Demonstrating impact for research assessment

It is increasingly important for researchers to illustrate the impact of their research and the will be assessed by the Australian Research Council's new Engagement and Impact Assessment. Fiona Cameron, ARC executive director for Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, explains.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) and other funders—including government and industry—increasingly require more information on the benefits derived from publicly funded research. To this end, it is important that researchers can demonstrate and articulate the social, economic and environmental impacts of their work.

In 2012, a Publicly Funded Research Agencies (PFRA) working group—including the ARC and a number of other government research agencies—was established to develop a common understanding of approaches, terminology and reporting of research impact, to help with this.