EPSRC IAA Impact Festival 2019
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Impact Festival 2019 event was organised by five Scottish Universities, the Universities of St Andrews, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde, all of which have awarded an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).
Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs) are strategic awards provided to institutions to support knowledge exchange (KE) and impact from their EPSRC funded research. IAAs allow Research Organisations to respond to opportunities in flexible, responsive and creative ways, aligned to their institutional strategies and opportunities. Responsibility for management of IAAs is devolved to the institution to operate tailored schemes to facilitate the realisation of impact. The awards are intended to add value to existing funding and take advantage of new or unforeseen opportunities. IAAs are one of the funding mechanisms for supporting knowledge exchange, innovation and impact at UK Research and Innovation.
The 2019 Impact Festival was primarily aimed at early and mid-career researchers and focused on engagement with external partners to expand collaborative working, leading to impact between researchers, academics, industry, charities and Government. 90 delegates from across the five participating universities attended.
The day comprised plenary sessions with speakers from both industry and public bodies and six sessions covering:
- Maximising your impact
- Writing for impact
- Making public engagement count
- Engaging with Policy Makers
- Impact and social media
- Building and sustaining relationships
An ‘Impact Gallery’ was also set up comprised of projects previously supported by EPSRC IAA, which demonstrated the impact resulting from these projects through a mix of interactive demonstrations and exhibition stands.
This festival was ambitious on many levels, particularly as it was the first time this type of event has been undertaken and delivered by several different institutions supported by EPSRC IAA funding.
For further information about the IAA Impact Festival agenda, please contact the Research Impact office at [email protected]