From hidden impact to lasting change: co-creating narratives and engaging communities in fundamental research

How can research organisations recognise impact when its pathways are long, non-linear and difficult to attribute? This is particularly challenging for fundamental research, where discoveries may enable future scientific, technological or societal advances many years later, while conventional impact indicators tend to privilege more immediate and easily measurable outcomes. INCAS, Impact Narratives for biomedical research: a Co-creation Approach to fair implementation, was a one-year institutional pilot conducted at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) with support from CoARA Boost Cascade Funding. The project explored whether impact narratives, complemented by responsible and context-sensitive indicators, could provide a fairer, more accurate way to identify and communicate the diverse contributions of fundamental biomedical research. INCAS followed a participatory approach built around three interconnected components: institutional co-creation, an Impact Narratives Open Call, and community engagement and capacity building. A cross-institutional Impact Taskforce brought together more than 30 representatives, including PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, technicians, principal investigators, institutional leadership and professional staff from research management, people management, communication, technology transfer and other relevant functions. Across six meetings, the Taskforce discussed definitions of impact, limitations of existing evaluation practices, field-specific indicators, evaluation procedures and the design of a sustainable institutional workflow. The central proof-of-concept was an internal Impact Narratives Open Call inviting researchers and technical staff to describe how their work contributes, or may contribute in the future, to scientific, societal or institutional change. To support learning, participants received guiding questions, evaluation criteria and examples addressing research relevance, stakeholders and beneficiaries, pathways to impact, communication and open science, inclusion, and approaches to documenting impact. The call received 21 narratives from different research profiles and disciplines. Each eligible narrative was independently reviewed by three evaluators using a common qualitative framework aligned with CoARA and responsible research assessment principles, with emphasis on contextual judgement, diverse forms of contribution and the responsible use of indicators. The results were then considered collectively with the Impact Taskforce. All applicants received an individual evaluation report with criterion-based feedback, turning the assessment process into a learning opportunity rather than only a selection exercise. Rather than proposing a universal definition of impact or a fixed indicator set, the model supported context-sensitive assessment grounded in disciplinary expertise and qualitative judgement, complemented by responsible quantitative evidence. The pilot generated several practical findings. Participants were generally able to describe the relevance of their work and use inclusive definitions of impact, but found it more difficult to identify specific stakeholders, articulate credible pathways connecting research activities to change, and select meaningful indicators for monitoring impact. Applicant feedback showed that the writing exercise encouraged reflection beyond conventional academic outputs and was considered useful for future funding applications and professional development. Respondents valued the guiding questions and structured feedback, while also identifying a need for more hands-on training, simplified guidance and opportunities to revise narratives after receiving feedback. The Open Call was complemented by multiple awareness formats, including programme-level discussions, institutional events, an informal “Impact Pizza” session attended by more than 40 early-career researchers, and a training session reaching more than 30 first-year PhD candidates. These activities demonstrated that combining formal training, informal engagement and visible institutional recognition can lower barriers to participation and help normalise conversations about impact and research assessment. INCAS is now moving from pilot activity to institutional implementation. Impact-related training has been incorporated into the onboarding of doctoral researchers, and a second edition of the Impact Narratives Open Call is about to be launched. The project is also informing revisions to internal funding calls to incorporate pathways to impact and context-sensitive indicators into their evaluation. CRG is also considering more systematic approaches to tracking non-traditional outputs and indicators such as datasets, software, protocols, models, training uptake, stakeholder engagement and reuse of research resources. Additionally, recruitment, promotion and appraisal criteria are being reviewed to better recognise qualitative and impact-related contributions. Importantly, INCAS has opened a pathway for governance change at CRG, including the possible evolution of the Impact Taskforce into a permanent societal advisory body. It has also strengthened the role of a dedicated institutional team working on research quality, enabling it to function as an internal policy lab that tests and evaluates new approaches before their wider implementation. Beyond CRG, INCAS has strengthened the institute’s visibility and recognition as an active contributor to research assessment reform. The project’s concepts, methods and lessons have already been shared through invited participation in events organised by partner institutions and through exchanges within networks such as PRBB, BIST, CERCA, SOMMa and EU-LIFE. These activities have supported mutual learning and broader discussion on how impact can be recognised in fundamental research. Moreover, exchanges with the regional funding body AGAUR have also contributed to wider reflections on how impact could be more meaningfully integrated into regional funding and evaluation practices. The poster will present the INCAS workflow, practical tools, pilot findings and lessons for implementation. It is intended to support research-performing organisations, particularly those working in fundamental research, that wish to move from general commitments on responsible assessment towards feasible institutional experimentation. By making long-term, enabling and frequently overlooked contributions more visible, INCAS demonstrates how narrative approaches can support CoARA’s objectives of recognising diverse research contributions, strengthening qualitative assessment and creating meaningful cultural and organisational change.