Funders increasingly expect researchers to demonstrate not just scientific excellence, but real-world relevance, with Horizon Europe and some national funding bodies placing growing emphasis on policy and societal impact. Despite this, many researchers and consortia still treat policy impact as an afterthought rather than an aspect that should be integrated into the research design from the outset.

This Short Course will provide a practical, hands-on guide for embedding policy impact into your research proposals. This includes how to identify realistic policy stakeholders and engagement pathways early in proposal development, what Horizon Europe and other funding programmes actually expect from communication, dissemination, and exploitation plans, and how to write impact statements that are convincing. It will also provide practical examples of the different ways in which research consortia can influence policy along with some common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

The last part of the session will include an interactive Q&A where participants can bring their own proposal challenges to the panel. This Short Course is relevant for researchers of all career levels, whether you’re leading a research consortia, part of the team, or hoping to join one in the future.