EI is a companion exercise to Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), developed to assess how well university researchers are engaging with end-users and translating their research into economic, social, environmental, cultural and other impacts.
There are three components to the assessment:
Research engagement is the interaction between researchers and research end-users outside of academia, for the mutually beneficial transfer of knowledge, technologies, methods or resources.
Research impact is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research. Impactful research makes a real difference in the world beyond academia; it improves the health, wellbeing and prosperity of individuals, organisations and communities.
Approach to impact is where the university provides details on how it facilitated the impact. The aim of this section is to highlight the mechanisms and strategies the university had in place to support the translation of the research into the impact described in the study.
The inaugural 2018 EI invited universities to submit an engagement narrative and impact study for each two-digit Field of Research (FoR) code for which they reached the assessment threshold. ACU submitted six impact studies and under eight FoR codes for engagement. The results of the assessment were announced in March 2019 with ACU recognised for its significant impact in advancing health, education and social outcomes for Australians.
The unit of assessment is characterised by highly effective interactions between researchers and research end-users outside of academia for the mutually beneficial transfer of knowledge, technologies, methods and resources, and is well integrated into the development and ongoing conduct of research within the unit of assessment.
The unit of assessment is characterised by effective interactions between researchers and research end-users outside of academia for the mutually beneficial transfer of knowledge, technologies, methods and resources, and evidence that research engagement is incorporated into relevant parts of the research process within the unit of assessment and/or that research engagement is improving.
The impact made a highly significant contribution to economy, society, environment or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research and a clear link between the associated research and the impact was demonstrated.
Nursing protocols transform stroke care clinical practice
New nurse-led protocols for stroke patients, based on ACU research, led by the Nursing Research Institute, have resulted in changes to policy, guidelines and clinical practice across the globe. The protocols were developed through the Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) Trial (published in the Lancet, 2011) to manage fever, hyperglycaemia and swallowing (FeSS) post-stroke.
Resolving challenges in early childhood learning through play
ACU’s Pedagogical Play Framework and associated apps integrate play-based pedagogy and intentional teaching to resolve a conceptual conflict in play-based learning models. It has spread across the early childhood sector nationally, as the central design concept in the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) apps.
Helping Forgotten Australians to find their past
Find and Connect is a resource that allows Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants and anyone with an interest in the history of child welfare in Australia to access information about the country’s orphanages, children’s homes and other institutions. It provides users with access to personalised support and counselling, their personal information and records, and can help them to reconnect with family members.
The impact made a significant contribution to economy, society, environment or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research and a clear link between the associated research and the impact was demonstrated.
Putting kids at the heart of family support services
What started as a resource that would help families experiencing homelessness has evolved into a suite of learning resources to help support staff and organisations understand how to put vulnerable children at the centre of their work.
Supporting school principals’ health and wellbeing through an online self-assessment survey
The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey has consistently highlighted that many principals are at breaking point.
Asserting the ethics of aged care
ACU’s exploration of advance care planning, which enables patient wishes to inform decisions made by families and medical professionals and to respect patient autonomy and dignity, has led to the development of further research into other areas of medical ethics around aged care issues.
Mechanisms to encourage the translation of research into impacts beyond academia are highly effective and well-integrated within the unit of assessment and mechanisms for translating research facilitated the impact described.
Mechanisms to encourage the translation of research into impacts beyond academia are effective and integrated within the unit of assessment and mechanisms for translating research facilitated the impact described.
You can read the National Report at the Australian Research Council website.
The next Engagement and Impact Assessment (EI) will take place in 2024.
Our team works with ACU researchers to implement strategies to increase research engagement and impact and help translate ACU research into real-world outcomes.
Meet the teamACU research engages communities, government, industry and the non-for-profit-sector to create real and sustainable impacts on the health, wellbeing and prosperity of all people.
Explore our researchFounded on the principles of social justice and the common good, our research institutes make an impact around the world across industries and communities, and in the lives of individuals.
Take a lookOur research and enterprise activities embrace the full life cycle of research, from knowledge creation to its translation and application towards real-world outcomes.
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