DPU

Aarhus Universitets segl

Research for impact: Integrating research and societal impact in the humanities PhD

Presentation of the project framework by Dr Søren S.E. Bengtsen, on the PhD course ‘Empiriværkstedet’ on April 22, 2021.

About the research project 

The project studies the societal value and impact of doctoral education within the humanities across policymaking, institutional leadership, research environments, and individual doctoral students. The education of future researchers has a heightened political, institutional and educational interest, with a focus on how connections are being made between research and its societal impact and value. Therefore, research and research-based knowledge has become increasingly central to economic competitiveness, health, happiness and societal and cultural growth. But particularly, doctoral education within the humanities strives hard to make this connection overtly clear and meaningful. It is often tacit in what ways research within the humanities, during and after doctoral education, is being conveyed, applied, and integrated within institutions, organizations, and companies outside the university. This research project studies how the cohesion between doctoral education societal impact and value may be increased. 

 

Visit the ‘Research for impact’ project homepage

 

 

The Research Framework 

The project focuses on interconnections across the doctoral education in the Humanities and the social value and impact, whereas earlier research has focused on one of the levels at a time. That the project research across levels and focus on the interconnections, mean that a more comprehensive and complementary understanding of doctoral education within the humanities becomes possible. To develop the right theoretical and methodological approaches and designs for such a study is one the biggest challenges of the project. 

Part of the developed framework

At this point in the research process different domains, levels and aspects of the Doctoral education, Humanities and Societal impact has been identified and is now in the process of being operationalized for use in the empirical phase of the research project.