Symposium 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

The Growing Need To Measure Research Benefits Through Economic, Social And Environmental Impact. (#252)

Dianne Vella-Brodrick 1
  1. Centre for Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia

It is a researcher’s responsibility to demonstrate the value of their work using widely accepted indicators.  Measuring research outputs in terms of publications, citations, presentations, social media presence, public reports and partnerships is common among researchers.  However, the measurement of benefits to society, or research impact is less common. Government funding bodies are showing a growing interest in knowing how their investment in research improves the economic, social and environmental factors of a nation so it is incumbent on researchers to consider ways in which their work is beneficial beyond academic outcomes.  This presentation will define the components of impact, including uptake and use, and provide a rationale for why the measurement of impact is important.  Then the ways in which impact can be heightened and measured will be discussed with a special focus on creating impact through policy.  This symposium will provide the context for the case examples to be presented by the following speakers.