ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the ‘impact’, or potential impact, of British international affairs research at the time the impact agenda was emerging, but before REF2014 and the advent of the official institutional impact agenda. The body of research revealed notable potential for impact being developed, even though research funders had yet to introduce the impact focus. There was the prospect of considerable ‘world-leading’ research impact, with then fairly novel emergence of multi- and interdisciplinary research. Having reviewed the best-performing submissions in REF2014, against the background of impact in international affairs more globally and also the targeted research funded by UK research councils ahead of REF2014, it is evident that there was both a desire for and accomplishment of impact.
