MPLS Impact Awards 2024-25: Nomination form

Read the scheme guidance before starting the nomination. Information you provide in this form should be written with clarity (for a non-specialist assessment panel), and should broadly fit the prescribed word counts.

Deadline to email Impact Awards applications is Wednesday, 30 April 2025. 

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Please send all queries and nominations to epsrciaa@mpls.ox.ac.uk.

Nomination for MPLS Impact Awards

Please read the guidance provided before starting the application.

Name of Nominee:

Nominee’s Department:

Nominee(s) SSO User Details:

Name of nominator (if different):

☐ If suitable, consider if you would like to apply for Vice-Chancellor’s Innovation and Commercialisation Award, or Breakthrough Researcher Award. Support is available if you wish to make a submission. Enquiries to EPSRC IAA.

Impact Category – suggest one category. The final decision on category assigned rests with the MPLS Impact Awards Panel.

• Commercial Impact
• Social Impact
• Policy Impact
• Technician Impact
• Public Engagement with Research Impact

Nominee Career Category – suggest one category. The final decision on category assigned rests with the MPLS Impact Awards Panel. For a group nomination, tick all that apply

• Academic
• Senior Researcher
• Early Career Researcher - Within 10 years post DPhil award; Note: Excludes nominations for Faculty Staff or Associate Professors
• Technician
• DPhil student

1. Title of your impact (up to 15 words) This will be published and used for award publicity.

Provide a clear description of the impact (rather than the research).

2. Lay Summary of impact (up to 150 words) suitable to be published and used for award publicity.

You should briefly describe the impact in a way that would be accessible to the public (you should not include any sensitive information or technical jargon).

3. Background to underpinning research (200 words) [This section is assessed]

This section is for a very brief explanation of the research underpinning the impact. Include information on the key research achievement/breakthrough/insight(s) that led to the impact.

4. Details of the impact achieved, and the relevant evidence (400-500 words) [This section is assessed]

Describe the impact realised (or to be realised).

• What problem/challenge did you address? Why is it important? Who are the beneficiaries?
• State what you did to contribute to the success, and what was achieved.
• Where applicable, provide details of other people involved in progressing the impact, and their contribution to the impact.

5. Evidence of the impact (400-500 words) [This section is assessed] 

Provide supporting evidence for your claim.

• Provide quantifiable information about the impact where applicable, e.g. this could be, number of people helped, improved health, cost savings, inward investment, profits, company sale, etc.
• State when the impact was achieved – approximately (or when anticipated)
•  Include information on the wider context of the impact, such as its importance, number of people affected, market size, its relevance to business/government/society (or a sub-set of society).

6. Did you get an award/commendation? If so, note progress since then (if applicable)

If this impact has been recognised with other award(s) please note it here, and explain how this submission is significantly different, and/or provide details of significant progress that has been made since then.

7. Supporting Links 

If you wish to provide a supporting link please paste it below. You can provide up to 2 links. Any link MUST contain the prefix (e.g. https://). The link(s) should be relevant documents or online resources to support the nomination. You do not have to include these, but you may decide to include, for example, statements of support from external beneficiaries, end users (max 200 words), or evidence of impact/evaluation. This is not an opportunity to exceed the word count by submitting expanded justifications for the nomination.

Please email the nomination/application to the following email address: epsrciaa@mpls.ox.ac.uk

End of nomination/application section

MPLS Division will arrange to send your Impact Award nomination/application to the relevant Head of Department for endorsement.

Endorsement by Head of Department

You are invited to endorse, and if applicable, comment on the application from your department. It is required that significant effort to progress impact occurred when the nominee(s) has/have been a part of MPLS Division. Comments, if any included, are not part of the assessment criteria. Applications are assessed independently by a cross-divisional panel, chaired by Prof Dermot O’Hare, MPLS Associate Head (Industrial Liaison and Innovation).

Departments should email endorsements to epsrciaa@mpls.ox.ac.uk by Friday, 9 May 2025

Head of Department [Name]:

Nominee for Impact Award:

Endorsement (mandatory): I endorse the Nominee’s application Yes/No

If applicable, include comments:

Please email the endorsed application to Dr Anuj Bhatt (Impact and Innovation Officer, MPLS) at epsrciaa@mpls.ox.ac.uk 

Deadline for submitting the endorsement is Friday, 9 May 2025