Efforts to measure the ‘impact’ of research will be a major focus of both government and universities in 2013. The government’s National Research Investment Plan(released in late 2012) states that impact assessment will form an important part of efforts to demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of national investments in research into the future.

As part of its 2020 Strategic Plan, ANU has a particular focus on public policy, and creating impact through government and policy. But what is policy impact? Is it different from other kinds of impact? Should we be directing effort in particular ways to try and achieve it?

This seminar will draw on research into science policy, research utilisation and public policy to address these questions. It will examine what we know about the relationship between research and policy and what this might mean for how impact measurement systems might be designed, at the level of individual researchers, research organisations and national policy. It will also provide an overview of work to date in a collaborative project between the HC Coombs Policy Forum and CSIRO examining pathways to policy impact.

Paul Harris is Deputy Director of the HC Coombs Policy Forum in the Crawford School of Public Policy and leads the Forum’s ‘Science, Technology and Public Policy’ program. He is also an advisor at the CSIRO and was previously General Manager, Government and International Relations at CSIRO. In 2012 he completed a secondment in government as General Manager, Science Policy in the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE).

Light lunch will be provided. This event is free and open to the public.

• Flyer (PDF,140kb)
• Slides and audio (video mp4, 68MB)
• Audio mp3, (11MB)
• Slides (PDF,5.5MB)
• Video