Academia 2.0: challenges of impact (reach and change), communication (publications and social media), and relevance

Dates:	29 April 2014 - 30 April 2014
Times:	All day
What is it:	Conferences
Organiser:	School of Environment, Education and Development
How much:	Free
Speaker:	Dr Robert Ford, David Girling, Dr Chris Hewson, Dr Joanne Tippet, Dr Martin Scott, Professor George Brooke, Professor Jill Rubery, Professor Luke Georghiou, Professor Stephanie Barrientos, Professor Uma Kothari, Professor Yaron Matras, Rachel Wilshaw

See travel and contact information

Add to your calendar

Other events

This is a regional networking event for early career researchers (postdoctoral researchers) in humanities from universities in Manchester and its surrounding region.

The event will focus on recent changes affecting academic researchers. Early career researchers face a very different environment if compared to the one faced by more senior researchers at the early stages of their careers.

The new set of issues include challenges with reaching and having an impact on society with academic research, as well as the new and changing ways of communicating research findings to a wider audience. One important change, which is the result of new policies amongst research bodies, is the question surrounding ‘relevance’.

This networking event will discuss, debate, and reflect on these issues not only amongst early career and more senior academic researchers but also a set of non-academic organisations that are users and collaborators with academic research and researchers.

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO 40 POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS.

This event is funded by the British Academy and The Hallsworth Endowment at the University of Manchester.

On Day 1, panel discussions are the following:

Panel I. Challenges of impact (reach and change)

Questions surrounding who will benefit from research (both within the academic and non-academic or wider public audiences), how, and it what ways that will be ensured are key considerations for all researchers today. With regards to impact on a wider non-academic audience, which has received a greater emphasis in the Research Excellence Framework, questions of impartiality and academic freedom are key criticisms. Also the ways in which data on impact can be gathered and evaluated through appropriate methods has become an important topic of discussion and debate on the measures of influence. These questions will be the main focus of the Panel 1.

Panel II. Communication (publications and social media)

The ways in which research makes an impact is by reaching different audiences. Publications continue to be the main way in which academic communities communicate with each other. Indeed the historical and critical debate over how journal publications have been the main stick by which academic strength of university departments are measured will be a feature of Panel 2. However, equally important has been the rise of a plethora of social media outlets by which researchers can reach a wider audience. How the use of blogs, tweets, and other forms of social media can assist (as well as their limitations) researchers improve the reach and impact of their research is an important new agenda for early career researchers.

For these two panels, representatives from civil society organisations and the private sector will share their perspectives on how academic research is able or unable to make an impact on the wider community or society.

Panel III. Relevance of academic research

‘Relevance’ - as the overarching question and concern facing researchers - is fundamentally about the role of the researcher and society. How is the criticism of the separation between the two entities to be confronted with and resolved? Are there instances where the separation of researcher from society is justified? And can separation still lead to societal benefits in the long-run?

On Day 2, a practical 'toolkit' session on securing policy impact will be held.