The Academy are delighted to launch the programme for Making an Impact 2020. This exciting series of development opportunities, focused on research impact, will take place between the 1st – 19th June 2020, providing a packed calendar of high-quality sessions for academic, research and research-related professional staff at all stages of their career.
A printable calendar version of all the events is available here.
Responding to feedback from previous years, a searchable version of the programme is also available here.
What is different this year?
Making an Impact will run as an entirely online event, including interactive webinars, podcasts, pre-recorded seminars, online cafes, virtual tours, 1:1 surgeries and links to numerous online resources. We have reached out to the University’s disability network to provide guidance for facilitators to help make sure that all sessions are as accessible as possible to all staff.
Realising that an online event requires different considerations compared to previous face to face events we have worked hard to design a programme that provides a wide range of development opportunities built around our Making an Impact Framework, from which participants can design their own tailored experience based on their individual research impact needs, ambitions and interests.
Acknowledging time constraints of new ways of working
There are no parallel sessions throughout the programme and where any sessions have multiple parts, all can be engaged with as standalone sessions. Where relevant, breaks are highlighted in the programme and a colouring sheet has been designed to entertain children whilst parents/carers engage in the series of activities.
Flexible and bespoke engagement
The programme is highly flexible so that staff will be able to dip in and out of sessions, whilst benefitting from online resources, including podcasts and livestreams that can be accessed outside of the programmes timetable.
Programme highlights
The 57 sessions across the programme include Interactive workshop webinars, seminars, panel/seminars, keynotes, 1:1 career surgeries; research culture cafés, a portal showcase and numerous Tweet chats. Highlights include:
- Prof Dame Janet Beer’s keynote speech about the Sustainable Development Goals, the commitment the University has made and their importance for our research and wider impact on Monday 2nd June (09.30am-10-30am) Register here.
- A keynote from Beth Thompson Head of Policy and Advocacy at Wellcome, speaking about a positive research Culture on Tuesday 3rd June (2.30pm-3.30pm) Register here.
- The University’s Research Staff Association will also be running 2 café culture (about positive and inclusive research cultures to foster optimal research impact) sessions around Wellcome’s Reimagine Research campaign. Register here.
- A keynote session from Melanie Knetsch, ESRC Deputy Director of Impact and Innovation on the ESRC’s experience of understanding and enabling impact in the social sciences (Tuesday 11th June 09.30-10.30am. Register here.
- A joint-keynote between Dr Hamish McAlpine (Head of KE data and evidence at Research England) and Prof Trevor McMillan (VC of Keele University) on the KEF metrics and Concordat on Monday 15th June 2020 (10am-11.30am). Register here.
- Internal champions and externally commissioned facilitators will be contributing sessions including Impactful leadership; Entrepreneurial thinking for researchers; Safeguarding in research; Making civic engagement even more important in a post Covid world: How can we do that?; Exploring and sharing research through poetry; Global challenges research for impact in low and middle income countries and Remote impact: How to make an impact when you work remotely and many more.
Networking and social space
A Making an Impact Social Space is available through Microsoft Teams to facilitate informal chats between participants or to continue discussions that were started during online sessions on other platforms. A playlist especially created for Making an Impact 2020 is being designed to get participants prepared and ready for the full programme of development opportunities as well as chill out tunes at the end of the day.
Recognition and value
Participants are invited to engage with the Making an Impact 2020 competitions and awards that accompany the programme of events. These include Gif Awards, Certificates of Participation and #unilivimpact20 Twitter competitions in which lucky winners will each receive an independent Liverpool card, to enjoy discounts at over 100 of Liverpool’s best independent shops, saving money, supporting locals and unearthing Liverpool’s hidden gems. Details about these opportunities are continuously being updated here.
Early booking is recommended to secure a place on in demand sessions. To find out more, please visit: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/researcher/making-impact/impact-2020/programme/
Further information
Making an Impact 2020 is organised by The Academy and runs 1st – 19th June 2020. A printable version of all the events is available here. A searchable version of the programme is also available here.
Follow @LivResearcher and @LivUniAcademy for updates and further information about researcher development opportunities, and the hashtag #unilivimpact20 for news, updates and discussions about Making an Impact 2020.