Impact Awards

Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Impact 2016

Closing date 26th April 2016

These awards have been established to recognise and reward those whose research has led to excellent impact.  Awards will initially be judged by School, with one prize of £1,000 being awarded to the best impact in each School.  The overall best impact award will be awarded to the best of these School winners, and the prize for this award will be increased to £2,000.

Scope of the Award:
For the purpose of the Awards, the broad field of ‘impact’ is understood as:

An effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy  or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.

Impact includes, but is not limited to, an effect on, change or benefit to:

• the activity, attitude, awareness, behaviour, capacity, opportunity, performance, policy, practice, process or understanding
• of an audience, beneficiary, community, constituency, organisation or individuals
• in any geographic location whether locally, regionally, nationally or internationally

Impact includes the reduction or prevention of harm, risk, cost or other negative effects.  Impact on research or the advancement of academic knowledge within the higher education sector (whether in the UK or internationally) is excluded, as are impacts on students, teaching or other activities within the University of Cambridge.  Other impacts within the higher education sector, including on teaching or students, are allowed where they extend significantly beyond the University of Cambridge.

Judging criteria:
The award will recognise a strong commitment to the creation of impact underpinned by research undertaken at the University of Cambridge. We expect to recognise researchers and staff at all levels of seniority. The judging panel will look at both the reach and significance of impact, recognising that significant and meaningful impact may be evidenced among smaller groups of people where this is the target audience, as well as projects with broader reach.

The judging panel will be looking for:
1.    A clear relationship between the impact and the underpinning research
2.    The benefits of the impact, which should be clear and evidence-based.

Eligibility criteria:
1.    The Award is open to researchers, postgraduate research students and staff at the University of Cambridge.
2.    The underpinning research must have been undertaken at the University of Cambridge.
3.    The impact must have occurred no earlier than 1st August 2013.
4.    At least five entries must be received from a School, otherwise no winner will be declared from that School.
5.    All entries must be available in the University's Impact Repository.

Nomination and award process:
1.    Those eligible for awards may self-nominate or can be nominated by someone else.
2.    Nomination must be by email to impact@admin.cam.ac.uk by no later than 26th April 2016. There are no nomination forms; the emails must include `nomination for impact award' in their titles and should refer to the unique ID of their entry in the Impact Repository.
3.    The winner will be invited to collect their award at an event on 20th June 2016 with the Vice-Chancellor.
4.    The winner will be asked to contribute to University websites and other materials in respect of their award or public engagement activities.
5.    Unsuccessful candidates may be nominated for the Awards in subsequent years, subject to their meeting other relevant eligibility criteria.