It’s the buzzword that has universities around the world more obsessed than political junkies waiting to hear who has won a leadership spill. But unlike the average Australian Prime Minister, the quest for ‘impact’ among academics is likely to be with us for a long time.What exactly does it mean for researchers to ‘make a difference’? What tools can they employ to ensure their work doesn’t live only in obscure academic journals, unread and unused by policymakers? On this week’s podcast, hosts Sharon Bessell and Sara Bice chat to Mark Reed, a Professor of Social Innovation and an expert in research impact.Mark Reed is Professor of Social Innovation at Newcastle University in the UK, specialising in stakeholder participation in agri-food systems. He has published over 150 publications, including handbooks on research impact, and he’s been cited more than 12,000 times. He runs Fast Track Impact, a company that trains researchers to be more productive and achieve real-world impact. He presents the Fast Track Impact podcast series which offers researchers tips and tricks to increase their impact.Sara Bice is a Senior Research Fellow at Crawford School of Public Policy, and leader of the Next Generation Engagement Program based at the school.Sharon Bessell is the Director of the Children’s Policy Centre in Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University.Show notes | The following were referred to in this episode:Fast Track Impact - the podcast for researchers who want to be more productive and achieve real-world impacts from their research.*Policy Forum Pod is available on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook.This episode of Policy Forum Pod was written and produced by Martyn Pearce, Cherry Zheng, and Nicky Lovegrove. It was edited by Martyn Pearce and Edwina Landale.* Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.