Impact Canvas - tool for describing impact of research

Impact Canvas® -tool  is aimed to enhance early idea testing and development with the focus on the impact on the society and/or the customer need. It works as a tool to facilitate the ideation and development process as well as a platform for diversity of applications from different fields of research.

Impact Canvas® is:

• a registered trademark,
• licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
• developed by experts of Tampere University's research and innovation as well as entrepreneurship services.

Why we made an Impact Canvas®:

The impact of research is emphasized more than before. We, experts at Research and Innovation Services wanted to create something else than just another checklist. Something that would be visual and even fun to use – for our customers as why not to ourselves, too.

The tool is targeted for the researcher groups as well as pre startup teams who want to describe and iterate the big picture of their idea and its impact. Furthermore the tool can be applied by the facilitators, coaches and experts who are supporting and sparring such teams.

Impact Canvas® tool is a visual tool. It is a big canvas with clear colour effects for the seven main themes:

• Vision,
• Customer,
• Solution,
• Competition,
• Team,
• Resources and
• Actions.

The themes and the specific questions opening each theme give a good vision of the big picture of an idea. You can see easily what answers you already have and what you need to add to your to do –list.

Download:

Contact:

Impact Canvas® tool: %20leena.koppa [at] tuni.fi (leena[dot]koppa[at]tuni[dot]fi)

Links:

• Introduction video: Impact Canvas – a tool to develop the impact of your research idea or business idea
• Impact Canvas at Idealist network's webpage: http://www.ideal-ist.eu/impact-canvas
• Publications:
  • How to develop a new innovation education tool: case impact canvas
  • Assessing the usefulness of an early idea development tool among experienced researchers (in CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation, 2017; 1(2): 3)
  • Sustainable Business Model Ideation and Development of Early Ideas for Sustainable Business Models: Analyzing a New Tool Facilitating the Ideation Process. In: Aagaard A. (eds) Sustainable Business Models. Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business In Association with Future Earth. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. First Online 07 September 2018.
• Blogs, stories:
  • Työkalu auttaa testaamaan tutkimusidean vaikuttavuutta (Business Finland, 23.8.2018)

  • Liikeidea kirkkaaksi - Kirkastamisen työkaluna Impact Canvas (Hyvinvointia ja parempaa palveluasumista digitalisaation avulla, HIPPA, -hankkeen blogi, Marika Vuorenmaa, 7.10.2020)