuse effects derived from the activities or new knowledge developed. 

Impact can take many forms, and it is advisable during proposal writing to be clear in identifying the various types of impact your research is expected to have. 

1. Research or academic impact 

   Research impact is often used in fundamental research applications to demonstrate the groundbreaking value of what you propose to look into. In this case, impact could be seen as new avenues of research following your discovery(ies), or other indicators that reflect the paradigm shift your research is expected to bring about. 

   In the case of academic impact, this often reflects the expected contribution of your research to the field in question – offering insights and knowledge on which others can build. This is most often measured in terms of citations, and as such is difficult to quantify during proposal preparation. However, although this particular metric is difficult at proposal stage, it is extremely useful during monitoring (more below).

   1. Technical or technological impact
   2. Economic or economic development impact
   3. Societal or policy impact 

   Technical or technological impact refers to the products or services that have been developed from the outcome of your research. This should be understood as applied research advancement and is firmly linked to innovation. It is most often quantified through number of new services or products stemming from the research you have (or will have) performed. This does not in any way mean that you should consider developing products or services as part of your proposed research (this would be an outcome, not an impact). Rather, you should understand this particular impact as the technical or technological innovations made possible by something you researched or discovered. In terms of indicators, this is most often quantified through IP metrics, such as patents or other forms of IP filed (e.g. copyright, trade secret, etc). 

   Economic or economic development impact is another way to consider the effects of your research. In this case, impact is understood as the monetary value linked to the outcomes of your research. This could appear in terms of jobs or businesses created, or, in the case of nature-positive economy, as the valuation of ecosystem services preserved or re-established. This type of impact is mostly used in innovation projects (e.g. Grand Solutions or GUDP) but can also be useful in certain other type of projects (e.g. LIFE projects). 

   Societal or policy impact should be understood as the effect your research has (or will have) on society as a whole (or sub-segments of it) or policy. In the case of policy, the societal impact is secondary as it becomes a consequence of the policy implementation. Although difficult to assess or quantify, societal or policy impact is becoming increasingly relevant for all funders. It is also a useful tool to understand and frame why your research is important and needed, and should be prioritized in a scarce resource environment. 

The quick and easy answer is, you can’t. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to, as the exercise in itself is valuable and will help you present your research in broader terms as relevant to many. 

Monitoring impact starts at application or proposal preparation stage where you should define some metrics or indicators that support or evidence the impact you have described. During project implementation, it is important that you keep an eye on impact and be able to report on it. Some funders, such as EU or Plantefonden, have actually formalized their impact framework and will ask you to contribute data to it, in this way making it easier for you. Finally, bear in mind that a lot of the impact your research will have will be achieved through communication and dissemination and these supporting measures can also be used to monitor impact. 

Pathways to impact are basically a roadmap, outlining the various steps that will lead to imp act. In this case, it is important that you are able to guide your reader (reviewer, evaluator) through these steps in a convincing manner, so the logic feels sound and the impact appears trustworthy. 

It is useful to start with your project core, and outline as a start what your project outputs will be. In most cases, these will be research papers and will be quantified in the proposal (= academic impact). Broadening out from here, how will what you discover/ research be used further? Will it be used for new research (research impact) or will it lead to practical applications (technical or technological impact)? And how will your findings, in the long run, impact your fellow earth-dwellers? How will it do this (economic impact, policy impact)? 

Thinking “impact” is a powerful tool to explain why what you research is important and for whom. If you can articulate this convincingly in your own words in your proposals, you will have strengthened your chances to gain funding by a significant margin. 

Finally, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at the Funding team – we are here to help and have some tools up our sleeves to help you understand, identify and word impact in your research funding proposals. 

AGRO har i samarbejde med ST Økonomi (ØC) etableret faste procedurer for budgettering, bemandingsplanlægning og regnskabsopfølgning. Instituttet har bl.a. retningslinjer for forlods finansiering og medfinansiering fra instituttet.

Eventuel medfinansiering til eksterne projekter skal godkendes af institutlederen. Ændringer samt opfølgning vedrørende bevilgede interne projekter og sektionskonti aftales mellem sektionsleder/projektleder og sekretariatslederen.
I forbindelse med mange ansøgninger, økonomiblanketter og lignende skal der oplyses relevante identifikationsnumre, f.eks.  EAN nr., CVR nr., stednr. P-nr. eller PIC-nr.