Assessing the impact of research on society can be challenging. The many ways in which research is taken up and used to influence behavior, policy or practice makes it hard to capture impact. Using a method based on contribution analysis, Sarah will guide participants through creating a pathway to impact that can form the foundations of impact assessment for their work.

By the end of the course participants will have:

• a wider understanding of the impact agenda and ways of thinking and approaching how research might impact the economy and society;
• more clarity about the potential impact of their own work and a vision for this impact;
• a better understanding of approaches to knowledge mobilisation and which ones are more suitable for their specific area of work;
• have started to think about their own pathway to impact, and how this might help them tell their impact story;
• practical ways to take this work forward.

Dr Sarah Morton, has 30 years of experience in knowledge mobilisation and research impact. Sarah is internationally recognised for her work developing innovative approaches working at the interface between research, policy and practice. She has led on knowledge exchange at the University of Edinburgh, carried out 7 independent impact assessments and worked alongside many organisations, teams and individual researchers to help them understand and track their impact. Sarah has pioneered a participatory approach to using contribution analysis to understand and track impact, which is the basis for her company Matter of Focus. Her PhD in social policy focussed on research impact assessment.