Impact is the demonstrable contribution of excellent research to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.

Impact involves creating some sort of change or introducing something new e.g. a novel diagnostic, improvement in a conservation outcome, an amendment to a policy, establishing a new company or licensing technology to a company.

Knowledge exchange is a precursor to impact and happens through learning, when the data and information from research becomes knowledge that people can benefit from or use.

Types of impact arising from research include:

• Academic Research: publications, presentations, books and teaching.
• Economic: Commercialisation through licensing of intellectual property or know-how, formation of a new company with generation of products, leverage of follow on funding for research, formation of industrial collaborations.
• Cultural: Public engagement, social cohesion and cultural enrichment.
• Social: Health and wellbeing, policy regulation and standards.