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The Policy Institute
Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy

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The Policy Institute offers an online course, 'Impact by Design', which is designed to help people achieve impact with their research.

The course consists of two parts which are available to all staff – both academic and professional services – and students at King’s via Keats. 

About the course

The idea that academic research can lead to societal, economic or cultural benefits beyond academia – or what we now call ‘impact’ – is not new. But it is only in recent years that we have begun to assess for impact in higher education institutions here in the UK. This first half of the two-part Impact by Design course introduces the concept of impact, and provides a framework of considerations to take into account when designing impact into a research project. It is suitable for researchers at all stages of their career (from PhD students to senior and more established researchers) from any discipline, as well as interested professional services staff. Participants are encouraged to have a project or proposal in mind when completing the course (ideally one which is in its early phases so that plans can be made for how to implement impact activities in advance).

It can be a steep uphill climb just to get policy makers to pay attention to your ideas, but actually influencing them to change things as a result of what you say often means scaling a mountain. Setting out logical, rational arguments based on evidence is just the start. To change minds and get consensus on what to do, you also need to work with the wider psychology of human behaviour and the dynamics of group decision-making. This course provides a set of practical tools and techniques you can use to make sure that your policy research makes a difference. Designed specifically for researchers and professional services staff who want to communicate with policymakers and other audiences including the public, this session explains the principles of ‘message-led’ communication and provides practical advice on how to structure and sell your ideas in order to maximise their impact on policy and practice.