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Conquering the NHMRC grant impact elements
The document provides guidance on structuring impact case studies for Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant applications. It discusses the five key elements of impact: 1) knowing your pathway to impact, 2) mapping outputs, outcomes and impacts, 3) using a problem statement, 4) backing statements with evidence, and 5) showing rather than telling. Impact case studies for NHMRC grants should follow a backward pathway structure with three fields addressing the reach and significance of impact, the research program's contribution, and the applicant's role. The document provides examples and tips for writing each field effectively with evidence to support statements about impact.
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Conquering the NHMRC grant impact elements
- 1. Conquering the new NHMRCimpact requirements Dr Tamika Heiden Principal, The Research Impact Academy @resimpacademy
- 2. Outline of thesession ▪ Why the focus on impact – setting the context ▪ Overview of new NHMRC grant schemes – inclusion of impact ▪ What is research impact – definitions, terminology ▪ Impact secret sauce ▪ Structuring impact sections ▪ Common mistakes
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- 4. New NHMRC grantscheme ▪ Investigator grants (impact case study 20%) ▫ Separate fellowship and research support in one grant scheme that provides salary and research support for the highest-performing researchers at all career stages ▪ Synergy grants (impact case study 15%) ▫ For outstanding multi-disciplinary research teams to work together to answer complex questions ▪ Ideas grants (impact pathway) ▫ Funding for innovative and creative research projects. Available to researchers with bright ideas at all career stages, including early and mid- career researchers. ▪ Strategic and leveraging grants
- 5. NHMRC Investigator Grants ▪ TheInvestigator Grants are the largest scheme ▪ Integrate all current NHMRC fellowship schemes into one scheme ▪ Aimed at providing funding to high-performing researchers at all career stages. ▪ Two categories – Leadership & Emerging Leadership
- 6. Investigator grant –70% Track Record 15% 20% 35% 30% Breakdown -Track Record Leadership Research Impact Publication Knowledge gain
- 7. NHMRC Synergy Grants Objective ofthe Synergy Grant: ▪ to support outstanding multidisciplinary teams of investigators to work together to answer major questions that cannot be answered by a single investigator ▪ Multidisciplinary ▪ Collaborative and diverse teams Source: NHMRC – Synergy Grants 2019 guide to applicants on preparing an application
- 8. Synergy Grant Assessment Criteria ▪Track record, relative to opportunity (40%) ▪ Knowledge Gain (30%) ▪ Synergy (30%) Track Record Assessment Criteria: The value of an individuals past research achievement ▪ Publications (20%) • Research Impact (15%) • Leadership (5%) ▪ Retrospective case study
- 9. Synergy Grants Selection criteriaassessed in two stages 1. Knowledge gain and synergy (60%) 2. Assessment of track record(40%) Successful applications from Stage One go on to the assessment of Track Record, relative to opportunity of CI’s.
- 10. NHMRC Ideas grant Theobjective of the Ideas Grant scheme is to support innovative research projects addressing a specific question(s). The expected outcomes are: ▫ innovative and creative research ▫ funding of researchers at all career stages, and ▫ funding any area of health and medical research from discovery to implementation Assessment Criteria: ▪ Research Quality (35%) ▪ Innovation and Creativity (25%) ▪ Significance (20%) ▪ Feasibility (20%).
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- 12. “The verifiable outcomesthat research makes to knowledge, health, the economy and/or society. Impact is the effect of the research after it has been adopted, adapted for use, or used to inform further research. Source: NHMRC – Investigator Grants 2019 guide to applicants on preparing an application
- 13. What does thismean? ▪ Impact is the effect of the research after it has been adopted, adapted for use, or used to inform further research (The effect after it has been put into action) ▪ Must be the verifiable outcomes from the research (Not the prospective or anticipated effects) ▪ Can also include research that leads to a decision NOT to use a particular diagnostic, treatment or health policy Source: NHMRC – Investigator Grants 2019 guide to applicants on preparing an application
- 14. Reach Reach is theextent, spread, breadth, and/or diversity of the beneficiaries of the impact, relative to the type of research impact Source: NHMRC – Investigator Grants 2019 guide to applicants on preparing an application
- 15. Significance Significance isthe degree to which the impact has enabled, enriched, influenced, informed or changed the performance of policies, practices, products, services, culture, understanding, awareness or well-being of the beneficiaries (not the prevalence or magnitude of the issue).
- 16. Knowledge Health Economic Social NHMRC - FOUR TYPESOF IMPACT Adoption, adaption or use of new knowledge – further research – basic and fundamental impacts New therapeutics, diagnostics, disease prevention. Health policy or health system changes. Creation of new industries, jobs, products, commercial outcomes Improvements in health of society, improved access to services. Improved social equity, inclusion or cohesion Improvements in health of society, improved access to services. Improved social equity, inclusion or cohesion
- 17. “ Impact ismeasured at the level of the user Dr David Phipps, York University, Ontario
- 18. Impact secret sauce Thefive ingredients
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- 20. THE PATHWAY TO IMPACT 1.Working with research users 2. Having strong relevant evidence for use 3. Outputs and activities to share the knowledge 4. Dissemination and/or implementation 5. Outcomes based on knowledge use 6. Change - Impact
- 21. UK Research ExcellenceFramework (REF) - Context Research Excellence Framework is the UK research assessment. ▪ In 2014 – added impact assessment ▪ 1 case study per 10 staff for each university (6679 case studies) ▪ Ranking 1 – 4 Star (4 being highest) ▪ 4* case study worth ~44,000 pounds in block grant funding
- 22. Impact pathways are unique! • 149fields of research • 60 impact topics • 36 UoAs • 3709 unique pathways to impact • Multidisciplinary research and impact REF 2014 findings
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- 26. Outputs/Activities Outcomes Impacts Knowledge MillionWomen Study Survey tool/data sets New or ongoing funding for future surveys Longitudinal data, use by other projects for further research (global) Health Folate research Research publications Policy briefings Stakeholder negotiations (flour millers) Clinician education Changes to policies. All breadmaking flour in Australia fortified with folate. Public awareness Reductions in Spina Bifida Births. Significant impacts in indigenous population birth defects. Economic Spray on skin 23 Research papers with user partners ANZ Burns Association & International Society of Burns Development of Spray on Skin for burns victims Reductions in hospital stays Reductions in infections Commercialisation of the product Social Smoking Publications, lobbying for policy change, stakeholder briefings, public awareness campaigns, media Changes in legislation Policy changes (packaging & advertising) Behaviour change Improved public health Reduction in smoking rates 27% - 14%
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- 28. Problem Statement Examples ▪ Clinicianshave questioned the health impacts of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for decades. Although originally touted as a wonder drug benefiting health, vitality and femininity, HRT has been plagued by fears of its relationship to cancer since the 1950s. ▪ Street drug users live with many risks. However, the threat of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) from shared drug paraphernalia is one of the greatest health threats that this vulnerable population faces.
- 29. Example – Keyimpact message The Million Women Study of 1.3 million UK women over the age of 50, coordinated by the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at Oxford, has established the relationship between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer, and has had a dramatic effect on HRT prescription patterns and prescription guidelines worldwide. This has had a major impact on women's health. Prior to the study, one third of UK women aged 50-64 were using HRT. The marked decline in HRT use following publication of the study's findings has led to a reduction in the incidence of breast cancer among menopausal women Source: REF2014, University of Oxford, Impact Case Study, Hormone replacement therapy and cancer risk: The million women study
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- 31. Evidence ▪ Third-party data,statements and other material showing the difference that an intervention has made. ▪ Planning and persistence is needed to collect evidence ▫ (e.g. feedback forms, twitter hashtags, emails, feedback surveys, testimonials, written responses, book reviews, Amazon reviews, online comments/feedback) ASK YOUR USERS!
- 32. Examples of evidence ▪Citations in policy documents, professional guidance, commercial reports… ▪ Service reports/feedback ▪ Sales figures from company ▪ Cost savings in health care delivery ▪ Testimonials ▪ Something that PROVES there has been a change Used with permission from Julie Bayley, Coventry University
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- 35. Specificity “Our innovative approachuses x, y & z to test (problem)” “The adaptation of the (name) test, previously used within (alternative field), provides an avenue to explore (problem), in a new way. This use of this test will provide never before known pathways….” How it is innovative?
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- 37. Case study isabout a Research Program Research Program: ▪ A cohesive body of research by the applicant, not limited to an individual case study (as used in a clinical context) or a single publication. It may be recent or in the past. Impact does not have to be related to the grant application Impact may be from any time in a researcher’s career Source: NHMRC – Investigator Grants 2019 guide to applicants on preparing an application
- 38. Guidelines for NHMRCimpact case study Three fields to address: 1. Reach and significance of the research impact 2. Research program’s contribution to the research impact 3. Applicants contribution to the research program 2000 characters in each section! A backward impact pathway!
- 39. Field 3 Applicants contribution to research program Field2 Research program’s contribution to research impact Field 1 Reach and significance of the research impact NHMRC sections are pathway to impact elements
- 40. Field 1 – Reachand Significance of the research impact 1. Introduce the problem – statement ▫ Why you did the program of work. 2. Significance ▫ Who used your work, what changed because of your work? ▫ How did your work inform changes? (policy, guidelines etc) ▫ Note: publishing a guideline is not impact – show use! ▫ Verifiable not anticipated! 3. Reach ▫ Numbers of people affected by the change ▫ E.g – informed guidelines now implemented in X number of organisations or countries.
- 41. Field 2 – Researchprogram’s contribution to the research impact This section is where you add details of the research program. ▪ Key findings and key publications – use Field Weightings as evidence. ▪ Activities and other outputs that led to the use of you findings ▪ Key collaborations and partnerships with users ▪ Dissemination activities
- 42. Field 3 – Yourcontribution to the research program ▪ Your role CIA etc. ▪ Grant details – Awarded amount, funding body ▪ Number or first or senior author papers as part of the program. (Evidence with name/year of publication) ▪ Supervision of other staff within the program. ▪ Awards you won as part of your work in the program. (Be specific)
- 43. Differences between aknowledge impact case study and all other case studies Knowledge Impacts ▪ Field 1 ▫ Citations – Field Weighted - USE ▫ Data Sharing - USE ▫ Conference Presentations - Reach ▫ Uptake by other disciplines – Reach ▪ Field 2 ▫ Details of your research. Other impacts (applied research areas) ▫ Field 1 – Clearly impact – Reach and Significance – What changed? ▫ Field 2 – What got you to the impact claimed above? – citations of your key publications.
- 44. NHMRC Ideas Grant •This grant is all about the potential impact that you will have or are aiming for… • They want to know HOW the ‘innovation’ of your research will have an impact.
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- 47. Innovation & Creativity 1page – 25% of grant assessment ▪ How does what you propose to do differ substantially from current thinking or practice? ▪ Innovations need not always be immediately successful and can have downstream impacts ▪ Innovation generally refers to changing or creating more effective processes, products and ideas. It is about making a change or doing something in a new way.
- 48. Innovation & creativity Writtenelements 1 Address how your research aims are extremely innovative 2 Discuss the resulting shift in paradigm or breakthrough /impact of these innovative aims
- 49. 1. WHAT makes yourresearch aims INNOVATIVE? ▪ Does your work develop or use novel research concepts, approaches, methodologies, technologies or interventions? ▪ Are you proposing a new area of inquiry, something that has not been explored or tried in your research area before? ▪ How is your work different from what has been done before? ▪ Is your approach unconventional? In what way?
- 50. 2. What is theintended/potential result of your innovative aims? ▪ How will your proposed work shift the current paradigm, or lead to an impact? ▪ What is your impact goal? (not your research results) ▪ Identifying or testing or implementing X will…. ▫ Fundamental/Knowledge – identify a new way of testing/measuring X ▫ Social – provide evidence to drive behaviour change… ▫ Economic – reduce the cost of X, provide resources for Y ▫ Health - develop safer practices and improve standards of X
- 51. Structuring your response ▪1 page – 25% ▪ Section 1 – Is your approach new, re-interpreted or borrowed? What is unique and innovative about it? ▪ Section 2 - How is the research currently conducted? How are you creatively changing/adapting/re-using current practice? ▪ Section 3 – What is the planned impact of your research? What change do you want to effect? What is the breakthrough?
- 52.
- 53. Definition: Significance 1 page –20% The extent to which the outcomes and outputs will result in advancements to the research or health area. Significance in this context does not refer to the prevalence of disease or magnitude of the issue.
- 54. Significance: Written elements 1 Highlight how youwill advance the research or health area 2 Outline the outputs that will be produced 3 Significant outcomes. Science, knowledge, policy or practice
- 55. 1. How youwill advance the area? ▪ Highlight the need for what you are doing? ▫ Start with a good problem statement ▪ Do you have the right people involved? ▪ Have you discussed or mapped your idea with the users of this work, is it relevant to the sector? (applied research) – this ties back to the section in the research plan
- 56. 2. Research outputsto be produced ▪ What outputs will you create and how will these contribute to achieving the impact or change….? ▪ Academic audiences want academic outputs, policy audiences will want policy ready and relevant outputs – Who are you producing the outputs for? ▪ How will you ensure these outputs are USED? By the end user or next user?
- 57. 3. What will bethe significant outcomes of this project?
- 58. Advances to researchor health area Outputs Outcomes Introduction of an existing technology within a new discipline New testing process/procedure Faster testing and results, or more cost effective testing, less costly materials Testing and evidence of clinical care model New model of care, training programs, guidelines, policies Improved access to care, cost saving, speed of delivery, improved quality of care Discovery of a new molecule or protein etc Patent New or improved drug development, commercialisation Policy/guideline Changes to service/process Research evidence of new test or drug use Improved or refined research processes Faster more accessible health & medical technologies Identification of the genetic composition of those prone to skin cancer New genetic testing model Improved accuracy of testing, earlier detection Clinical practice guidelines Wider use of the testing Interior arch support provides less knee strain to those prone to ligament strain New orthotic style New sports show development Improved patient outcomes - less
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- 60. Introduce the problem– keep it short & sweet
- 61. Confusion about whatgoes in each Field
- 62. Talk about potentialimpacts or future work
- 63. Making broad statementswithout the evidence
- 64. Writing it likea literature review
- 65. Talking about yourwhole career rather than a program of work that led to impact/s
- 66.
Editor's Notes
- #4 United States of America Has developed a repository of data and tools for assessing the impact of federal R&D investments – Science and Technology for America’s Reinvestment Measuring the Effects of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness and Science (STAR METRICS). The US National Science Foundation uses the concept of “broader impacts”, ie, “the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes” along with intellectual merit (the potential to advance knowledge) to assess proposals. United Kingdom The UK Research Excellence Framework now includes an assessment of the impact of research outside of academia. Research Councils UK (RCUK) requires applicants to provide pathways to impact statements. Ireland Ireland’s science strategy Agenda 2020 places impact at its core and Science Foundation Ireland has developed an impact framework to help implement the strategy. Canada The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have developed an impact framework for health research to evaluate the returns on investment in health research. Hong Kong Has introduced its own assessment mirroring the Research Excellence Framework
- #5 The new elements within these grants are the impact sections. Two grants are focusing on retrospective impact and the other is looking at prospective impact. If we look at the NHMRC – They have the Investigator Grants – mainly single person focussed – Ideas Grants – pushing the envelop on innovation and new areas of research – and the Synergy Grants – they are focussed on collaborations and multidisciplinary work Ideas grants, high risk, what is the potential impact of us taking this risk?
- #7 Knowledge gain is assessed on the research vision for the next 5 years Focusing on the quality of the proposed research and significance of the knowledge gained
- #8 Two points stand out here – Multidisciplinary and collaborative – so when you think about your program of work and what you are going to write about keep this in mind – for example if you have a research program that is particularly collaborative then choose that one – you want your impact case study to highlight – why you and your team are excellent multidisciplinary and collaborative researcher the collaborative nature of any previous work you have been involved in as well
- #9 In the synergy grants the track record component is smaller and there is a big focus on synergy. The Research Impact section is worth slightly less at 15% The case study requirements are the same in both the synergy and investigator grants and have three sections to address – I am going to talk more about each of these and how to address them in a moment.
- #10 Synergy grants also differ in that they have a two stage assessment process.
- #11 The key to the ideas grant scheme is – INNOVATION and CREATIVITY The assessors are looking for research that is NEW, DIFFERENT and INNOVATIVE – research that will transform and challenge the norm or status quo. Last years Structural Review of the NHMRCs grant Program identified that applicants may be more likely to propose, and peer reviewers more likely to favour, conservative research to the detriment of innovative and creative research. This led to the IDEAS GRANT SCHEME – they are looking for research that might differ substantially from current thinking or practice and which may not necessarily be supported by substantial preliminary data. Remember INNOVATION is about making change or doing something in a different way. Assessment criteria: Research Quality – this is your research aims and research plan – 35% Innovation and Creativity – 25% Significance – 20% Feasibility – 20% The highlighted sections ask for elements that sit in the impact pathway.
- #13 NHMRC defines the impact of research as the verifiable outcomes that research makes to knowledge, health, the economy and/or society. Impact is the effect of the research after it has been adopted, adapted for use, or used to inform further research. Research impact is the verifiable outcomes from research and not the prospective or anticipated effects of the research. Research impact also includes research that leads to a decision not to use a particular diagnostic, treatment or health policy
- #14 Impact is the effect of the research after it has been adopted, adapted for use, or used to inform further research
- #15 Reach is typically numbers like Downloads Number of people attending something Countries accessing something Reach does not tell you if the information was used or if anything changed.
- #16 The language used within the definitions is very helpful in understanding what they are asking you to discuss so always come back to this language and ask yourself have I addressed these elements.
- #18 Who has used your work, or been a beneficiary in some way of your knowledge
- #19 This is specifically the 5 elements for addressing impact in the NHmRC applications.
- #20 Regardless of if you are developing a retrospective or prospective impact story, you need to understand the impact pathway so that you can describe the necessary elements. What happened to create impact, who was involved, how did you share your work, who did you share it with, who implemented it?
- #21 Basic elements of a pathway to impact – usually planned during the research development phase.
- #22 Including lessons from the case studies Internally in the UK universities a 4 star case study is the equivalent of 10 A star publications (journal) for promotion purposes.
- #23 There are many and varied ways in which we create impact and the pathway that we have to get there In the UK REF they found that there were 3709 unique pathways to impact.
- #24 Regardless of if you are developing a retrospective or prospective impact story, you need to understand the impact pathway so that you can describe the necessary elements. What happened to create impact, who was involved, how did you share your work, who did you share it with, who implemented it?
- #25 Explain the difference between outputs, outcomes and benefits Outputs could be software or datasets as well
- #27 This table gives you some examples of outputs, outcomes and impact for the different impact types. Knowledge – Regional Wellbeing survey – use by local council, use by national water service, rural and regional community orgs
- #28 You need to paint a picture and set the scene so the reader can understand the scope of the problem that you set out to achieve.
- #29 Here are some examples of clearly defined problem statement Make it easy for the reviewer by providing some context, try not to make them think too much.
- #30 What was the research and what did it do? - Yellow The blue highlight shows – What the impact was - Blue Provides context and points to the significance and reach of the research - Green Clearly states the benefit and the beneficiaries - Pink
- #31 Do you have the evidence, if not find it and start capturing it for the future. Twitter example.
- #32 Twitter story What is evidence?
- #33 Ask your users
- #34 Some of these are reach!
- #36 Or we had a significant impact…where are the numbers and the size of the impact, paint a real picture.
- #37 What goes where?
- #39 These are the three elements that you are being asked to respond to in your application. The three elements that the NHMRC is asking for are all part of a pathway to impact. To see this we must approach it differently and tell the story in a logical order.
- #40 Start with 3 and work toward number 1 when mapping your elements and then you work from 1 to 3 when writing to add them all in.
- #43 What was your involvement? What contribution did you make? Details of how you came to be involved What was your relationship with the other researchers, stakeholders, research users? This may include things such as: The my involvement in the research started as a PhD researcher. I then participated as a member of a research advisory panel or working group, leading to supervision of other researchers, management of research teams, providing input to industry groups or policy makers. You may have presented at conferences, run workshops to help with the translation of the research. These activities may have led to further research projects that you led or co-led. How did your contribution help the impact?
- #44 Different between type of impact being claimed – particularly if claiming a knowledge impact – you will have different elements in Field 1 and 2 to other types of impact Citations – Field Weighted citations not impact factors – Altmetrics – shows use of your work Data Sharing – Open sources – data banks, sharing with international collaborators to advance the field – USE of your work Conference Presentations – Talk about number or attendees – International – what was the impact of presenting at conferences? Uptake by other disciplines – Reach What you include in each section will be unique to your research program and the impact you are claiming – If you have a lot to talk about in impacts such as uptake in other fields, international use of your work etc – then you will include more of your conference presentations and publications in Field 2 Other impacts Field 1 – Clearly impact – Reach and Significance – What changed? – Policy or program adopted, guideline adopted – what was the result of this being adopted? Improved QALY or shorter length of hospital stay Field 2 – What got you to the impact – what did your do with the research results to get the impact? Conferences, publications, workshops, reports etc
- #45 Tamika Thanks for joining. At the end of this webinar we are going to show you how you can get more help from us. Todays webinar is focusing on the significance and innovation/creativity sections for the application. We are not going to discussing team composition, budget, feasibility or your overall research plan. If you hang around until the end we will be showing you how to get more help with your application.
- #46 Tamika The assessment criteria for the innovation and creativity secion and the significant sections both use language around impact. In Innovation and creativity we can see here that they want to know that what you are doing is creative or innovative and they also want to know WHAT is the potential or anticipated impact of that. Significance is all about how you will create your impact. This section involves outlining your outputs and the outcomes of the work that you are doing. As we go through today you will get a better understanding of how these elements fit into the impact pathway. Highlight outcomes and outputs and impacts Innovation and creativity – what are you doing that is creative or innovative and what is the potential or anticipated impact of that Significance – how you will create your impact
- #47 Cathie So lets jump right in and take a look at how to approach and structure the Innovation and Creativity section
- #48 Cathie Innovation in NHMRC’s Ideas Grant scheme requires a creative approach that pursues new ideas, embraces intellectual risk. It could extend from the generation of entirely novel areas of research, to driving change in current practice. IT is helpful to Remember that while Innovation can be radical and disruptive, but often it is incremental. Innovations need not always be immediately successful and can have downstream impacts. That is OK – so long as you say this and explain how you will ensure your research’s outputs, outcomes and the translation of your work will lead to impact in these areas. Innovation in NHMRC’s Ideas Grant scheme requires a creative approach that pursues new ideas, embraces intellectual risk and, if successful, may lead to a breakthrough or major impact in a particular health and medical research area. It could extend from the generation of entirely novel areas of research, to driving change in current practice. For more detail refer to page 23 & 32 of the Ideas Grant Guidelines
- #49 Tamika: Two elements to writing the innovation and creativity section HOW is your approach, method, outcome INNOVATIVE? What is different about it? They are asking three questions Is it NEW, or Is it re-interpreting something that already exists, or Is it using something from another filed that has not been used in your field RESULT is the (planned) impact of this innovation – What will change as a result of your research? • could change established practice, terminate a current practice/process or create new fields • show what doesn’t work • reinterpret or readapt data for new purposes • apply innovative methods, practices and processes to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and • could yield new avenues of investigation. Don’t necessarily have to write out every aim and then say how it is innovative. Group them??
- #50 Tamika What is novel about your research/ approach? Clearly say in what area the novelty occurs (concept, approach, methodology, technology or intervention - or is it a combination of these? (1 paragraph) Examples of areas of innovative research include, but are not limited to, those that: • propose a new area of inquiry • develop or use a completely unexplored approach to solving a longstanding important challenge or obstacle • are substantially different from research already being pursued in the field • introduce a new paradigm or challenge prevailing paradigms/assumptions • look at existing problems or issues from a new perspective • seek unconventional approaches that are outside the mainstream Ideas Grants 2019 Guidelines Page 33 of 33 • could change established practice, terminate a current practice/process or create new fields • show what doesn’t work • reinterpret or readapt data for new purposes • apply innovative methods, practices and processes to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and • could yield new avenues of investigation.
- #51 Tamika Ask yourself– why are we doing the research in this way, why is that important etc.
- #52 For your one page on Innovation and Creativity I suggest you approach in 3 sections about 1/3 of a page each SECTION 1 - What makes your your approach, method, outcome INNOVATIVE? What is different about it? They are asking three questions Is it NEW, or Is it re-interpreting something that already exists, or Is it using something from another filed that has not been used in your field CLEARLY STATE THIS AT THE BEGINNIG SECTION 2 - Talk about what is innovative about your approach – how is the research currently done - what are you changing? Why is it different? WHAT is the (planned) impact of this innovation – What will change as a result of your research? • could change established practice, terminate a current practice/process or create new fields • show what doesn’t work • reinterpret or readapt data for new purposes • apply innovative methods, practices and processes to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and • could yield new avenues of investigation. In this section you want to foucs on using words such as Transform, innovate, novel, unique, re-imagned, You also should consider you are writing this so your mum or your 15 year old could pickup the one page and understand it. Remember the reviewers may to be in your field. Also, the will be reading so many of these they don’t want to have to think too hard - what they want is to fully understand what sets your approach apart form the others. We found hts particularly apparent when we were reviewing the Investigator grants – some we had to read a bout 3 time to comprehend what the author was saying – where with other we could read it easily and understand the research and its impacts without having any background knowledge of the research area. Talk about reading levels and non –technical language.
- #53 Tamika The sections should all align. From the Investigator grant 2019 peer review guidelines - The significance of the study is not a measure of the prevalence/incidence of the health issue (e.g. cancer versus sudden infant death syndrome) but the extent to which the study will address the health issue. In other words, what is the significant change your research will have on the problem (not how big the problem is) but what will be the relative change and improvement to health outcome? This is not about how your work is significant to you. It is about how it is significant to the user or the person that needs this evidence
- #54 Tamika Remember to tie back to other sections of the grant – in particular community involvement and/or plans to transfer knowledge to stakeholders or into practice. - in research plan Associate Investigators (AIs) may help to mitigate or control any risk. - in the identified risks section You can and should state the prevalence of your area of focus but importantly you need to highlight the extent to which your study will address this issue! The significance of the study is not a measure of the prevalence/incidence of the health issue (e.g. cancer versus sudden infant death syndrome) but the extent to which the study will address the health issue. (investigator grant review guidelines 2019)
- #55 Assessment criteria outlines 3 elements within this section. Address these three elements – This is showing you have a clear PATHWAY To IMPACT – you have planned to ensure translation, partnerships and USE of your work – It’s the USE that ensures you have an impact
- #56 Tamika Significance to the sector, the discipline or the next user! Tamika thoughts: significance could be the difference that the intended work will create, essentially change or impact! Rather than the scope of the problem, it is the possibility and size of the change. Significance of a rare or less common condition would require showing key linkages to why this particular innovation is likely to create an impact? It is not the significance of the disease it is the significance of the research meaning liklihood of impact
- #57 Cathie Your outputs will depend on the impact you intend to have and the audiences or users that you will be sharing these with. Academic audiences want academic outputs, policy audiences will want policy ready and relevant outputs, don’t just write down a heap of outputs show the reviewers that these have been carefully thought through and developed with the user in mind and for the purpose of your intended impact. How will you use these outputs to create the impact you want to have
- #58 Tamika
- #59 Tamika
- #60 Cathie Essentially we are discussing here the things we came across as we reviewed more than 60 individual impact cases studies. We are sharing here with you the mistakes that we saw people making on their first attempts.
- #61 Often saw that people were missing the introduction to the problem they had set out to solve. Because your track record case study is not related to the grant you are applying for you need to introduce the problem before you can tell the reader about the impact that you had. So think about the WHY – why were you doing the research? What difference did you want to make/ What change did you want to bring about? This only needs to be brief, however it is important as your problem statement will provide the setting for your impact – Your problem was this and your research helped to solve/address this problem in the following ways….bang then you go onto tell them of the impact you had
- #62 Particularly Field 2 Field 3 was the easiest – because it is about you and your contribution Lots of questions around the difference between field 1 and field 2 Field 1 is the impact – so your reach and the significance of your research program – What change did you bring about? How did it change things, how far did the change trnslante – local, national, international? Field 2 - is about the actual research and your outputs from that work - what was the research, collaborations, process and activities that underpinned the impact….what you did to facilitate it.
- #63 The NHMRC have clearly stated they are not interested in the potential impacts or future work – They want to know about impact to date So don’t use language like ----- It may lead to…or Future possibilities Choosing older work can be more beneficial as impact takes time Be mindful of language - Should be taking in the past tense – It had this benefit, it changed this, it impacted upon the way…..
- #64 Tamika Don’t say that your work was significant. Show the reader by being specific and discussing what made it significant or how it was significant. Again this points to what changed, the change in
- #65 Tamika It is not a literature review Field 1 - The program of work includes other researchers work in my field -NO It is not a literature review of the field of your research work. This is specifically about your program of work. Of course, you will have likely collaborated and worked as part of a team and Field 3 gives you the opportunity to provide detail on your role specifically. In Field 1 you are asked to outline what has happened because of the work that you have done.
- #66 Tamika This is something that we say particularly in Field 3. Everything you writing in Field 3 must have been your involvement during the time you created or had the impact outlined in the previous fields. Make sure it ties in with the other fields