On 7 December 2015 the Australian Government launched its National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA). One of the measures within the agenda is for Australia to introduce a national impact and engagement assessment, which will examine how universities are translating their research into economic, social and other benefits and encourage greater collaboration between universities, industries and other end-users of research. 

Working closely with university and industry stakeholders and through a Steering Committee and working groups [2], the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Department of Education and Training have been developing the framework for the assessment. 

In line with the NISA announcement in December 2015 [5], a pilot will be undertaken in 2017 providing a basis for a national roll-out in 2018. The national assessment will be undertaken as a companion to Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA).

The ARC will review the pilot, including analysing the engagement and impact assessment methodologies and incorporating feedback from university, industry and end-user participants. This review will inform the development of the full assessment.