Our Celebration of Impact showcase took place on Tuesday 30 April. A day full of fun, networking, and learning, which was designed to showcase the valuable impact and knowledge exchange work we do at the University.

To find out more about impact funding and knowledge exchange, we spoke to Rachel Murphy, Funding Programme Senior Manager in our Research, and Innovation Services department.

IAA team at the Celebration of Impact showcase: L-R Christina Munn, Lindsay Bell, Lizzie Ransom, Rachel Murphy, Elaine Grieveson, Rebecca Scarr and host Jeni Smith

Could you explain what impact and knowledge exchange at Durham means?

Our world leading research at Durham University has the potential to have real and meaningful impact, by making a positive difference to society, the economy, and the environment.  

Teams within Research and Innovation Services, as well as across the University, support this activity through knowledge exchange activities that bridge the gap between external partnerships and academia – i.e. supporting academic researchers to work in collaboration with external organisations to share and exchange knowledge and best practice to solve problems. This two-way transfer of knowledge has a broad range of benefits for the University as it provides critical input to research themes, product and service development and curriculum development.

This support often results in a new product, a new process, a new way of doing things, new perceptions, and can often lead to changes in government policy.

What funding is available and how can our academic colleagues benefit from this funding?

The University offers Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) funding from UKRI's Research Councils, to help transition research into real-world impact. IAAs are flexible funds that Durham academics can apply for every six months to work on collaborative projects with external organisations. The benefits of these projects come from the shared learning and relationship built with the external partner that frequently leads to further projects, new research, and better outcomes for all.

We also run the Research Impact Fund (RIF) - our in-house impact funding programme which aims to kick-start new ways of creating impact by building relationships, or a way of effectively gathering in evidence of what impact our researchers have had.

Examples of projects we can fund include, supporting a post-doctoral researcher to undertake some deep analysis of data, or perhaps carry out lab work. We can support market research and validation of a new idea, as well as workshops to co-create a new product, or even production of communications such as podcasts or webpages to disseminate our work.

Dancer from the Balbir Singh dance group representing the unmasking pain project led by Paul Chazot

Tell us a bit more about the recent Celebration of Impact showcase.

The showcase brings together examples of the many projects and initiatives we have funded through the IAAs, RIF, and elsewhere over the past few years. It aims to highlight the different approaches we have at Durham to increase the impact of our research in the wider community.

We’ve had case study presentations, a Q&A session with some external partners, some Awards given out, and even dancers who represented a project about unmasking and coping with pain!

The theme was 'Let’s Celebrate!', as we aim to value the important work that is undertaken, the skills of our academic researchers and the importance of this community of people who want to make a difference to the world.

The showcase included case study presentations, a Q&A session with some external partners, and even dancers who represented a project about unmasking and coping with pain!

The showcase culminated in the Impact Awards:

Project with the best career development support for RA/PDRAs

• Development of a Risk Management Tool for Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion 
• Project team: Professor Simon Hogg (PI); Professor Grant Ingram (co-I); Dr Aidan Duffy (PDRA)
• Partner: Ørsted

Project with the best Responsible Research and Innovation consideration

• Implementing road cut design policy guidelines for Nepal
• Project team: Dr Ellen Robson (PI, Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience); Professor David Toll
  (co-I, Engineering)
• Partners: Department of Local Infrastructure, Government of Nepal; Mott MacDonald

Best cross-team/interdisciplinary working demonstrated

• Combined Deep learning-based image and blink-rate analysis, and tear protein biomarker detection for effective Parkinsons disease and Progressive supranuclear palsy diagnostic screening
• Project team: Dr Mujeeb Chaudhry (PI, Engineering); Professor Paul Chazot (co-I, Biosciences); Dr Rahele Kafieh (co-I, Engineering); Professor Dan Smith (co-I, Psychology)
• Partner: Nevrargenics Ltd

People’s choice awards (voted for on the day)

Best project name - Dr Cyril Bourgenot for “PROFITTEROLES” - Prototyping the First Image Slicer for the Thai National Observatory and Telescope

Best poster - Dr Natalie Young - Pharmacologically Altering Cellular Mechanics with the Pan-HDAC Inhibitor TSA, Causes Slower and Less Invasive Breast Cancer Cells in Vitro.

Professor Dorothy Monekosso from our Department of Computer Science

Professor Dorothy Monekosso, from our Department of Computer Science, was awarded Impact Acceleration Account funding. Here Dorothy tells us how she benefitted.

Tell us what the funding you received and a bit about the project.

I received £63,000 from the MRC-IAA programme for a project to evaluate a novel technology-driven method to support physical therapy for stroke survivors. Physical symptoms of a stroke are managed with physical therapy, which continues after discharge from hospital. For best outcomes, the recommended treatment is a minimum of 45 minutes therapy five days a week, but according to research UK stroke survivors do not receive the recommended amount of therapy due to cost and therapist availablity for example. We have developed a prototype device, equipped with a camera and associated software, to assist users in home therapy by analysing limb movement and assess performance. 

How does the project deliver impact?

Engaging in impact activities varies based on research type and stage. There is a personal satisfaction knowing that your research is addressing some important societal challenges but equally the research objectives are achieved only by working (co-creation) with stakeholders and in particular the end-users. A major challenge in developing healthcare technologies is acceptance (and ultimately adoption) by end-users. Rarely does one solution fit all. Working with all stakeholders and end-users is a necessity.

Collaborating with partners outside of academia, we are helping companies solve specific problems that will allow them to improve a product or service is rewarding. Often companies and in particular SMEs lack the knowledge or skills or are not even aware that products, services, and business processes could be enhanced by analysing and understanding their data. It is rewarding to be able to intervene to help them make use of all this data they may be holding (or even discarding).

In our project, we closely collaborate with stroke survivors and healthcare professionals from the NHS to gain insights into the needs of patients, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. This collaborative effort has enabled us to tailor the system to complement the work of physiotherapists effectively.

This summer, we will conduct a service evaluation during which patients and clinicians will provide feedback on the system's performance. This will guide us in refining its functionalities.

Would you recommend engaging with research impact activities to other colleagues and if so, why?

In addition to my academic role, I continue to engage with the private sector, I collaborate with various companies and have a role in a company. As a result, prioritising impact activities comes naturally to me. I frequently discuss impact with colleagues, and I make it a point to offer encouragement and support whenever possible.