Abstract

The Impact Pipeline : Motivating Researchers and Enhancing Societal Impact

Motivating researchers to prioritize societal impact remains a significant challenge, particularly in academic environments where the "publish or perish" mentality prevails. At the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), the Impact Team addresses this challenge by developing a structured approach to support researchers who aspire to create societal impact, despite the limited direct career benefits under the current system.

To bridge this gap, UMCG has introduced the Impact Accelerator Grant, providing four annual grants of €40,000 each to researchers ready to leverage societal impact opportunities from their ongoing projects. Central to this initiative is the Impact Pipeline, a comprehensive support system designed to guide researchers through the process of maximizing their impact. Once awarded a grant, researchers enter the Impact Pipeline, where they receive tailored assistance from specialized support teams, ensuring a coordinated and strategic approach to managing and realizing impactful projects.

The Impact Pipeline not only fosters successful outcomes but also allows UMCG to highlight these projects in broader communications and use them as case studies in research assessments, thereby enhancing the visibility and value of societal impact within the academic community.
At the EARMA 2025 conference, UMCG will present the initial outcomes of the Impact Accelerator grants and Impact Pipeline building. We will share insights into the application process, evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives in engaging researchers, and discuss the challenges encountered during implementation. In an interactive session, we will not only showcase how the Impact Pipeline is driving societal impact but also invite the audience to share their own practices, fostering a collaborative exchange of ideas on how to motivate researchers and enhance societal impact across institutions, and discuss how we can move from an incentive based approach towards a culture of impact.