Making an Impact Frequently Asked Questions

Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment

Making an Impact 2022

What is new about Making an Impact 2022?

The Framework: The Making an Impact Framework from which the programme is developed has been revised and incorporates five innovation themes identified by Innovate UK as part of their business innovation action plan launched in November 2021 (https://www.ukri.org/publications/innovate-uk-action-plan-for-business-innovation-2021-to-2025/) to help inspire innovation and create a vibrant and successful innovation ecosystem. You can find details of the framework here (See FAQ’s “What are the five new Making an Impact 2022 framework innovation themes?”)

Delivery: The Making an Impact 2022 Series will be delivered mainly online however some of the sessions will be delivered using a Hy-Flex approach, where participants will have the option to attend in-person, synchronously online, or asynchronously online.

When is Making an Impact 2022 taking place?

Making an Impact 2022 will be taking place from 9 May to 10 June 2022.

What are the five new Making an Impact 2022 framework innovation themes?

The Making an Impact Framework enables participants to create a bespoke development experience for themselves. The Making an Impact 2022 framework incorporates 5 innovation themes as well a knowledge and skills axis incorporated previously.

The themes and knowledge and skills axis are outlined below and the framework can be found here.

Themes

Theme 1 – Future Economy, Theme 2- Growth at scale, Theme 3- Global Opportunities, Theme 4- Innovation ecosystem and Theme 5- Government levers.

Knowledge and Skills axis

A. Research partnerships, B. Working with business, C. Working with the public and third sector D. Skills, enterprise and entrepreneurship, E. Local growth and regeneration, F. IP and commercialisation and G. Public and community engagement.

How do I use the Making an Impact Framework to navigate the Making an Impact programme?

All sessions are mapped to the Making an Impact Framework with a key on the programme highlighting which Knowledge Exchange activity and Innovation Theme will be covered in each session. For example, if you would like to know more about working with businesses globally using the framework, you would look for sessions that are mapped to B and coloured green.

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The Making an Impact Series

What is the Making an Impact Series

Making an Impact is a flagship annual programme of researcher development activities that are led by the Academy. The series was developed to provide researchers and research related staff across all career stages and disciplines with access to development activities focused around research impact and knowledge exchange.

Sessions included workshops, webinars, keynotes, 1:1 surgeries, virtual tours, bootcamps and masterclasses supplemented with online materials, resources, podcasts, toolkits and Tweet chats. The Making an Impact resource bank is available here, and includes useful visual summaries, top tips from sessions, recordings, toolkits, and additional internal and external resources.

When does it take place?

The Series takes place during the month of May and early June. The first series in 2018 was delivered over a week and in 2019 over 7 weeks. However, since 2020 the series now takes place over 5 weeks, with the fourth week being timetabled with pre-recorded sessions which can be accessed at any time and are linked to many of the live sessions throughout the other four weeks.

What is the Making an Impact Framework?

The Series is developed around the Making an Impact Framework (which from 2018-2021, consisted of seven impact clusters (based on the definition of impact in the REF2021 Guidance on Submissions, p.68) and a knowledge and skill axis (based on the first iteration of the Knowledge Exchange Framework 2019-2020 (p.8) perspectives and have remained unchanged).

The impact clusters and knowledge and skills axis are outlined below;

Making an Impact on the digital agenda, Making an Impact on the environment, Making an Impact on culture, Making an Impact on society and quality of life, Making an Impact on public policy and services, Making an Impact on the economy and Making an Impact beyond academia.

Knowledge and Skills axis

The Making an Impact Framework was further revised in 2022 (for more details see the FAQ “What is new about Making an Impact 2022”).

How can I find out which sessions cover topics I am interested in?

The Making an Impact programme is developed around the Making an Impact Framework (for more details see FAQ’s “What is the Making an Impact Framework?”).

This framework enables participants to create a bespoke development experience for themselves. The impact clusters (or since 2022 innovation themes) and knowledge and skills axis covered within sessions are indicated on the programme so that participants can choose to register and attend sessions based on their own research impact needs, ambitions and interests.

Further details on the revised Making an Impact Framework and how it can help you navigate the programme can be found here.

Is Making an Impact Face to Face or virtual?

Making an Impact 2018 and 2019 were face to face events. However, since 2020 the Series has been delivered online. In 2022 a number of the key sessions will be delivered using a Hy-Flex approach, where participants will have the option to attend in-person, synchronously online, or asynchronously online. This format enables researchers to engage in an activity at the same time as their colleagues in a format that works best for them.

Who can attend Making an Impact sessions?

With a focus on postdocs and early career researchers, the Making an Impact Series is open to everyone with an interest in the research landscape, including PhD students, research fellows, PI’s, clinical research staff, and research related staff across all faculties.

Sessions are free however registration is required and places will be secured on a first come, first served basis.

Most sessions are for University of Liverpool staff only with a limited number of sessions opened out externally.

How can I find out more about the Making an Impact programme?

The programme is advertised regularly via staff news articles and @LivResearcher and @LivUniAcademy Twitter accounts. A web-based version of the programme and an interactive PDF is available on the Making an Impact webpages on the Researcher Hub. Links to registration are available on both documents.

Since 2021, week four of the five week series has timetabled pre-recorded sessions which can be accessed at any time and are linked to many of the live sessions throughout the other four weeks.

There are no parallel sessions throughout the programme and where relevant, breaks are highlighted in the programme.

Staff can engage with short 45min sessions as well as more in depth 90-120 minute workshops. Varied and rich online resources, including podcasts and livestreams can also be accessed outside of the programmes timetable. The Making an Impact resource bank is available here

Do I need to register for sessions?

Yes, you must register for all sessions. Registration is free of charge. Some sessions will have limited numbers so please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Please do not register (or please cancel your registration) if you do not plan to attend otherwise you may prevent someone else from taking part.

When registering for sessions please ensure you use your institutional email address. Any joining instructions will be sent to the email address you registered with.

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Joining the sessions

Why haven’t I received the joining instructions?

All joining instructions are sent directly from Eventbrite 2 days and then again 2 hours before the session. As well as your email inbox, we recommend checking any subfolders linked to your inbox. Please note that you need to register for the session(s) for joining instructions to be sent to you. Registration closes 3 hours before the session starts.

For sessions delivered online, what platform is Making an Impact hosted on?

All online Making an Impact session take place on Zoom. We recommend that you download the Zoom app, although you will also be able to join sessions on Zoom via your browser – in that case, it is recommended that you use Google Chrome.

I already have the Zoom app. Do I have to do anything else?

If you already have the Zoom app, we would urge you to update your Zoom application. This can be done via your Zoom app, by going to Settings/Check for updates. This will take approximately 2 minutes to update. Zoom is constantly making changes and improvements and doing this will provide you with all of the Zoom functionalities needed to fully engage with the session(s).

What happens when I join?

You’ll be admitted to a waiting room until the session starts, you will be made aware of any delays in the starting of the session via the waiting room chat.

I'm having technical problems and can’t get into the session – what do I do?

Make sure you’re using the Zoom link for the correct session you received in your inbox. Please also ensure you are using the same Zoom email and username that you registered with in Eventbrite. If you are still experiencing issues, try updating Zoom or rebooting or switching to another internet enabled device. You can also email researcher@liverpool.ac.uk. Many of the sessions are recorded so you may be able to access them afterwards if problems persist.

I’m running late and worried about disturbing the session – what do I do?

When you join, you will be sent first to a waiting room. When you are ‘let in’ to the session you will be automatically muted and your camera switched off, so you won’t disturb the session.

The session that I want to register for is sold out. What happens now?

We would encourage you to add your name to the waitlist. If a ticket becomes available, you will be contacted automatically with further instructions on how to redeem your free ticket. No further action is required.

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Linked Resources

Are there any resources I can access online?

To complement the University’s flagship Making an Impact Series a rich and high-quality bank of resources has been designed. These include TED talks, blogs, podcasts, toolkits, checklists, as well as recordings of many of the sessions that have been part of the Series. All resources are themed by key research-impact objectives.

The content continues to be regularly updated, including all recorded sessions from each Making an Impact programme providing a great opportunity for those that were unable to attend the sessions live or would like to revisit them. The pages form a permanent, open-access resource, available for participants to access at a time and place and suits them. The Making an Impact resource bank is available here

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Networking and social media

Are there ways I can network and engage with researchers across the University?

A channel on Microsoft Teams is available for all those that attend any of the Making an Impact sessions to continue conversations, chat informally, network and make connections.

All participants that register for any Making an Impact session will be sent an email with a link to a specific Kumospace “space”. A virtual space that has rich illustrations and interactive environments to help facilitate engagement that feels informal and close to what you would experience when sharing the same physical space. Virtual networking sessions are timetabled into the programme at least once a week.

Participants are also invited to engage with the Making an Impact competitions and awards that accompany the programme of events. These include Gif Awards, Certificates of Participation and Twitter competitions in which one winner is selected each week and receives an online retail voucher. Further details can be found here.

Can I engage with Making an Impact on social media?

We encourage you to engage with us via Twitter. Tweet a thought (text or video) on how a session during the Series has inspired your development or a gif that represents your engagement with any of the sessions. The hashtag #unilivimpact is updated each year to include the year of the current Series i.e. #unilivimpact21 for Making an Impact 2021. You can follow us @LivResearcher and tag @LivResearcher in your tweet.

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Feedback

How can I give feedback on the Making an Impact series?

A survey is emailed via Eventbrite to all participants following each session they attend. The survey is anonymous and the feedback received contributes to the planning and design of future events.

What evaluation model are you using for the Making an Impact Series?

The Academy’s evaluations are based on the Kirkpatrick model and we follow up with participants 6 months after an event to explore impacts upon them. By measuring long term outcomes, we can evaluate how engaging with development activities as part of the Making an Impact series has changed or enhanced practice.

Will I receive a certificate of participation for sessions I attend?

A personalised certificate is available for each session upon request. Please email researcher@liverpool.ac.uk letting them know which session(s) you attended. Certificates will NOT be emailed out automatically.

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Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment

How can a welcoming environment be achieved?

The Academy are committed to providing a diverse, accessible, and inclusive events. We ask that all attendees are respectful of, and welcome the opportunity to engage the ideas of others. We sincerely hope that all our participants and facilitators experience a friendly, dynamic, professionally and personally enriching event that is free from harassment or discrimination. We remind everyone to use appropriate communication that is inter-disciplinary and welcoming to people from many different backgrounds.

Where is the Inclusivity Statement and Code of Conduct for the Making an Impact Series?

The Academy is committed to providing an environment which recognises and values people's differences, capitalises on the strengths that those differences bring to the institution and supports all staff and students in maximising their potential to succeed. In line with the Academy's firm commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, we offer all postdoctoral and research-related staff opportunities to develop and network irrespective of a researcher’s gender, ethnicity, age, self-identification, disability, religious affiliation, or any other criteria used to separate and define. All participants and facilitators are asked to please refer and agree to The Academy's Code of Conduct for events before attending any Making an Impact sessions.

What should I do if I experience or witness inappropriate behaviour?

Please contact the organising team as soon as possible. You can do this by:

Messaging the chair of the session via Zoom immediately: If an incident occurs in a session, send a private chat message to one of the Making an Impact organisation team present (who will be introduced at the start of the session).
Emailing Researcher@liverpool.ac.uk

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Who do I contact if I have questions about the Making an Impact Series?

If you have been unable to find the answer to your question as part of the FAQs or if there is an activity which you think would be useful to you and the wider PGR and research-related staff community, then please contact the Academy’s researcher development team via email at Researcher@liverpool.ac.uk

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