25 Feb 2025
As a committee member for our NIHR ARC North Thames Early Career Research Network, Smaragda Lampridou recently attended the Network’s Winter Webinar “Pathways to Impact: Insights from Research to Practice”. Here, shares her take-aways from the event.
Smaragda Lampridou is a NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow and a Cardiac Health & Rehabilitation Nurse Specialist at Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Watch a full recording of the webinar.
Research funding and policy decisions are increasingly dependant upon an ability to demonstrate tangible outcomes. This means that research impact has become a crucial part of the research process.
For early career researchers (ECRs), developing impact-focused skills early in their careers is essential in the research pathway, but also for career progression. The ARC North Thames ECR Committee plays a vital role in supporting researchers on this journey, offering training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to ensure that emerging researchers are equipped to drive positive change through their work.
With that in mind, we decided to have a dedicated webinar on research impact. On January 23rd, 2025, the NIHR ARC North Thames Early Career Researchers (ECR) Network hosted the "Pathways to Impact: Insights from Research to Practice" webinar, focusing on translating research findings into real-world applications.
The session focused on how researchers can effectively translate their findings into meaningful, real-world applications. Featuring insights from:
- Professor Chris Griffiths, NIHR ARC North Thames Theme Lead in Population Health & Social Care and Director, Institute of Population Health Sciences at Queen Mary University of London; and
- Dr Anne Buffardi, Head of Research at Evidence Islington Health Determinants Research Collaboration,
the discussion provided valuable guidance on navigating impact pathways, working across sectors, and engaging with local government.
1. Plan your impact strategy early
Professor Griffiths emphasised that achieving impact goes beyond producing high-quality research. Impactful research doesn’t happen automatically. Rigorous studies may still fail to reach the right audience.
Researchers must therefore clearly define their goals and identify their target audience from the outset. They must engage in strategic planning and meaningful engagement with end users from the beginning and throughout the research cycle.
Effective dissemination is crucial, and both speakers stressed the importance of tailoring communication strategies to different stakeholders, including policymakers, local authorities, clinicians, and the public.
Leveraging multiple platforms, from academic journals to social media, can help broaden the reach and influence of research findings.
Careful planning is essential to ensure research makes a real-world difference.
2. Focus on generating tangible results for society
Dr Buffardi focused on the challenges and opportunities of working across different organisations, particularly within local government. She highlighted that, for research to drive real change, it must align with the pressing needs of policymakers, service providers, and local communities.
Dr Buffardi urged researchers to foster meaningful partnerships with local authorities and community stakeholders, ensuring that their work is not only relevant but also actionable.
Effective collaboration requires more than just sharing findings; it demands active engagement with decision-makers to co-design research that addresses real-world challenges.
Both speakers highlighted the importance of cost-effectiveness, meaning that research findings and solutions must be both practical and economically viable.
By embedding research within policy and practice, researchers can help shape solutions that lead to tangible societal improvements.
3. Maximise impact through “non-traditional” research methods
If publicly-funded research carries a responsibility to drive real-world change, this makes implementation science and practical applications of research essential priorities.
While rigorous methodology is vital for academic credibility, traditional research approaches can often result in slow or limited impact. Both speakers stressed that a randomised controlled trial isn’t always the gold standard when considering impact. Case studies might offer more fruitful and impactful results.
Researchers must consider their path: do you wish to prioritise methodological precision; in which case your influence may be gradual? Or might you embrace innovative, non-traditional methods that help to accelerate real-world change?
By balancing robust research with practical implementation, studies can make meaningful policy, healthcare, and society improvements.
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