Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - RMZ

Societal Impact @ BUA

(07/2020 - 12/2021)

Principal Investigator: Martin Reinhart


 

The (international) demand for taking societal impact into account in science has expanded enormously in recent years, not least due to the inclusion of societal impact as a criterion in the evaluation and awarding practice of the British Research Excellence Framework (REF). However, although the topic has become almost omnipresent in many areas (policy practices, indicators, quality aspects), there has been comparatively little research on societal impact.

The project addresses particular questions arising from the connection between societal impact and research quality, a concern that was already formulated in the Berlin University Alliance's proposal for Objective 3. It is unclear what is considered "good research" in societal impact: systematic studies on criteria and evaluation processes are lacking. Here, the project "Societal Impact @ BUA" approaches the issue and examines relevant questions regarding research quality not only from a discipline-specific but also from a trans- and interdisciplinary perspective and from a comparative approach. The subject of the investigation is the various forms of societal impact in the Berlin research area - for example, in disciplines, organisations and other social areas, in order to be able to show the extent to which science in Berlin interacts with its environment. The systematic processing of this information can support the BUA in the strategic orientation of future measures in impact measurement and impact policies.