Interestingly HEFCE is now trying to assess the wider impact of research in the 2014 REF exercise. For those non HE people this exercise shares out research funding in the UK and academics over the last year have desperately being trying to get articles published to up their traditional REF score. This article by P J Dunleavy is critical of the ability to measure the impact. I however am less so and believe the more practically focussed Universities and Departments may be able to evidence at least in part their wider impact and I welcome this new approach
REF Advice Note 1: Understanding Hefce’s definition of Impact.
UrbanPivot 