Experience of developing REF impact case

Stephanie BarrientosUniversity of Manchester

s.barrientos@manchester.ac.uk

International Research

• Research track record– Fair/Ethical Trade in Cocoa

• Cocoa-Chocolate:– Socio-economic sustainability of cocoa value chains– Funded by Cadbury/Kraft/Mondelez– Research with partners in 3 countries• Ghana, India• Dominican Republic (Amanda Berlan),

Research Impact

Cocoa-Chocolate: Cadbury Fairtrade, Cadbury Cocoa Partnership (£45m), Mondelez Cocoa Life (US$400m) + spin off impacts (Mars & Nestle)

Research Towards Impact• Relevant research - new insights• Building relationships & trust with users• Track record and reputation• Research Design:

– User focus from beginning– Advisory Group – on-going engagement– Managing Tensions

• Research Outputs– Academic (substance)– User focused (highlights)– Social Media (videos, blogs, workshops, Briefings)

Preparing Impact Case

• Ethical Issues– Working with stakeholders– ‘Negative impacts’

• Proof of Impact– Differentiating impact of research– Documentation– Approaching users/staff turnover– Time frame