UK universities have increasingly had to speak the language of ‘impact’, which has become another addition to the sector’s lexicon of buzzwords. For researchers, the REF exercise is about much more than just impact: it has become an important frame for discussion. A recent report commissioned by the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences unpacks this idea of impact for the disciplines we represent, and its findings are timely and telling.
Within the social sciences specifically, which forms the focus of this blog, the report’s findings emphasise very clearly the strength and breadth of the UK’s social science research base. It isn’t a new claim that the UK’s social sciences are world-leading (buzzword alert again!), but what is laid bare by the data in the report and the accompanying dashboard is that this strength is spread across university social science schools and departments in the whole of the UK.
Each has compelling examples of local, civic impact which are making communities better, reducing inequalities, delivering value for money and serving governments well in their policy agendas.
