The societal impact of universities: "Here today, and here to stay"

At an event this morning in Brussels, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) launched a new policy paper “Productive interactions: Societal impact of academic research in the knowledge society” on why and how societal impact has always been, is and will remain, a core task of universities.

Today LERU publishes its latest position paper, complete with recommendations for universities, governments, policy makers and funders. LERU is eager to engage with others on this important issue, which EU Commissioner Carlos Moedas has called “one of three core values”, next to excellence and openness, for Europe’s funding programmes.

The demand on universities to demonstrate their impact is both old and new, it can be justified and contested, but it is unquestionably a hot issue here today, and here to stay. The discussion often focuses on publication output and economic benefits (e.g. numbers of spin-offs, patents, gross value added, jobs created). These are relatively easy to measure (cf. Biggar study of LERU universities’ economic impact). It is much trickier to answer, especially with facts and figures, this thorny question: “What are you universities doing that brings societal benefits?”

“To answer that question”, says one of the two authors of the paper, Prof. Wiljan van den Akker, vice-rector research at Utrecht University, “we have analysed the current thinking at LERU universities on societal impact. We have talked to rectors and deans, researchers and teachers, from different disciplines and corners of the academic enterprise to find out how they view societal impact.” The result is a thorough analysis of how societal impact has come to the forefront of the agenda today, riding on the wave of dramatic societal changes related to globalisation, competition and pressing problems such as ageing populations, global warming and migration. “We have found evidence of changing approaches to societal impact at LERU universities in their strategic plans and in their support for research projects that involve other, non-academic stakeholders in the process of knowledge production, examples of which are included in the paper and were discussed at the launch event today.”

LERU universities realise they play a vital part in a multi-stake dialogue on how society deals with pressing problems. They know that academic research and knowledge creation and dissemination have an important role to fulfill in solving them and that they are and should be seen as part of a process that goes beyond academic confines. They believe that insights from a wide array of academic disciplines and from a wide variety of actors in academia and outside (citizens, governments, private companies, NGOs, charities, etc.) can, do and should contribute their varied expertise.

In this thinking, LERU universities advocate a view which sees societal impact as the outcome of the creative encounter of various stakeholders and their contributions to a common goal in an iterative process. According to Dr Jack Spaapen, co-author and senior policy officer at the Dutch KNAW, “competition or comparison should no longer be seen as the main (or only) drivers in the production of knowledge, and should make way for productive interactions between stakeholders and the formulation of common goals and joint achievement of results.” Such a view is in sharp contrast with the traditional view of a uniform and linear model of knowledge production focused on direct economic benefit and easily quantifiable output. The latter is a tide that has started to turn, albeit perhaps too slowly or unevenly, for now.

Says Kurt Deketelaere, Secretary-General of LERU: “Societal impact is not something about which a researcher writes an obligatory paragraph in a research proposal and a short narrative when a research project comes to an end. On the contrary, societal impact is a sustained effort; it is present in our everyday work, sometimes at the forefront, sometimes in the background, depending on various research circumstances, purpose, process and time. Impact also permeates academics’ teaching, in linewith research universities’ unique triple mission – education, research and societal engagement.”

Conference materials:

• Press Release
• Download the paper
• Presentation by the main authors, Wiljan van den Akker and Jack Spaapen
• Highlights of the comments made by one of the panelists, Koenraad Debackere

Contact Policy enquiries: Dr Katrien Maes, LERU Chief Policy Officer: +32 473 97 70 14 / katrien.maes(at)leru.org Media enquiries: Mr Bart Valkenaers, Policy Officer LERU, +32 498 08 43 49 or bart.valkenaers(at)leru.org