Impact Ignite 2027

UK, November 2027

Join the Impact Ignite 2027 Conference Committee

Applications close on 16th October

Impact Ignite will return to the UK in November 2027, bringing together people working across research impact, knowledge exchange, research support, public engagement, funding, policy and practice.

We are inviting expressions of interest from people who would like to join the Impact Ignite 2027 Conference Committee and help shape the programme and experience of the event.

About Impact Ignite

Impact Ignite 2027 is a conference targeting the people that drive research impact forward. It is for research impact officers, funders, policy makers, academics, or public engagement practitioners, this event is your opportunity to connect, collaborate, and ignite real-world change.

Unlike traditional conferences that focus primarily on sharing high-level research and theory, this event dives deeper into practical implementation and real-world applications that have enabled and supported research impact. Speakers will be asked to deliver concrete next steps, tangible strategies, and actionable tools that participants can immediately incorporate into their work. Our speakers will be encouraged to present beyond outcomes and to instead reveal the processes behind their successes and or “glorious failures. Through this focus the goal or Impact Ignite is to give attendees a clear roadmap for replication and adaptation. The event aims to provide a dynamic mix of presentations and activities ensuring abundant opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration.

This conference is the brainchild of the team at the Research Impact Academy, an impact specific business that has been operating for 10 years. You can find out more about us here.

We identified a gap when looking at the options of conferences tailored to the growing field of researchers, professionals and organisations working to create, support or evaluate research impact. Yes, there are administration conferences (e.g ARMA & EARMA) that include research impact streams. Still, there is no conference that is dedicated only to this topic particularly with a focus on learning and method to build community.

Indeed, at RIA, we have the online annual Research Impact Summit that aims to fill some of this gap. However, it lacks the community-building element that can only be achieved through a live event. Therefore, we wanted to deliver a different event that is open to anyone to share experiences and strategies for how they go about achieving and reporting research impact.

We hope you will join us in building the community.

Why join the committee

This is an opportunity to help influence the direction of Impact Ignite 2027, contribute to decisions about what the conference should address, connect with others working across the research impact community, and help create an event that responds to the issues and questions people are encountering in practice.

Who we are looking for

We are interested in hearing from people with experience, interest or responsibility in areas connected to research impact, including research impact practice, knowledge exchange, knowledge mobilisation, engagement, research management, funding, policy, evaluation and research support.

We also want the committee to bring different perspectives. We therefore welcome expressions of interest from people at different career stages, from different types of organisations and from different countries and research systems.

You do not need to have served on a conference committee before.

What the committee will do

Committee members will play an active role in helping to shape Impact Ignite 2027. This may include:

reviewing submitted abstracts
contributing to decisions about conference themes and programme structure
advising on session formats and conference activities
suggesting speakers, topics and emerging areas of interest
contributing to the development of abstract assessment criteria
advising on audience participation and interaction
helping us consider what will make the conference most useful for the research impact community

We want committee members to have real influence over the conference. The role is intended to provide an opportunity to contribute ideas, perspectives and experience, and to help determine how Impact Ignite 2027 develops.

Commitment

Committee membership will run from approximately November 2026 to November 2027.

We expect the commitment to include:

an initial online committee meeting in November 2026
approximately 4 to 6 online meetings across the planning period
review of approximately 8 to 12 conference abstracts
occasional input into programme development and conference design between meetings

We will aim to keep meetings focused and make the best use of committee members' time.

Committee members do not need to be based in the UK. We welcome interest from people working in research impact related roles internationally.

What we will offer

In recognition of their contribution, members of the Impact Ignite 2027 Conference Committee will receive:

complimentary registration for Impact Ignite 2027 (Committee members attending the conference will be responsible for arranging and covering their own travel and accommodation).
formal recognition as a member of the Impact Ignite 2027 Conference Committee on the conference website, programme and relevant promotional materials
the opportunity to include a short professional profile on the conference website
a formal letter confirming their committee service and contribution
an invitation to a dedicated committee networking activity during the conference
opportunities to chair or facilitate conference sessions, where appropriate and of interest

Interested in being a member of the Impact Ignite Conference Organising Committee?

Please complete the form by Friday, 16 October 2026.

We look forward to learning more about your interest in being part of the team.

First Name *

Last Name *

Job Title / Role *

Organisation *

Email *

Country *

Outline why you would like to join the committee *

Impact Ignite 2027