Scoping Impact: An International Study of Contemporary Definitions and Conceptualisations of Impact by Funders of Social Science Research

This report was commissioned by the ESRC to map, evaluate and learn from contemporary trends in defining the impact of academic research. UKRI's predecessor, UKRC, was a pioneer in introducing ‘pathways to impact’ statements to funding applications in 2009. Answering the call by government to demonstrate the return on investment of publicly funded social science research, the ESRC defined research impact as a demonstrable contribution (1) to scientific discourse and (2) social and economic benefits to society. Following the UK’s lead, impact requirements have over the past 10 years been introduced by funders internationally. This project examines how definitions and conceptualisations of impact have evolved through their diffusion in new organizational contexts. The report further asks whether these trends yield insights for the ESRC’s own future definitions of impact. The report’s findings derive from a systematic review of public documents about definitions and conceptualisations of research impact in the social sciences across a sample of international funding bodies.