HEPI and Taylor & Francis have been exploring the theme of open access and research impact over the past year, informed by inputs from a range of experts and culminating in publication of a Policy Note at the end of 2022, Why open access is not enough: Spreading the benefits of research (HEPI Policy Note 42).
The Policy Note was inspired by a theoretical framework proposed by Sarah Chaytor at UCL as a means to realise the wider potential benefits of research. The framework comprises functional elements for action by, and for, academia, decision makers, industry, publishers, and the wider public. The five elements are:
- Capabilities (translational, relational, and curational) – researchers, institutions and publishers making research comprehensible to a non-specialist. This could be facilitated by knowledge brokers or intermediaries.
- Connections – building long-term reciprocal relationships with inherent trust between parties to support the transfer and application of insights.
- Coordination – grouping people as well as outputs, synthesising research to provide digestible insights.
- Collaboration – across groups, organisations, disciplines and regions, facilitating interactions by moving away from the traditionally competitive academic environment.
- Coproduction – academics, policymakers, businesses and civil society working together to design, investigate, and communicate the outcomes of research questions.
