Abstract

In the UK, research impact roles were originally created with a retrospective attention to evidence gathering and to demonstrating the value of research for external parties. Recent shifts towards focusing on impact culture however, are demanding to impact professionals an increased range of skills, knowledges and areas of expertise. In fact, developing impact culture implies an emphasis on planning for impact and understanding the role of impact in the funding landscape, and a stronger integration of impact, research culture, ethics and research integrity. As a consequence, the competences of impact professionals might include a rich combination of the following: coaching, facilitation, active listening; problem solving, planning, innovation; team and network building; design methods (such as scenario building, co-creation, future-making); public, policy and industry engagement; understanding of the national and international funding landscape; IP, commercialisation and knowledge transfer; equitable partnerships, research ethics and social enterprises, besides the transdisciplinary expertise necessary to interact with researchers from different departments. To reflect this diversity, whilst usually based within research support offices, research impact professionals come from heterogeneous backgrounds including the charity sector, communication and public engagement, private and public sector as well as research itself. As the impact landscape has changed, we point to the role of peer learning to address the evolving requirements in the impact professional skill set. Through brief examples focusing on engaging with design methods and innovation processes in impact work, we discuss peer learning among team members, through professional networks, and from other teams. These examples emphasise the contingent, non-hierarchical and serendipitous nature of peer learning for impact, and suggest how this is filling gaps left by more formal professional development opportunities which fail to cater for the multiplicity of skills required by Impact professionals. We conclude by characterising such multiplicity and the peer learning response as elements of a healthy research culture.