Research impact in the spotlight

The theme of research impact is receiving increasing attention nationally, regionally and internationally. In recognition of this trend, SARUA’s Strategic Focus Area for Knowledge Co-Production aims to promote the capacity of the regional higher education system to develop knowledge that contributes to sustainable development.

While it is expected that higher education research should be of high quality and leading edge, making an impact within the scholarly/scientific community or across interdisciplinary areas, there is now a growing emphasis on its broader societal impact. This includes its influence on communities, national and local policy-making and implementation, as well as the economy. Questions are increasingly asked about the practical difference that specific research makes. This perspective extends beyond the researchers' views to encompass the experiences of the intended beneficiaries of the research.

International research and development agencies supporting universities in SADC regarding capacity building have recently shown increasing interest in research impact. For example, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada has allocated a grant to SARUA for a study on incentives and barriers to conducting socially impactful research in the SADC region.

A few months ago, the Research and Innovation Strategy Group of Universities South Africa (USAf) organised and hosted a dialogue during which the topic of research impact was prominent. Around 90 delegates attended, including deputy vice-chancellors, heads of university departments, CEOs of science councils, the Council on Higher Education, USAf, and senior representatives of the Department of Science and Innovation and the National Research Foundation.

In recent years, the South African Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has established an internal Impact Centre, focusing on the measurement of impact from the perspective of the intended beneficiaries of the research.

Universities in the SADC can anticipate a growing emphasis on research impact. They can expect that the societies and communities within which they are embedded will hold them accountable for the difference they make to societal development. SARUA’s project on societally impactful research aims to develop an agenda for informed regional consultation on what needs to happen to support higher education research impact.