Enhancing societal impact: Strengthening connections between the Faculty of Geosciences and society
Whether it’s through providing a fundamental understanding of how our world works or co-creating solutions to today’s sustainability issues with societal partners, researchers at Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences are dedicated to making a positive impact on the world. A recent Faculty-commissioned report investigated how researchers at the Faculty engage with societal partners to create impact, their motivations and the challenges they face. The report also proposes steps the university can take to strengthen this engagement.
The insights came out of a qualitative and quantitative study involving 40 Faculty researchers, funded through the Dean’s policy resources on Open Science and co-authored by Paula Schipper, Jarno Hoekman, Maryse Chappin, and Koen Frenken, who are researchers at the Department of Sustainable Development/Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.
Diverse meanings of societal impact
When asked to define what societal impact means in their work, Faculty researchers provided a wide range of answers. Some focus on sharing knowledge, others on driving societal change, and their approaches vary from straightforward information sharing to collaborative partnerships and knowledge co-production in transdisciplinary research projects. “This diversity highlights the different ways our Faculty members view and engage with society,” says Schipper. The researchers also found that the main motivation for their efforts is often driven by a wish to benefit society, rather than reputational or career-related gains.
The report identified three levels that shape how effectively academics can engage with society: individual, organizational, and institutional. “We see that challenges can arise at all three levels, and the Faculty has a role to play in helping to overcome these obstacles”.
Barriers to engaging with societal partners
The report highlighted several individual barriers to engaging with societal partners and impact-oriented work, including career concerns, communication challenges, cultural differences, and network limitations. “These barriers tend to vary from person to person, suggesting that targeted support and training could help overcome them,” explains Schipper.
Across the Faculty, academics reported common challenges related to time constraints and a lack of recognition for their engagement efforts, regardless of their department. “And not to forget, academics work within the boundaries of their institutions,” she says. Challenges can arise due to different expectations of scientific and societal partners, as well as varying academic responsibilities.
Next steps
“We believe that initiatives like MERIT and now TRIPLE - Utrecht University models for Regcognitions and Rewards - can serve as a foundation for building stronger support systems to address these barriers and enhance the ability of our academics to engage with society,” says Schipper. “Also, I believe that our report can help the members of the faculty Impact Working Group that is currently drawing up departmental impact strategies and faculty-wide impact framework.”
Recommendations focus on three key areas:
Competence development: Expanding training opportunities in both public engagement and stakeholder co-creation to better equip academics for impactful societal engagement.
How impact is recognised and rewarded: Developing a process-oriented understanding of how impact is created, and how different impact-driven activities can be recognized and rewarded within the TRIPLE framework.
Navigating normative and political challenges: Increasing attention to the normative and political aspects of academic work when creating impact, through open discussions, sharing best practices, and establishing guidelines for responsible engagement.
“We hope that our insights can contribute to ongoing conversations about societal impact, both within our faculty, Utrecht University and beyond,” conclude the authors.