I wonder how to assess the impact of a major research training investment

Speaker(s):

James Hall, University of Southampton

Abstract:

Assessing the impact of major research training investments is complex and risks being underestimated. Traditional bibliometric indicators of research impact fail to capture wider influences on policy, practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This lightning talk will explore how impacts from major research training investments can cascade across individual, organisational, and national/societal levels, using the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) as a case study. We’ll examine how NCRM's training and capacity-building influenced decision-making in government, NGOs, and industry, sometimes in unexpected ways. But: Can we truly measure the long-term effects of investing in research capacity? And what happens when methodological innovation leads to creative, non-traditional outputs like Participatory Action Research, arts-based methods, or machine learning applications? This session invites discussion on rethinking impact evaluation methodologies to reflect the full breadth of a major research training investment’s role in shaping research culture and societal change. Attendees will leave with practical insights into alternative approaches to impact assessment.