Characteristics of a problematic and highly graded Pathways to Impact

RCUK have identified the following common characteristics of Pathways to Impact which have been rated highly or poorly by peer reviewers. Please take the following points into consideration when preparing your Pathways to Impact.

Common characteristics of problematic Pathways to Impact

• Vagueness, lack of specificity and clear deliverables.

• Activities are not project specific, but routine activities for University research posts.

• Too much focus on track record rather than what will be done as part of this research project.

• Lack of consideration of broader beneficiaries, likely impacts and appropriate mechanisms for realising the potential impacts.

• Activities narrowly focused, end focused, and purely for dissemination purposes rather than knowledge exchange and impact generation.

Common characteristics of high quality Pathways to Impact

• Good consideration of the relevant beneficiaries and user needs with specific targeting and tailored activities

• Clear description of how the applicant intends to reach and engage with the beneficaries of the research, including clear deliverables and milestones.

• Co-production and involvement of beneficiaries and users from the outset (including research design).

• Briefly note track record for knowledge exchange and impact generating activities in the context of the specific research project.

• Demonstrate clear commitment for realising both academic and non academic research impacts.