Evaluation of “Research Impact”: the Case of REF 2014 and the Polish Context

Abstract

Recent years have seen a growth of interest in the evaluation of research’s “social impact” on the side of national governments, research funding bodies and scholars in the field of academic evaluation. While several models of impact evaluation have been developed around the world, the most robust one is the British Impact Agenda, introduced in 2014 as element of the cyclical Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise. Within this system research impact is assessed using a qualitative methodology based on case studies. The result of the impact assessment represents 20% of the final score of the unit of assessment. The article presents the context of the introduction of impact assessment in the United Kingdom and describes the advantages and challenges of the Impact Agenda. The last section of the text focuses on the “lessons learned from REF 2014” that can be relevant in the Polish context. The author closes with a reflection: a broad understanding of “social impact” of research – conceived as influence not only on the economy but also on NGOs, media, culture, education etc. – can help overcome the dichotomy between “blue skies” and utilitarian research.