Symplectic Elements Expectancies

Welcome to the Symplectic Elements guide. Before we review specific subjects areas associated with the impact module, we must understand what to expect from the module itself. Please review the statements below which will provide you with some further context.

The Goal : External stakeholders increasingly use impact to explain the role of HEIs in addressing complex societal challenges, and impact is a key pillar of the university’s research strategy; we want to grow our strong ‘Excellence with Impact’. This requires a development in how we think about impact; we must foster a culture where impact is integral to our activities and rewarded as well as rewarding. To this end, impact, outreach and public engagement are now included within academic promotion criteria.

The current situation : Pathways to impact begin early and develop over time, there is no one way to deliver impact; it occurs from our collaboration, knowledge exchange and public engagement activity or uptake of research. As our researchers become more adept at identifying the impact of their research it is important that we provide the efficient way to capture impact.

When?:We are introducing a new system for all researchers (staff and PGR) to document research impact and engagement. The impact module of Elements will be released to users this summer.

Why Elements? :It provides a secure place to record activities, store notes and evidence, and to work together with internal collaborators on their records. Symplectic Elements (‘Elements’) is the university’s current research information system (CRIS). It unifies data about research projects, publications, researcher profiles and impact into a single place.

What will the impact module within elements be used for? : The Elements Impact module will act as a central repository and will work in parallel with the REF deep dive process to support the storage of information and evidence related to potential REF impact case studies. However, it will not replace the impact case study templates and evidence submission process currently in use.