Abstract:

Incorporating the MSC technique into the payback framework presents a more enriched methodology for evaluating how research centres' outcomes and benefits accrue. As this innovative approach is a quantitative evaluation with qualitative insights, providing a more inclusive perspective of assessed benefits is possible. A key consideration for successfully implementing this approach is applying an integrated Payback Framework and MSC technique from the beginning of data collection to gain a holistic view of research impacts. Stakeholders are identified representing five impact categories in the Payback Framework and encouraged to frame significant change stories using these categories to yield richer data streamlining later analysis and a comprehensive, nuanced understanding of knowledge production and research translation impacts. The combined process attempts to qualify the benefit on the research track and describes the transformative change in the field studied, as derived and noted by the stakeholders. It provides a better understanding of the value of the change brought by research. A more explicit, accountable, and transparent decision-making is anticipated from this approach through a comprehensive understanding of research's impact on tangible outcomes and stakeholder experiences when applying the Payback Framework and MSC technique. While this study contributes to evaluation methods, generalizability and resource intensiveness pose limitations, warranting refinement of integration techniques and examination of applicability across contexts via longitudinal analyses to understand long-term impacts better.