The Longstones Project, a collaboration involving the Universities of Leicester, Bristol and Southampton, unlocked some of the secrets of a significant group of major Neolithic and Early Bronze Age ceremonial monuments at Avebury.
Impacts included:
• Drawing in more visitors to Avebury, and so creating financial benefits for the site and the local area, plus developing cultural and social benefits for visitors.
• Developing the knowledge and experience of non-academics who worked with the project team, contributing to their skills and to their quality of life.
Archaeological research is often labour intensive, involving substantial teams of people. Large scale research projects provide an excellent training environment for those keen to gain practical experience in the excavation and interpretation of heritage sites. By involving a large number of non-academics in the research, both in the research team and through public lectures and tours, the project has provided opportunities for developing skills and social networks.
The project has generated publicity and media interest for Avebury, while research findings fed into the educational value of the site. The results of the project are published in Landscape of the Megaliths: excavation and fieldwork on the Avebury monuments, 1997-2003 (Oxbow Books, 2008) by Mark Gillings, Joshua Pollard, David Wheatley and Rick Peterson.
Further details:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundedResearch/CaseStudies/Pages/AveburyandtheLongstones.aspx
Further information:
These short overviews have been produced as an aid to understanding some of the impacts arising from arts and humanities research. The examples are taken from existing AHRC projects, ranging from small awards up to large Research Grants and Centres. They are not exhaustive; impact from research takes many forms. It can occur at any stage of the research process, from its beginning to well after the research itself has finished.
The Research Councils define impact as the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. This definition accords with the Royal Charters of the Councils and with HM Treasury guidance on the appraisal of economic impact. Impact embraces all the extremely diverse ways in which research-related knowledge and skills benefit individuals, organisations and nations by:
• fostering global economic performance, and specifically the economic competitiveness of the United Kingdom
• increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy, and
• enhancing quality of life, health and creative output
These case studies offer some, but in no way all, of the diversity and variety of those impacts. They are not, however, intended as guidance on completing the Impact Requirements sections on proposals, for which you should refer to the Je-S guidance for Standard Grant proposals and Fellowship proposals.
It should also be remembered that the impacts described here will not necessarily be replicated by undertaking the same activities. The pathways to impact are as diverse and varied as the impacts themselves. These examples can, however, provide some illustration of what can be achieved.