Engagement of communities external to the university is route-one to academics leveraging what is now commonly described in the vernacular of research assessment as 'impact'. In the United Kingdom, evidence-based declarations of the societal and economic impact of academic research manifest as a formalised component of national research evaluation - operationalised as the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Many different kinds of 'public' beneficiaries are articulated within REF impact submissions made by academic researchers working across the disciplines. Policymakers are one such beneficiary who loom especially large. Yet despite the pervasive representation of policy as a form of REF impact the value proposition of policy engagement by academics lacks consensus. In this presentation, Watermeyer will draw on findings of a UK-wide consultation on the value of academics' policy-engagement - involving among others, UK civil servants, parliamentarians, research funders, national academies, and policy institute directors. Watermeyer will discuss the contribution of academics' policy engagement, predominantly as relates to UK government and parliament, and their own personal return on investment or as may be, cost.
The presentation is part of RMIT's inaugural Social Change Symposium, running 21-25 November 2022. This week-long program of events will explore the theme of transformative research practice for real world change and will feature special guests Dr Sadie Heckenberg (Swinburne University of Technology) and Professor Richard Watermeyer (University of Bristol). Registrations for the keynote presentations are now open and all are welcome to attend.
