Cambridge Awards for Research Impact and Engagement
Background
The Cambridge Awards for Research Impact and Engagement were established in 2016 as the Vice Chancellor's Awards for Public Engagement. These have been updated for 2024, with a focus on the processes and partnerships required to create significant economic, social and cultural impact from, and engagement with, research.
Timeline
Applications close on Friday 22 November at 5pm - note extended deadline!
Winners and runners-up will be announced live at our Award ceremony.
This will be held on Monday 3 February from 3pm in the Combination Room in Old Schools in the centre of Cambridge.
All award applicants and their guests will be invited, please hold this date in your diary.
Scope of the awards
We recognise that excellence in research impact and engagement spans a wide range of activity and involves many relevant parties. Applicants are encouraged to include the full breadth of their impact and engagement activity in their submission.
We encourage applications which demonstrate impactful long-term collaborations and/or original and inventive approaches that have secured the participation of new communities and partners.
For the purpose of the Awards, ‘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.’
For the purpose of the award, we have adapted the National Coordinating Centre’s definition of public engagement to explicitly focus on public engagement with research.
‘Public Engagement with Research describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.’
The key principles of impact and public engagement with research are that it:
- Must be underpinned by contemporary research
- Must involve elements of genuine interaction, e.g. through dialogue, participation, collaboration, co-production
- Must engage people and/or organisations from beyond academia
We welcome applications which involve external relevant parties, organisations, and /or individuals anywhere across the world
This is includes but is not limited to partnerships, consultation, collaboration, co-production and involvement with:
- communities, charities and NGO’s
- policy makers and government
- business and industry
- arts, heritage and cultural and community organisations
- public services including the wider education sector and schools, NHS, social care, local government, government agencies, and other public bodies
Applications could involve:
- commercialisation through spin outs and licensing
- participatory research with communities and relevant parties and citizen science activity
- development and delivery of festivals, exhibitions and performances
- policy change
- communication of research to external audiences through a variety of media
- major impacts on curricula and teaching pedagogy which extend significantly beyond the University of Cambridge
Impact on research or the advancement of academic knowledge within the higher education sector (whether in the UK or internationally) is excluded.
Award categories and eligibility
Early career researcher
Open to PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, or research fellows. Applicants must show significant achievements in research impact and engagement with the potential to become future champions in these areas. Candidates must be based at the University of Cambridge University at the point of submission and must evidence a strong link to research conducted at the University.
We use the UKRI definition of ECR:
- within eight years of their PhD award or equivalent professional training
- within six years of their first academic appointment (the first full or part time paid employment contract that lists research or teaching as the primary function)
These periods exclude any career break, for example due to:
- family care
- health reasons
Established academic
Open to academic staff who have demonstrated excellence in impact and engagement as an integral part of their research career. A strong link to research conducted at the University of Cambridge must be evidenced.
This category includes awards for both individual academics and for research teams including professional and technical staff.
Collaboration award
This team award recognises collaborative partnerships between University researchers, professional services staff and external relevant parties engaged in impact and engagement activity. Applications must be submitted jointly and teams can include members at all career stages and include academic, professional and technical staff. A strong link to research conducted at the University of Cambridge must be evidenced.
College researchers and College professional staff are eligible to apply for all of these awards.
Application and award process
- Applications must be submitted on the appropriate online form
- Applications can be made in multiple categories
- Applicants from previous years are welcome to apply again with further developed projects. Previous award winners may apply again but with new projects. They will not be judged again on the same project.
- Applications will be judged by an interdisciplinary panel including internal and external professional staff, collaborators and researchers.
- Please submit images of yourself, your team and of the project. These will be used for the ceremony and any linked case studies so please ensure you have permission to use the images and for the University to share them.
- There may be opportunities to present your project at a future Cambridge Festival
- If specific details about your project cannot be share or should be kept confidential, please let us know on the application form and through email to PublicEngagement@admin.cam.ac.uk
For any questions please contact the public engagement team: PublicEngagement@admin.cam.ac.uk