How can you maximize research impact with funding?

1 Plan your impact goals and budget

Before you apply for funding, you should have a clear idea of what impact you want to achieve with your research, who are your target audiences, and how you will reach them. You should also estimate how much funding you need to support your impact activities, such as communication, collaboration, outreach, evaluation, or policy engagement. You can use tools such as the Research Impact Canvas or the Impact Budget Calculator to help you plan your impact goals and budget. You should also check the funding criteria and guidelines of your potential funders, and align your impact plan with their expectations and priorities.

2 Communicate your impact potential and value

When you write your funding proposal, you should highlight your impact potential and value, not only your research excellence and novelty. You should demonstrate how your research addresses a relevant problem or challenge, how it contributes to the advancement of knowledge or practice, and how it creates benefits or opportunities for your target audiences. You should also explain how you will monitor and evaluate your impact, and how you will report and share your findings and outcomes. You should use clear, concise, and compelling language, and avoid jargon and technical details.

3 Leverage your funding sources and networks

Once you secure your funding, you should leverage your funding sources and networks to enhance your research impact. You should acknowledge and promote your funders and their support, and follow their reporting and dissemination requirements. You should also use your funders' platforms and channels to communicate your research and impact, such as their websites, newsletters, social media, events, or media outlets. You should also build and maintain relationships with your funders and other stakeholders, such as collaborators, partners, beneficiaries, or policymakers. You should engage them throughout your research process, and seek their feedback, input, or endorsement.

4 Diversify your impact activities and outputs

To maximize your research impact with funding, you should diversify your impact activities and outputs, and tailor them to your target audiences and their needs. You should not rely on traditional academic outputs, such as journal articles and conference papers, but also produce other forms of outputs, such as policy briefs, reports, blogs, podcasts, videos, infographics, or webinars. You should also use different methods and channels to disseminate your outputs, such as social media, media outlets, newsletters, repositories, or websites. You should also consider engaging in other impact activities, such as workshops, seminars, consultations, exhibitions, or festivals.

5 Track and measure your impact outcomes and indicators

To maximize your research impact with funding, you should track and measure your impact outcomes and indicators, and use them to improve your impact strategy and practice. You should collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, such as citations, downloads, views, likes, shares, comments, testimonials, stories, or case studies. You should also use tools and frameworks, such as the Research Impact Framework or the Research Excellence Framework, to help you assess and demonstrate your impact. You should also report and share your impact outcomes and indicators with your funders and other stakeholders, and acknowledge their contributions and feedback.

6 Learn and improve from your impact experience and feedback

To maximize your research impact with funding, you should learn and improve from your impact experience and feedback, and use them to inform your future research and impact plans. You should reflect on your impact achievements and challenges, and identify your strengths and weaknesses. You should also solicit and incorporate feedback from your funders and other stakeholders, and learn from their perspectives and expectations. You should also seek and follow best practices and examples from other researchers and impact practitioners, and join communities and networks that support research impact.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?