Making an impact: politics and persuasions in 21st century higher education

The Higher Education impact agenda is influencing the way research is conceptualised and articulated. Researchers and research funders are favouring applied research projects that demonstrate the real-world benefits of research expenditure. There is increasing emphasis on supporting research that addresses society’s needs and challenges. Real-world impact is sought as a way to ensure that impact extends beyond academic citation rates and impact factors. The contemporary focus on impact is encouraging applied or solutions-focused research. The pressure to address funding imperatives rather than lead innovation and discovery is placing pressure on the production of rigorous, independent and ethical research. A series of questions arises. Are researchers pressured to reshape research objectives to suit funding priorities? Does funded research reporting tend toward noting only ‘palatable’ outcomes which align with program objectives rather than ameliorate the topic or issue at hand? What do such questions imply about the structure, nature and worth of research today? This chapter will explore how political persuasions may influence the initiation, progress and reporting of Higher Education research in the 21st century, and argue for the need to more broadly conceptualise what constitutes research impact