ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the nature and influence of impact in contemporary higher education research. The contemporary focus on research impact, beyond contributions to academia, is changing the way research is being approached and undertaken by higher education institutions. The impact agenda is having its own impact, by changing the practices and behaviours of researchers and research funders across the globe. The impact agenda refers to the assessment and monetisation of research undertaken in higher education institutions beyond the traditional peer-review process. The global higher education sector is being influenced by political agendas and public persuasions. The embedding of impact can be seen to place greater pressure on the production of rigorous, independent and ethical research which must be seen to respond to funding imperatives rather than lead innovation and discovery. Across the globe, researchers, research institutions, funding agencies and societies are increasingly focused on the real-world or non-academic impact of research.
