Telling the story of university impact: The power of storytelling and effective communication

In the opening session of the 2025 UIIN Conference, CEO Arno Meerman gave the example of the COVID-19 vaccine as a clear and globally important case of university impact; these vaccines were made possible through long-term blue-sky research that took place at universities, innovation ecosystems, and public-private collaboration. This is just one of many impactful and even life-saving innovations that have come out of universities.

However, the innovation power of universities often goes underappreciated. Occasionally, we hear about the breakthroughs that revolutionise a particular field, treatment, or technology themselves, and hopefully, the scientists behind them. But it is much rarer that we hear about the role of the university in facilitating these breakthroughs. The university, with its culture of discovery, the pursuit of knowledge, peer-to-peer exchange and state-of-the-art facilities, creates the environment for these innovations to grow.

Whilst burying their heads in academic journals and publications, many universities are forgetting to stop, take stock and showcase what they are doing to the world – to toot their own horn a little bit.

In our current moment, there is ever-increasing pressure for universities to demonstrate the social impacts of their research output^[1] and the growing importance of third mission activities^[2]. Against this backdrop, Arno warned that universities which fail to contribute meaningfully to society could fall into irrelevance. He called for a unified effort to communicate this value, suggesting that universities must work together to highlight the breadth of their contributions to society.

This sentiment was echoed by M’hamed el Aisati, Vice President, Research Analytics and Data Services at Elsevier, who stressed how important it was to help universities to produce impact case studies of their work, to showcase it to the outside world.

Why showcasing impact matters

Showcasing university impact is not only about recognition; it can also create a positive multiplier effect for individual institutions and the entire higher education sector. As part of the UIIN Pathway to Impact Institutional Development programme, Dr. Balzhan Orazbayeva highlights the benefits that come from effectively showcasing the impact of external engagement:

• Attract funding: Providing measurable evidence and compelling narratives showcases the return on investment for funders and decision-makers.
• Attract future partners: Success stories make it easier to attract potential collaborators by demonstrating mutual benefits.
• Scale and replicate: By documenting and sharing detailed outcomes, successful models can inspire similar initiatives, exponentially cascading the impact of universities.
• Enhance stakeholder diversity: Communicating impact encourages participation from a broader range of partners, fostering more inclusive collaborations.
• Strengthen organisational positioning: Highlighting impactful partnerships improves the university’s and its partners’ reputations.

How to communicate

In order to effectively communicate their impact, Universities need to do more than just describe their outputs (e.g. graduates, papers, and patents). They should focus on stories that showcase the real effect on students, communities, industries, and local ecosystems. These stories should be personal and human, using the names of researchers, students and projects, avoiding jargon-heavy descriptions and instead using widely understood, emotionally resonant words like ‘impact’, ‘future-ready’, and ‘solutions’. They should illustrate motivations, challenges and a journey to impact, rather than just final achievements and showcase the benefits of all parties involved. The messaging of these stories should be tailored to the audience they are trying to reach, whether it be policymakers, collaboration partners, the general public or internal leadership.

Utilising media to showcase impact

Universities can showcase their impact through various formats, including impact cases, social media, university websites (with dedicated impact pages), short documentaries, public events and open days, podcasts, and appearances in specialised or general media publications.

In-house media

Cambridge Enterprise’s libraries of case studies and videos showcasing the impact of entrepreneurial and research valorisation ventures of the University of Cambridge are a neat in-house digital example of how a university can communicate its impact on society. It is a slick, aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly website that is updated each month with new work from Cambridge researchers.

The University of Manchester also released a video on YouTube about how they are supporting the SDGs through their research, teaching and partnerships.

Out-of-house media

Universities can also partner up with out-of-house media initiatives to showcase their impact and innovations directly to the wider public. This external exposure can significantly raise awareness about the value of university research.
For example, UCLA’s “Knowledge Solves” brand campaign, launched as part of the university’s 100th-anniversary celebrations, highlights UCLA’s contributions to some of society’s most pressing issues, such as curing childhood diseases, advancing earthquake science, and promoting sustainability. Through a series of TV, radio, billboard, and digital ads, the campaign communicates the university’s commitment to addressing these challenges through research, education, and service. The campaign demonstrates how UCLA’s work extends beyond the classroom and raises public awareness about the tangible societal benefits of academic work.

News media is another outlet that can be used to reach a wider audience. Northumbria University, for example, commissioned a series of articles in The Guardian, showcasing their contribution to global health through AI innovations, commitment to social mobility, impact of their hands-on learning approach and its contribution to the local creative and cultural industries.

A quick Google News search on universities does not fill one with much optimism; much of the media that we see these days about universities focuses on budget cuts, rankings, rising tuition fees, and declining employment opportunities for young graduates. These stories have a real impact on the public perception of universities, and thus, we should also be sure to showcase the wins and impacts as important news, too. Universities should advocate for their impact stories to be covered in mainstream journalism outlets and build media partnerships.

Communicating impact internally

Communicating the impact of university work should not just stop externally; it is just as important to communicate the value of initiatives within the university itself. At the UIIN Conference, Emily Davies, Head of Student Entrepreneurship at the University of Exeter, shared how storytelling shifted the university’s entrepreneurship programme from being a niche initiative to a strategic priority:

Our entrepreneurship centre was once called one of the best-kept secrets on campus… but if you want funding, partners, and students, you need visibility.

Emily Davies, Head of Student Entrepreneurship at the University of Exeter

Publicly recognising the contributions and successes of staff members reinforces the morale of the teams involved, as well as encouraging a wider culture of innovation and collaboration across campus.

Communicating internally is also important for ensuring the continuation of innovative education programmes. When faced with financial pressures, university administrators are looking at what is plausible to cut; innovative education programmes still face scrutiny over their outcomes and value, especially in academic cultures focused on traditional metrics. It is now more important than ever to be able to firmly showcase and communicate the impact of these programmes.

Following this lesson, Exeter now uses its “Storytelling Treasure Chest”. This is a repository of data that includes case studies, pre-/post programme surveys, graduate impact stories, grant awards, etc., to communicate their impact narratives to different audiences of students, leadership, and funders.

Humans are 22 times more likely to remember a story than any other form of communication.

Emily Davies, Head of Student Entrepreneurship at the University of Exeter

It ain’t all roses

Whilst perhaps counterintuitive, it is also important to communicate the stories of failure as well – especially within the university. We tend to only communicate the success stories, but at the same time, we recognise that failure is a key part of the innovation process, and we are trying to promote a culture that accepts and celebrates failure as an innate part of trying. By also including the stories of those who tried and failed and perhaps tried again, you impart to students that it’s not only okay to fail, but that failure will also teach you some very valuable lessons along the way.

Storytelling: A key skills gap

As recognition for the importance of communicating the impact of research and engagement grows, researchers are also under increasing individual pressure to show the significance of their work beyond academic publications. Universities and industry alike are placing more value on the ability to translate research into clear, compelling narratives, with demonstrable social and economic impact. Yet, many researchers are trained primarily in technical expertise and academic writing, leaving them underprepared for these broader communication demands.

Research from the UIIN initiative, ReSkillSpan, found that both researchers with industry collaboration experience and industry professionals consider communication skills, such as effective communication, personal branding, and storytelling, essential for successful cross-sector collaboration. Yet, the research also revealed that many researchers lack proficiency in these areas. Skills like storytelling and communication are often overlooked or underdeveloped in traditional academic pathways. This shifting focus, therefore, highlights the need for targeted training and support to help researchers communicate their work effectively.

To close this gap, UIIN has developed the Impactful Researchers Programme – a training approach designed to empower researchers to broaden the impact of their work, engage effectively with external stakeholders, and celebrate the value of their contributions. The programme includes a dedicated module on communicating research and its impact through storytelling.

Make some noise!

Universities have a myriad of touchpoints with society: developing breakthrough medicines, creating technologies to monitor and combat climate change, supporting communities, and building the confidence and capabilities of future generations. However, to ensure these stories of innovation and societal impact reach a wider audience, universities must enhance their science communication strategies. Effective communication of this impact can spark new collaborations, lead to life-saving breakthroughs, and contribute to a more informed and engaged society. By taking stock of their achievements and shouting a little bit louder, universities can better showcase the wealth of value they bring to the world and usher in a new golden age for higher education.

References

[1] Martin, J. G., Black, D., & Coggon, J. (2025). How societal impact is understood and approached across a newly formed community of researchers with an ambitious ‘health of the public’agenda. Research Evaluation, 34, rvaf029.

[2] Compagnucci, L., & Spigarelli, F. (2020). The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 161, 120284.

Ready for more?

If you found this call to amplify university impact through storytelling compelling, you’ll also appreciate our earlier deep dive into how we can measure that impact meaningfully. Explore How can we measure the true impact of universities? to see how qualitative stories and quantitative metrics can work together to make the invisible visible.

Tasha Day (author) is a former Project Officer at UIIN, where she undertook research activities and created content on a wide variety of topics including entrepreneurship education, sustainability and research valorisation..