Impact Symposium 2025/26 - REF 2029 Part 2 of 2: Deep Dive and Strategic Implications
2026-02-26 09:15 - 11:30 UTC | Online
The Impact Symposium 2025/26 is the sixth annual Symposium. This year it will be in two parts. The second part on 26th February 2026 focusing on REF 2029: DEEP DIVE & STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS
Please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER and receive the joining instructions.
We look forward to seeing you then!

Preparing for People, Culture and the Evolving Research Environment
2025-12-03 10:00 - 11:00
Photo by Felix Rostig on Unsplash
Join the Hivve team for a focused 1-hour webinar on Preparing for People, Culture, and the Evolving Research Environment. Explore strategies to strengthen institutional culture, support researchers, and adapt to sector changes—helping you build readiness, resilience, and a compelling narrative for future assessment and reporting requirements.

Impact Symposium 2025 - REF 2029 Part 1 of 2: Strengthening Research Culture: Lessons from the REF Pilot
2025-11-12 09:15 - 10:45
The Impact Symposium 2025 is the sixth annual Symposium. This year it will be in two parts. The first part on 12th November 2025 focusing on Strengthening Research Culture: Lessons from the REF Pilot.
Please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER and receive the joining instructions.
We look forward to seeing you then!

Impact Case Study Development: What You Can (and Should) Do Now
2025-10-28 10:00 - 11:00
Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash
Join us for this free, one-hour webinar, “Impact Case Study Development: What You Can (and Should) Do Now.” Designed for potential case study authors and impact support teams, the session will provide practical guidance on how to plan, organise, and embed processes that lead to strong, evidence-based case studies for the next REF submission.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

Map out realistic timelines for case study development.
Apply effective strategies for securing and managing supporting evidence.
Create a practical, forward-looking action plan to strengthen their case studies.

Led by Dr Carlos Galan Diaz
Carlos is an accomplished Environmental Psychologist with a strong commitment to driving research excellence and creating measurable impact. With extensive experience in impact evaluation, monitoring, reporting, and leading complex portfolios like REF2021, he is adept at fostering strategic and operational success. A seasoned liaison with UKRI and member of key advisory groups, including the UKRI Research Organisation Consultation Group and ESRC Impact Prize Review Panel, he brings deep expertise in research governance and stakeholder engagement. Academically, Carlos’ work focuses on perspective-taking, well-being, and behaviour change, supported by proficiency in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies.
Previously, Carlos held senior roles at the University of St Andrews, including Acting Director and Deputy Director of RIS, overseeing strategic decisions and operational workflows for research excellence. Their leadership includes managing substantial UKRI and Scottish funding, spearheading interdisciplinary initiatives, and representing institutional interests at national and international levels.

Getting REF-Ready: Building Institutional Readiness Ahead of Final Guidance
2025-09-24 10:00 - 11:00
Photo by Daniel Funes Fuentes on Unsplash
Event Description:
This 1 hour FREE webinar, “Getting REF Ready: Building Institutional Readiness Ahead of Final Guidance”, will help higher education professionals prepare their institutions for the upcoming REF. It will provide practical information on aligning processes, evidence, and research impact with anticipated REF expectations.

Expected Learning Outcomes:
By attending this webinar, participants will:

Understand key strategies for institutional REF readiness and evidence submission.
Learn how to strengthen research impact and engagement with stakeholders.
Gain insights into fostering a sustainable and high-quality research culture.

Led by: Dr Carlos Galan-Diaz
Carlos is an accomplished Environmental Psychologist with a strong commitment to driving research excellence and creating measurable impact. With extensive experience in impact evaluation, monitoring, reporting, and leading complex portfolios like REF2021, he is adept at fostering strategic and operational success. A seasoned liaison with UKRI and member of key advisory groups, including the UKRI Research Organisation Consultation Group and ESRC Impact Prize Review Panel, he brings deep expertise in research governance and stakeholder engagement. Academically, Carlos’ work focuses on perspective-taking, well-being, and behaviour change, supported by proficiency in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies.
Previously, Carlos held senior roles at the University of St Andrews, including Acting Director and Deputy Director of RIS, overseeing strategic decisions and operational workflows for research excellence. Their leadership includes managing substantial UKRI and Scottish funding, spearheading interdisciplinary initiatives, and representing institutional interests at national and international levels.

Impact Symposium 2024 - Navigating the Impact and Engagement Journey
2024-10-23 09:30 - 12:30
The Impact Symposium 2024 was the fifth annual Symposium, focusing on the impact and engagement journey for UK audiences.

Impact Symposium 2023 - The Future of Research Assessment
2023-11-01 09:00 - 13:00
The Impact Symposium 2023 was the fourth annual Symposium, focusing on the future of research assessment.

Impact Symposium 2022 - Adapting Research Culture to Achieve the SDGs
2022-10-19 13:30 - 17:00
The Impact Symposium 2022 was the third annual Symposium, focusing on adapting research culture to achieve the SDGs.

Impact in Action #5 – Cholderton Estate – Sustainable Farming
2022-07-12 14:00 - 14:30
We are excited to invite you to an exclusive session exploring how Cholderton Estate, a fully-sustainable and biodiverse farm in Wiltshire, UK is pioneering positive environmental impact methods and driving the agenda towards SDGs 2, 8, 11, 12 and 15.
The world is beset with worsening crises – from record CO2 levels in May and continued heatwaves across the globe through to major challenges around food production. Meanwhile, in the wake of Brexit, the UK has begun to replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy with the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), that targets net zero by 2050; but even this month its goals are being adjusted due to the cost-of-living crisis, while British farms continue to emit around a tenth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Cholderton Estate is a pilot project, in collaboration with partners from Cranfield University through the Wildlife Trust to the County Council, that is already driving impact in demonstrating how sustainable farming can be achieved. Clean water, clean air and restored nature go hand-in-hand with the production of food; no nitrous oxide is emitted, no groundwater is polluted, carbon is sequestered in a way that secures fertility and makes Cholderton one of the richest estates for biodiversity in the country.
A finalist in the inaugural Climate Challenge Cup which took place at COP26 in Glasgow last November, and host this July of the UK’s longest running organic food and farming conference, Cholderton is already showing that progress can be made. Join us on the 12th July to learn more and see what learnings you can apply to your own work! You can learn more about the project on TrackImpact.org.

Impact in Action #4 - Sugarless Green
2022-05-26 14:00 - 15:00
In our May 2022 edition of Impact In Action, we were joined by Melissa Jogie, Institutional Research Culture Lead at University of Roehampton! ‘Sugarless Green’ is an educational study which aims to support health and wellbeing in young children by reinforcing correct oral hygiene techniques, and by educating pupils on healthier food choices, as alternatives to sugar. This presentation shares three successful funding schemes based on using the fundamental principles of this intervention. Each year, about 60,000 school days are missed because children need to have tooth extractions (Public Health England, 2019). In London boroughs alone, the NHS spends approximately £7M for acute dental care for children, including these emergency extractions (British Dental Association, 2019). This has led to the British Dental Association (BDA) declaring the prevalence of tooth decay in young children as a crisis and calling for more political action geared to prevention (BDA, 2019). Tooth decay is not an isolated physical health issue; it also affects mental wellbeing. In the UK, 12% of children have nightmares about their teeth and 18% are stressed about the general appearance of their teeth and smiles (Oral Health Foundation 2020). Covid-19 has exacerbated these issues due to heightened restrictions, causing a back log of dental appointments and increased anxieties for families visiting dentists (Westgarth, 2020).

Impact Symposium 2021 - Collaboration in Action
2021-09-29 09:15 - 12:15
The Impact Symposium 2021 was the second annual Symposium, addressing collaboration in action.
