Research impact tools

Tools to capture the impact of research

VICTOR – making Visible the ImpaCT Of Research tool: 

The VICTOR tool is designed to establish the perspectives of research teams, clinicians, patients and families on the changes that occur as a result of clinical research. VICTOR identifies changes in workforce, skills, service delivery, patient experience, and economic benefits. Information is gathered through questionnaires sent to research participants, clinicians, managers, and researchers, focusing on the specific impacts of being involved in a research study. Findings are categorised into six domains: Health, service and workforce, research profile, economics, influence and reputation, knowledge generation and exchange. 

The VICTOR tool is available for free to download from an online repository: VICTOR – Visible Impact of Research | e-repository (nihr.ac.uk)

The following NIHR blog provides further information: A VICTOR-y for measuring research impact in the NHS: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/blog/a-victor-y-for-measuring-research-impact-in-the-nhs/12081  

Framework and research impact capture tool for NMAHPPs:

The following research paper describes the development of a framework and research impact capture tool for nursing, midwifery, allied health professions, healthcare science, pharmacy and psychology (NMAHPPs): 

Newington, L., Wells, M., Begum, S. et al. Development of a framework and research impact capture tool for nursing, midwifery, allied health professions, healthcare science, pharmacy and psychology (NMAHPPs). BMC Health Serv Res 23, 433 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09451-2 

The framework and research impact capture tool cover eight areas: Clinical background, research and service improvement activities, research capacity building, research into practice, patients and service users, research dissemination, economics and research funding, and collaborations. The research impact capture tool has been designed to provide information at an organisation level to evidence collective impacts of research activity and at an individual level for practitioners to record their research activity, outputs and impact. 

Research Excellence Framework (REF): 

The REF is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. Its main purpose is to: 

  • Inform the allocation of block-grant research funding to HEIs based on research quality 
  • Provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment 
  • Provide insights into the health of research in HEIs in the UK 

The next REF round is planned for the year 2029. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.ref.ac.uk/