As anticipated, Creative Arts has been announced by the ARC as one of the disciplinary groups to trial the new impact measures in preparation for the ERA 2018 exercise. The trial disciplines which also include environment, agriculture, engineering, education and language, communication and culture, will use both quantitative data and case studies. Engagement measures, which will be trialed by a different set of disciplines will use quantitative data and accompanying narrative statements.
According to advice provided to University Offices for Research on how the Impact Assessment Pilots are to be implemented, each institution will be invited to submit one impact study for each Unit of Assessment (UoA) which will be the primary FoR code associated with the submission. Studies in Creative Arts and Writing (FOR 19) will be assessed within Group D, which also includes FOR 13 (Education) and FOR 20 (Language, Communication and Culture).
Following a narrative describing the ‘goals, plans and activities for supporting and enabling impact’ , each statement will summarise the impact (50 words); provide narrative details of the impact (750 words); and describe the underpinning research (200 words) The submission also provides space for other quantitative indicators for impact to be included (250 words)
The submissions will be assessed by multi-disciplinary panels established to review all submissions in their allocated FoR codes. Assessment Panel D will be responsible for impact statements for FOR codes 13, 19 and 20. These assessments will then go to a Review panel comprised of experts from each of the FOR codes participating in the Engagement and Impact trials.
It is understood that the submission guidelines have been provided to every university office for research, however publicly available copies have yet to be released.
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