Impact has been on the agenda for quite some time as one of the requirements for funding applications to Research Councils, and for those of you who have been following the development of REF2014 you will also know that impact will account for 20 per cent of the assessment.

Impact is the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. It embraces all the extremely diverse ways in which research-related knowledge and skills benefit individual, organisations and nations by:

• fostering global economic performance, and specifically the economic competitiveness of the United Kingdom;
• increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy;
• enhancing quality of life, health and creative output.

One of the most important things to remember when thinking about impact is publicity – if your research is not reaching a large audience you are going to struggle to create a vast amount of impact. For some great ideas of how to maximise the potential impact of your own research, have a look at the REF2014 Blog (internal only) which has lots of tips on how to reach a larger audience and make the most of your research.

For more information on impact in the REF take a look at the impact category on the REF 2014 Blog.