Achieving impact and knowledge transfer from your research

Susan Davidson, PhD

Research Adviser

Age UK

What is research impact ?

What is research impact ?Research Excellence Framework (REF) definition: Impact is

an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia

Impact includes but is not limited to:

• the activity, attitude, awareness, behaviour, capacity, opportunity, performance, policy, practice, process or understanding

• of an audience, beneficiary, community, constituency, organisation or individuals

• in any geographic location whether locally, regionally, nationally or internationally

But…

While changing behaviour and practice are the golden ideal, these things are difficult to do and to prove.

And the REF definition is not how a charity usually thinks about impact! We are interested in what OUR impact is:

are we making a difference, to what extent, what is the cost vs benefit of our activities, entering and leading debates on issues…

What is knowledge transfer?

Knowledge Transfer

“…the exchange, synthesis and ethically-sound application of knowledge - within a complex system of interactions among researchers and users - to accelerate the capture of the benefits of research.”

Canadian Institute of Health Research 2010

Research use continuum

 

 

Source: JISC http://ie-repository.jisc.ac.uk/576/1/JISC_open_access_and_VCS_report-FINAL.pdf

Adapted from Nutley, S.M., Walter, I. and Davies, H.T.O., Using Evidence: How Research Can Inform Public Services, Policy Press, 2007 p51.

Who is your audience?

What do you want them to do with your findings?

How will you get that info to them?

How might charities help with research impact and knowledge transfer?

• Dissemination• Contact with research users: public,

practitioners, policy-makers, government

• Participation in research• Questions• Recruiting ‘participants’• (Funding)

Mission – to improve the lives of older people • Social enterprise and charity• 7 areas of activity • 170 local Age UKs • 3000 employees• 50,000 volunteers

There are over 200,000 charities in the UK

and some much bigger than us!

Introduction to Age UK

We aim to underpin everything we do with evidence

Ways we use research:

• Services• Policy-making and influencing• Campaigns• Public education• Fund-raising• Enterprises – products and marketing

Our Research Team can get messages out to many audiences within our scope through:

• monthly presentations to staff and invited others• monthly bulletin to a professional audiences• blogs• articles on our website • pod casts – short interview with you• Age UK Radio for interviews• Campaigns, Media, Policy, Services, and Fundraising

Teams, local partners & shops, our relationships with key people…

• See our web pages for example of our communication products http://www.ageuk.org.uk/professional-resources-home/knowledge-hub-evidence-statistics/

Research for Later Life (Age UK Research)

Overall aim - to produce research solutions for an ageing society by:

• Funding and commissioning

‘Research into Ageing’ (Health & Well-being)

Social research

Services and evaluation research

• Translating research findings to produce an evidence base for policy, practice, products and services (including market research)

• Developing mutually beneficial research relationships at all levels

Example: Care in Crisis Campaign

Problem: many older people contacted Age UK about their issues and challenges with social care.

Age UK realised this was a systemic problem, and a priority for us to action.

What we did

• Campaigns Team: asked us to help gather research – evidence about problems, needs, what does and does not work. Planned and carried out a campaign

• Research Team: in addition to helping gather research, worked with Dr Julien Forder, a Principal Research Fellow at PSSRU at the London School of Economics, and his model to estimate future costs of social care; modified model and make predictions and recommendations for Government in a report.

• Media Team: helped get the issue and Age UK’s efforts publicised. • Policy Team: met MPs and other key people, gave interviews,

blogs.• Local partners and shops: gathered 130,000 signatures on

petitions from around the country to give the Government, met local MPs

• The report and petition were read by key decision-makers in Government; these helped shape a White Paper on this issue and a new bill.

Development of the exercise programmes in the NSF falls services (2001)

Development of the DWP ageing strategy in ‘Opportunity Age’ (2005)

Development of the Social Exclusion Units strategy in ‘A Sure Start to Later Life’ (2006)

Development of treatment for reducing post-event inflammation in thrombotic stroke (2009)

Changes to the diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence (2010)

Removal of the default retirement age (2011)

More examples of Age UK Research Impact

Challenges that charities have with research

• Small amounts of money to spend• Limited access to published research• Information overload• Different priorities and time frames• Academic research not easy to engage with• Messages – ‘so what?’• Attitudes/knowledge about research and

evidence (can be seen as ‘too theoretical’ and not relevant)

Overcoming these

We need researchers to work with us!• ‘Stakeholder’ input from the beginning, not just a

letter of support (we can help to frame research questions that are likely to lead to real-world impact)

• Help us understand findings and their implications, how they could fit in with or update existing resources, possible ways of using them

What not to do

• Just sending your grant application (to another body) and asking us to be ‘involved’

• Asking to recruit study ‘participants’ without any other involvement, input, finding out charity needs, etc.

• Telling charity how to do/change things

• Just sending published paper at the end

Knowledge Need

Knowledge Creation

Knowledge Transfer

User – Researcher

Interaction

Users

Resea

rche

rs

All

Interactive Model of Knowledge Transfer

What researchers get out of this

Impact!

Getting findings known, disseminated, used – by services, influence policy-makers/politicians, practitioners, people and their families, the public…

Why should I change? What’s in it for me?People need to see what the benefit is to them. Specifically,

practitioners and managers want:• Evidence-based practice• To improve efficiency/help make job easier• Reduce costs (or at least be cost-neutral)• Increase income

Some practitioners are also interested in conducting research

What do I need to do?People need easy to understand and follow steps, not a just a

standard report.

Questions that charities might have about using research findings

Things to consider

• Which organisations could use your findings? How?• Who to approach within an organisation?• Everyone is busy and overworked• Communication throughout organisation• Communicating to/engaging with a lay audience • Differing time scales• General lack of money (best for you to build impact and

dissemination costs into your grant proposals)• Best to get in before you start…

Other practicalities

• What organisations might be able to participate in/use your research?

• How could they be involved? What would they need to do? What would they get out of it?

• What do you need to find out about them?• How can you try to engage them?• What practical things do you need to consider and address?

• CRB checks, certifications to work with clients…

• Charities and other organisations have their own agendas and priorities

A couple of resources…

Research in care homes:

Enrich toolkit by DeNDRoN

http://www.enrich.dendron.nihr.ac.uk/

Engaging with older people:

Evidence review

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/professional-resources-home/knowledge-hub-evidence-statistics/evidence-reviews

/

Thank you!

Please feel free to contact me:

Susan Davidson, PhDResearch AdviserAge UK

susan.davidson@ageuk.org.uk