This session will bring together a panel of LSE faculty who submitted impact case studies to the REF2014 and/or were members of the assessment panels for that exercise, and who will share their experiences of creating and documenting research impact. Find out how impact can be generated and gain insight into both the rewards and the challenges of its effective presentation for REF (or other) assessment.
The panel will discuss examples of a range of different pathways to and types of research impact, and of evidence used to support impact claims.
 
The session aims to help faculty, researchers and others interested in this topic think about how to initiate and enhance their own research impact, and how to document and describe impact as it occurs. 

Panellists confirmed:

• Giles Atkinson – Professor of Environmental Policy, Department of Geography & Environmentsubmitted a case study jointly with Associate Professor of Urban Planning Nancy Holman (also Department of Geography & Environment), describing the use of their work on practical approaches for valuing and monitoring natural resources to facilitate the effective application of natural capital accounting in national and international policy-making contexts. The summary of Giles and Nancy’s case study is available here:http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/researchImpact/caseStudies/atkinson-holman-accounting-nature-valuable-asset.aspx
  
   
• Nick Barr - Professor of Public Economics, European Institute provided assistance and advice to LSE colleagues developing case studies for REF2014 in his capacity as a member of the School’s REF Strategy Committee. He also submitted a 4* case study of his own (the European Institute was one of three LSE departments whose impact submission was graded entirely at 4*), outlining the influence of his research on the financing of higher education in England, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand and Chile.
  You can read the summary of Nick’s case study here:http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/researchImpact/caseStudies/barr-ensuring-access-university-education.aspx
   
• Chris Brown - Professor of International Relations, Department of International Relations was a REF Panel Assessor for Unit of Assessment 21 (Politics and International Studies). He was also involved in the development of case studies produced by LSE’s Departments of Government and International Relations for submission to that UoA.
  Having previously been a member of RAE assessment panels in 2008 and 2001, he is well placed to comment on how the introduction of impact has affected the nature of the assessment exercise and how colleagues might best ensure that they meet the new requirements and expectations in 2020 and beyond.
   

• Edgar Whitley  (Associate Professor of Information Systems, Department of Management): Scrapping costly and controversial proposals for identity cards – impacts of work carried out as part of the LSE Identity Project on UK public policy development and, ultimately, on Coalition government legislation.Summary at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/researchImpact/caseStudies/whitley-scrapping-costly-controversial-proposals-identity-cards.aspx