The School for Business and Society at the University of York is part of a leading UK research-intensive institution. As a member of the Russell Group, York is renowned for academic excellence and research influence. Its research addresses societal challenges at local, national, and global levels, integrating academic outputs with real-world impact for communities, industry, and the public sector. The University fosters a culture of evidence-based impact monitoring, recognising the importance of systematic preparation for research assessments.
Challenge
Managing and developing Impact Case Studies (ICS) across the portfolio of two REF units of assessment (17 and 20) was complex and fragmented, as ICS often span many years, multiple projects, and different academic leads, making consistent progress tracking challenging. To address this, the School required a systematic approach to support, develop and monitor case studies year-on-year, run annual checks and mock reviews to assess progress and likely REF scoring potential, standardise feedback to help academics strengthen their ICS, provide senior management with portfolio-wide insights, and leverage technology to manage evidence volume while streamlining REF submissions with accuracy and quality.
Solution
The School for Business and Society at the University of York adopted ImpactTracker and its module Impact Reviewer to develop a systematic REF preparation process and implement a robust review system.
- Real-time evidence collection: ImpactTracker offers a central repository where academics can capture and store evidence as part of day-to-day activity.
- Underpinning Research: Integration with the university repository automatically transfers research outputs, drafting fully referenced underpinning research sections for submission readiness.
- Engagement & Impact Data: hivve’s proprietary taxonomy curates and aggregates engagement and impact data across activities to support Impact Case Studies, Environment Statements, KEF, and HEBCI reporting.
- Peer Review Process: Using ImpactReviewer, the School runs systematic internal and plans to run external peer reviews. Feedback is captured directly in the software, reducing admin and providing clear visibility on performance and readiness
Results
- Annual reviews of case studies are now fully embedded, providing systematic, School-wide preparation for REF.
- Real-time visibility: Senior management and the Impact Officer can now track case study maturity and progress at any point.
- Audit-ready: All data, evidence, and versions are securely stored, categorised, and instantly retrievable.
- Streamlined peer review: ImpactReviewer provides a systematic, scalable approach to any peer review process.
- REF readiness: With a clear, standardised process in place, the School is now well positioned to strengthen impact performance and confidently prepare its portfolio for future REF submissions.
Anne-marie Greene is Professor of Work and Diversity at the School for Business and Society, Co-Convenor of the Gender and Employment Study Group of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) and Fellow of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA)
Partnering with hivve transformed the way we manage research impact at the School for Business and Society. ImpactTracker and ImpactReviewer have made evidence collection, peer review, and REF preparation far more efficient and systematic. The platform gives us real-time visibility into our portfolio, while the support and expertise from hivve ensure our case studies are robust, high-quality, and submission-ready. This partnership has strengthened our research culture and positioned us for continued success in REF and beyond.