The University of Edinburgh’s annual Impact Festival concluded with the announcement of the newest cohort of Research Impact prize winners.
Now in its second year, the festival is part of a wider University effort to celebrate the myriad staff who are working to achieve impact with their work across the institution.
Taking place on 29 May 2025 at the historic McEwan Hall, the festival invited staff across the University to learn about their colleagues’ experiences in engaging with industry, communities, policy-makers, the media, artists and practitioners, all to maximise the benefits of their research.
The festival brought together over 300 attendees and featured a variety of sessions, covering the wide sweep of activity taking place within the University.
From idea to impact
Edinburgh Innovations hosted a candid fireside chat with three academics involved with launching their research-based spinouts or startup. This can be a daunting proposition for any academic, but it can also provide an incredible route to impact, opening a wealth of opportunities.
Thank you to Dr Markus Rondé, CEO at Exergy3, Dr Lexi Birch, Chief Scientist at Aveni, and Dr Maciej Parys, CEO at CanCan Diagnostics for sharing valuable insights into their innovation journeys with Ian Hatch, Head of Business Development CSE.
The panel discussed the need for patience and determination, keeping an eye on the long-term rewards when facing any short-term hurdles. They were realistic about the highs and the lows of their innovation journeys so far, and spoke about the support from Edinburgh Innovations throughout the process.
Celebrating impact
It was brought to a close with a ‘Celebrating Impact’ event where researchers, teams, and partnerships received prizes in recognition of their outstanding engagement and research impact activities.
The final session was opened by science-magician Dr Adrian Garcia-Burgos, followed by Professor Christina Boswell, Vice-Principal for Research and Enterprise, who presented prizes to the winners of each category, which had been selected by a panel that had reviewed over 50 nominations.
Awards were made over five categories: Engagement Newcomer, Impact Enabler, Responsible Engagement and Innovation, Sustained Partnership, and Team Culture.
Many of the awards recognised the vital role that partnerships with
external organisations such as businesses, charities and government
play in delivering meaningful impact, and supporting the success of
these exciting projects.
The Impact Festival has already become an institution, demonstrating the University’s commitment to driving meaningful change through research. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this day such a success, and congratulations to all the Research Impact Prize winners and nominees for your outstanding contributions to research impact and innovation.
Professor Christina Boswell, Vice-Principal for Research and Enterprise.
Research impact prize winners
The Team Culture award went to UNCOVER is a multidisciplinary initiative launched at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded by epidemiologists, public health researchers, and information scientists, UNCOVER's primary aim is to deliver rapid evidence reviews to inform decision-makers.
The Sustained Partnership award went jointly to the RC3 Project & The Scottish Youth Work Research Steering Group.
The Resilience of Traditional Structures in Madagascar to Cyclones in a Changing Climate (RC3) project's goal was to enhance the resilience of traditional timber houses against cyclonic winds through sustainable, co-created construction practices as a response to Dr Thomas Reynolds, Dr Chris Beckett and Dr Yuner Huang’s work in Madagascar studying the resilience of built environments and traditional structures in a changing climate.
The Scottish Youth Work Research Steering Group (SYWRSG) is a collaborative initiative uniting key representatives from the youth work sector, universities, policy areas, and government. This group supports the development of evidence-based, data-driven practices within Scotland's youth work sector and overseeing a national research programme.
The Responsible Engagement and Innovation award went to Dr Ingrid Young who exemplifies responsible research and innovation and equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) through her interdisciplinary work and commitment to creating an inclusive academic environment. Her research significantly advances public health understanding, addressing inequalities in HIV prevention, gender, sexuality, and LGBTQ+ health, while advocating for social justice and equitable access to healthcare innovation.
The Engagement Newcomer award went to Dr Livvy Swann has been awarded a Wellcome Early-Career Fellowship for her research on the sensitive topic of cold homes and childhood chest infections and is passionate about increasing the voices of underrepresented groups in research. Recognising the stigma and challenges associated with heating homes, especially concerning child health, Livvy has proactively built relationships with charities, third-sector organizations, policymakers and community groups across Scotland.
The Impact Enabler award went to Nicola Osborne (they/them/she/her), who demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing the Creative Informatics Research and Development Programme. Their dedication and expertise have been central to the transformative impact of this initiative on Scotland’s creative industries.
The Impact Festival (University login only)
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