Case studies & impact cases

Helping research and practice come together to tell their story.

Here are just a few examples of the true impact of research in the real world, but we would love to gather more. Please get involved either by contributing to our blog or being part of our Real Impact Awards.

Real impact is helping young people stay in employment, education or training

Thousands of young people living in one of the most deprived areas of France are set to benefit from efforts to improve youth outreach activities.

Charities supporting at-risk youth will use a newly developed tool to help them measure and improve the success of their programmes. If adopted widely, data could be used to positively influence policies for disadvantaged communities across the country. 

Real impact is reducing environmental impacts in the tourism industry

The rise of travel during the last six decades has increased employment and boosted GDP, but the effect on the environment has been catastrophic. A collaboration between international academic institutions has been using knowledge from social science to reduce the negative impact of trips abroad and trigger an upsurge in ethical tourism – but are holiday makers willing to use the same bath towel twice?

Produced in partnership with EFMD and the Business School Impact System.

Real impact is helping disadvantaged groups access fresh, local food

Our global food system is broken and, without change, it will continue to negatively impact health, trade, the economy and the environment. Sustainable food advocate Kay Johnson believes we can achieve a fairer and more sustainable food system by 'thinking globally, acting locally'. Her pioneering work in Preston, Lancashire, is a model of how communities can address food poverty, promote healthier eating, support their farmers and producers and reduce waste.

Produced in partnership with The Larder

Real impact is protecting children across the digital universe

As young people spend more unsupervised time online, their risk of encountering inappropriate content and cyberbullying has increased. With parental controls only providing a moderate shield, IMD’s collaboration with a Swiss startup is helping to educate children and adolescents about online dangers and how to address them.

Produced in partnership with EFMD and the Business School Impact System.

Real impact is improving prospects for young girls in rural communities

In India, where men dominate, the promised land of gender equality is hard enough in cities, let alone rural areas. In recent years, girls of the Neemka village have been given vital help and support by the Chiraiya Project. This initiative has already improved the educational, economic and life prospects for hundreds of villagers but, above all, it has engendered hope.

Produced in partnership with EFMD and the Business School Impact System.

Real impact is creating a new chapter for Indian prisons

Birla Institute of Management Technology realised that to make a better world, it should not only focus on producing responsible managers, but also provide a second chance for those who had become involved in crime and ended up in prison. For inmates, access to books and libraries was a chance to turn over a new leaf – quite literally.

Produced in partnership with EFMD and the Business School Impact System.

Real impact is applying new teaching approaches to promote sustainability

Action on the Sustainable Development Goals could be boosted by combining transformative learning and management approaches to sustainability issues. Researchers at the University of Torino, Italy, demonstrated that students taught in this learning environment developed skills in leadership, design and business modelling that helped them take decisions and create actions on sustainability problems.

Real impact is engaging communities in urban development

Through their InstaBooth project, Dr Mirko Guaralda and colleagues from Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, have given communities around the world an interactive platform to shape the development of their cities.

Real impact is empowering people to reject plastic bottles

Associate Professor Beth Choate and Assistant Professor Brittany Davis – from the Environmental Science & Sustainability department at Allegheny College – along with 20 second-year majors, have led a project to reduce bottled water usage on their campus.

Real impact is tackling criminal issues head on

An interdisciplinary, cross-country team of researchers are tackling the issue of trafficking in human beings (THB) by providing businesses in the hospitality and tourism sector with a practical toolkit for combating and mitigating their risk of involvement in THB.

Real impact is connecting research and practice

By working with reception teachers from Chestnut Learning Federation, the research carried out by Professor Chris Brown has informed teaching practice and improved the writing outcomes of summer-born children.

Real impact is valuable insight that improves efficiency

A long-standing relationship between Royal FloraHolland and Rotterdam School of Management has led to a new era in smart markets. By improving the decision making process through valuable insight and Big Data analytics, the auction cooperative has been able to optimise profitability and efficiency in any auction day.

Want to know how you can make an impact too?

We are committed to supporting meaningful, real world impact and to driving impact literacy.

To find out more about the resources and tools we offer to help you in your pursuit of impact, please fill in the form opposite and one of our team will get in touch with you.

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