Impact

Impact describes the benefit or implications of the research for the NHS, society and the economy. It’s what the research ultimately aims to achieve through changes in policy, practice or care and so needs careful consideration when developing the research idea.

Consideration of the impact of any study, at the outset of research development should involve patients, members of the public, funders, health or social care practitioners and other stakeholders.

Funders will often need to understand clear measures of research impact before awarding funding.

If you have a research grant, fellowship or studentship supported by Health and Care Research Wales or a UKRI research council, you will need to report your research impact through Researchfish throughout the project and for five years after the project ends. This means research funders can track, analyse and demonstrate the value and impact of publicly funded research.

Researchfish enables you to record a wide range of outputs and impacts, from publications, to engagement activities, commercialised products, creative products, research materials and policy influence. A report giving examples of the different impacts reported by Health and Care Research Wales awardees is available to download.

There are a range of research impact tools from research organisations to support you: