According to data from the World Bank, more than two million scientific articles are published around the world every year. Knowledge generated across all fields generally boosts human progress, but to what extent does it actually reach every day citizens? Numerous research centers and funding entities—from private foundations to governments—have begun reflecting on how to draw out experts’ contributions beyond the borders of their libraries and laboratories to promote real innovation and change.

"The social impact of research goes beyond communicating results: It involves improving the lives of people and their communities," according to José Miguel Carrasco, who holds his undergraduate degree in political science and sociology, and earned his PhD in public health.

This former researcher at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra and current professor within the Master of Social Science Research (MICS) has been working in his field for more than 15 years. Based on his experience during this time, he and two other partners recently launched Aplica Coop, a cooperative dedicated to supporting research and teaching related to issues such as quantitative and qualitative research and health impact assessments, as well as the transfer and implementation of scientific knowledge in society.

An entrepreneurial undertaking

José Miguel Carrasco points out that many papers conclude with the phrase, "This article could be useful for ..." He laments that people who could make use of these conclusions and design measures that benefit society—legislators, politicians, etc.—do not read them. "We feel that scientific production is often disconnected from social impact and we want to provide research teams with tools to make that leap," he says.

Some of the projects they have participated in include the implementation of a World Health Organization mobile application that helps patients from India, Uganda and Zimbabwe better control their symptoms without needing an examination from a clinical team. They are also collaborating with a European project at a Spanish university, taking charge of its political and communication impact.

This entrepreneurial undertakingis undoubtedly off to a promising start. It shows young researchers with training and experience at the university level and in research centers how to look beyond academia and discover professional paths at NGOs, foundations, as consultants, etc., seeking to apply their work to certain areas, such as health or education, data collection, etc. "These jobs are an indication that one can also be a researcher aimed at direct impact instead of at academic impact," Carrasco notes.talla Carrasco.

The value of qualitative research

When developing rigorous projects, either at the university level or at other types of institutions, he points out that, in addition to the quantitative aspects—“how much” or “how many times”— qualitative aspects must be taken into account— the “how” or the “why.” Within the MICS, his class deals with these specific methodologies.

"Qualitative research helps us understand why people think and behave in a certain way. If we only track numbers, we fail to capture the nuance involved in the discourse behind them," he adds. And he argues that this is essential for social impact: "When we want to transfer research conclusions to citizens, knowing how and why they feel, think and react in a certain way helps us characterize our listeners and, therefore, more successfully reach them.”