Impact
Impact is the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. Measuring impact is necessary if one is to really understand the return on the investment in a research program such as BrainsCAN. Tri-council and other funding bodies increasingly include requirements to identify the impact that the research they funded has had on academia and society, the benefit that the research brings to end users and the involvement they have had in the research process. They also require a defined implementation strategy so that together, a grant application will consider both the impact anticipated and the implementation plan to achieve it. By measuring impact in this way, it will enable BrainsCAN to assess the nature, scale and beneficiaries of the research, to use that knowledge to underpin the quality of future research funding proposals and research outcomes.
Impact is going to be assessed during the continuous two-way dialogue occurring in the translation of knowledge, since it is one of the influencers on projects and research in the collaborative ‘virtuous circle’ of KMb. BrainsCAN will also be communicating its impacts externally through altmetrics and impact case studies so that it is clear to funding bodies, the media and society as a whole that BrainsCAN is delivering excellence and impacting people’s lives for the better. This is vital if BrainsCAN is to apply data-driven governance and succeed in delivering evidence-based interventions in the classroom, in the operating room and in the clinic, as intended.
We will be establishing a body of impact case studies that result from work that BrainsCAN is enabling and sharing these case studies with the public.
Contact Information:
Jon Deeks
Knowledge Mobilization & Impact Manager
BrainsCAN, Western University
jdeeks@uwo.ca
