The ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) organised the Workshop on the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment for Light Sources. ESRF received financial supports from two EU projects – STREAMLINE and RItrainPlus, and Grenoble School of Management was part of the Organising Committee. The lunch-to-lunch workshop took place at the Y. Spot in Grenoble between the 15th and 16th of January 2024. The event included an opportunity for on-site participants to visit the ESRF through guided tours and to network during the Cocktail Network reception on the 15th of January.
The workshop aimed to exchange on the practices in assessing and improving the socio-economic impact of Accelerator-based Light Sources (for example, synchrotron facilities). The event created a unique opportunity for Research Infrastructure (RI) impact practitioners/managers, academic scholars and policy advisors/makers to exchange on the challenges faced and lessons learned in assessing socio-economic impact of RIs.
The event focused on the following main objectives:
- To learn from good practices and about future directions of assessing socio-economic impact for Research Infrastructures (RIs).
- To discuss on challenges faced and lessons learnt in recent impact assessment works developed by synchrotron facilities and other RIs.
- To share frameworks, methodologies and tools that facilitate effective and feasible assessment and monitoring of socio-economic impact.
Participants: The workshop attracted 40 participants (29 on-site participants and 11 online participants), including 20 speakers from Academia, Policy-making bodies, Light Sources, and other RIs. Based on the registration information, 50% of the participants identify as male and 50% identify as females. Furthermore, 89% of the participants indicated that they dedicate their work to the topic of socio-economic impact assessment to different extents.
Outcomes: The Keynote sessions showcased the expectations, evolutions and future directions of assessing socio-economic impact in the context of large-scale RIs. Through presentations focusing on both “Good Practices of RI Impact Assessment” and “Experiences and Progresses of impact Studies at Light Sources and RIs”, workshop participants, both speakers and delegates, engaged in fruitful exchanges of frameworks, methodologies and tools that facilitate effective and feasible assessment and monitoring of socio-economic impact. The workshop successfully gathered impact practitioners/managers, academic scholars and policy advisors/makers to exchange on the challenges faced and lessons learned in assessing socio-economic impact of RIs. The discussions resulted in an initiation of a Community of Practice led by impact specialists/managers from Light Sources and other RIs to ensure regular exchanges on the work progresses, methodologies and tools of assessing socio-economic impact.
Link to the event page: https://esrf-streamline-workshop-2024.inviteo.fr/