How do museums and galleries help academics create societal impact? An analysis of the UK REF2021 impact case studies

Abstract

Although the cultural and heritage roles of museums and art galleries are well recognised, they can also be vehicles to help scholars generate societal impact. This study systematically investigates this role for the first time, using evidence from UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 impact case studies (ICSs). We identified mentions of over 1,700 UK museums in 6,361 ICSs across all academic fields. While a third of ICSs in Main Panel D (mainly arts and humanities) mentioned at least one museum or art gallery, they were rarely mentioned in the other three panels (2.3% to 4.7%). The percentage was highest in the Art and Design (57%), Classics (56%), Archaeology (44%) and History (42%) Units of Assessment (UoAs). A content analysis of Art and Design case studies showed that collaborations or consultations with museums (25%), public engagement activities (23%), the display of cultural artefacts (18%) and preservation of cultural heritage (17%) were the main roles played by museums and art galleries. Evidence of societal impact in these cases came from testimonials (40%) and audience statistics or feedback (20%) in arts case studies. Overall, the study demonstrates the importance of museums and art galleries for helping many arts and humanities scholars to generate societal impacts.