Those who have come across the term ‘impact acceleration’ would be forgiven for mistaking it for just another university buzzword. But the concept has benefits far beyond academia. Ahead of Kent and Discovery Park’s Innovation Showcase on Thursday 27 February, Professor Michelle Garrett and Professor Tobias von der Haar, explain what impact is, and how academics and non-academics alike are benefitting from it.
What do we mean by ‘impact acceleration’?
The concept of research impact was defined by the UK Government as part of its efforts to ensure that tax-payer funded research returns some direct benefit to those tax payers. In this context, impact refers to demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. For example, Kent research has helped restore the Houses of Parliament, develop new pharmaceutical products, and decarbonise the ferry routes between Dover and northern France, to name a few. When we talk about ‘accelerating impact’, we’re referring to activities that help speed up this application of research in the real world.
Why is supporting impact so important?
As a research-intensive university, we pride ourselves on the new technologies, methods and insights frequently being developed here at Kent. Outputs from both our exploratory ‘blue sky’ research and applied research can be hugely valuable to businesses, the healthcare sector, the environment, charities and policymakers, but unless we help communities outside our university understand and access them, these outputs are not going to be put to good use. By bridging the gap between academia and other sectors, we can change that. Ultimately, this ensures that our research is improving society, supporting business growth and providing value for money to our funders.
So what can we do to ‘accelerate’ impact?
There are a wide range of ways we support the ‘translation’ of research into impact, but establishing good relationships between University researchers and other sectors is one of the most fundamental. This creates opportunities for knowledge exchange between us; the sharing of ideas, expertise and evidence, which helps our researchers identify where they can use their expertise to tackle real-world problems, and to work together with these other sectors to apply the resulting solutions in their areas of work.
How are the Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) supporting this?
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK Government organisation that administers and awards research funding, awards “Impact Acceleration Accounts” as “strategic awards for research organisations to respond to impact opportunities in more flexible, responsive and creative ways”1. Around 65 UK Universities receive IAA funding from one or more of the individual research councils that constitute UKRI in the current round of IAA funding (2022-2026).
Kent was awarded IAAs from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). We are using this funding to host knowledge exchange events, enhance access to our spaces, fund collaborations between the University and businesses, healthcare providers, charities and non-academic partners, and deliver training and mentoring to generate new translational research. The funding has already supported a wide range of successful collaborations, such as that between Professor Paul Allain and a rural drama school in Greece which has helped regenerate the area, and the partnership between Kent bioscientists and Rothamsted Research which is advancing the use of a new pharmacological compound for cancer treatment.
How can I benefit from the IAA scheme?
For external organisations, the IAA scheme offers opportunities to connect with skilled researchers financially supported to work with you to develop their research towards your needs. In return, Kent researchers have the chance to access new perspectives, gain experience, and contribute to making the world a better place. Due to complexity of the research lifecycle, the ‘right fit’ for a collaboration might not be immediately obvious. That’s why we’re encouraging people to join our network so that if there is a new breakthrough or funding call that we think you can take advantage of, we can take timely action.
The best way to find out more about how you can benefit from the scheme is to come along to one of our events or get in touch with Michelle Garrett (Lead for the Medical Research Council IAA), Tobias von der Haar (lead for the BBSRC IAA) or Karen Jones (lead for the AHRC IAA).
Following the success of the Innovation Showcase 2024, Kent has once again partnered with the Discovery Park to bring academics and industry stakeholders together on Thursday 27 February. This free one-day event is an opportunity to learn more about how the Impact Acceleration Accounts, and other initiatives, are driving innovation in the region and beyond. Register your attendance here.