We had the opportunity to interview Marie Pfiffelmann, Associate Dean for Faculty Management and Research, and Géraldine Broye, Head of Research and Development, about impactful research and its importance in international accreditations.
- Can you give a general definition of what is meant by 'impactful' research? What types of impact can research produce in various fields?
Impactful research is defined by its ability to influence and enrich our academic community, but also to bring about concrete transformations in the socio-economic world, including corporate social responsibility (CSR). Today, particular emphasis is placed on societal impact, particularly by accreditations such as EQUIS, which value contributions to global issues.
- Why is it important for research to have a concrete impact?
Our mission at EM Strasbourg is to produce impactful academic research to support the transformation of organizations in our ecosystem. The objective is to create added value in the reflections carried out by our actors and to propose solutions applicable to the concrete challenges faced by companies and institutions. This is the very essence of our discipline, management science. Impactful research ensures that the knowledge produced does not remain confined to the academic environment, but is actively used to improve practices and inform strategic decisions.
- What criteria/indicators are required by accreditation bodies to assess the impact of research?
All accreditation bodies attach significant importance to assessing the impact of our research.
AACSB explicitly asks us to
- demonstrate how we collaborate with external stakeholders,
- prove the impact of our intellectual contributions through concrete examples, and
- provide examples of research projects with significant societal impact.
EQUIS focuses on several specific aspects, including:
- Partnerships and actionable contributions
- List of research partnerships, involvement of professionals in research projects
- Production of actionable contributions (white papers, reports for regulators, books and book chapters for the general public, etc.)
- Ways of disseminating research (conferences, press, social networks, etc.)
- Funding and recognition
- Funding received from the professional sector, particularly in the context of the chairs
- Awards and recognition from professional organizations
EQUIS also looks at how we follow the recommendations of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), of which Unistra has been a signatory since 2022. These recommendations aim to promote a more equitable, transparent, and responsible assessment of research, recognizing the diversity of contributions and prioritizing the quality and impact of research.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!