Session: #208

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
1. Archaeologists and Archaeology Here and Now
Session format:
Round table (without formal abstracts, only list of confirmed discussants / session co-organisers to be provided)

Title & Content

Title:
Telling Stories about Impacts of Academic Research in Archaeology on Society: Wider Lessons from the UK Research Excellence Framework Experience [EAA ExB]
Content:
This session asks what we can learn from the UK’s recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) experience of university academics having to formally generate, measure and evaluate non-academic impact of their archaeological research.

The REF publishes the results of its 2021 assessment of the quality of research in UK higher education institutions (HEI) in May 2022. The outcomes of this massive enterprise, last undertaken in 2014, affect future HEI funding, with 25% of each score now relating to impact. Over 60 diverse Impact Case Studies for archaeological and related heritage research will be published (www.ref.ac.uk) and offer insights into the character of existing practices.

We aim to explore the following:

• Should archaeological research be evaluated in relation to its public benefits and impact on society, what does that mean, and can it be measured by criteria such as reach and significance?
• What are the trends across Europe in evaluating archaeology’s public benefits and impact on society?
• What are the practical challenges and opportunities that arise from any formal requirements of evaluation, and how can we help each other to enhance our performances or change the requirements?
• In the wider context of the drive for Archaeology to demonstrate and improve public benefits and impact, what can we learn going forward?

We particularly welcome attendance from academics with diverse geographical experience of researching in European Universities. Discussants will include:
• Professor David Mattingly (University of Leicester, Chair of Archaeology REF Panel) – UK context, processes of measurement and evaluation
• Dr Sally Foster (University of Stirling) – character of non-academic impacts and pathways to impact in the UK context
• Peter Hinton (Director, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists) – comparing the agenda for non-academic impact beyond universities
• Professor Cornelius Holtorf (Linnaeus University) – a non-UK counterpoint based on Sweden.
Keywords:
academic research, non-academic impact, pathways to impact, public benefits
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Promoted by the EAA Executive Board

Organisers

Main organiser:
Sally Foster (United Kingdom) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Cornelius Holtorf (Sweden) 3,4
Affiliations:
1. University of Stirling
2. EAA Secretary
3. Linnaeus University
4. UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures