Mitä tutkijat oppivat tutkimuksensa hyödyntäjiltä? Kehittävän vaikuttavuusarvioinnin kokeilu soveltavan tutkimustyön kehittämisessä

This paper analyses and discusses how research scientists learn to do research, which has impact on their customers, scientific community and society. A new developmental impact evaluation method based on theory of expansive learning and impact evaluation tools is described. In the process the impacts of research projects are evaluated from the perspectives of the users of the research, societal actors and research collaborators. The researchers use insights from the impacts of their past projects as a basis for constructing new plans for future research. The pilot process was conducted for bio energy researchers at Agrifood Research Finland. Nine interviews of the participants were conducted three months after the process in order to understand what kind of change it had triggered in the organization. The analysis makes it visible how fragile the organizational learning is. Although participants realized their research in a larger horizon than before, it takes time before the new orientation becomes materialized in concrete research projects. The role of middle management was realized to be significant in implementing new organizational routines. The manager involved has been like a change agent continuing and spreading the collective leadership and learning in the networks.