About us

The Impact Festival is an annual event organised by EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) holders in Scotland, who are committed to delivering jointly funded initiatives, particularly in the areas of networking, training, culture change and dual funding of IAA projects where active collaborations between institutions exist.

Meet the team

Hjalmar Eriksson

EPSRC IAA Project Manager, Edinburgh Innovations

Carlos Galan-Diaz

Head of Research Impact, University of St Andrews

Carolyn Brock

Impact Manager,
Heriot-Watt University

Clare McLaren

Impact Development Officer, University of Strathclyde

Keith Dingwall

IAA Manager,
University of Glasgow

Hjalmar Eriksson

EPSRC IAA Project Manager
University of Edinburgh

Hjalmar works as a project manager at Edinburgh Innovations, managing the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Impact Acceleration Account (EPSRC IAA) on behalf of the College of Science and Engineering at University of Edinburgh. He has previously worked in programme and project manager roles in knowledge exchange at the University of Edinburgh and in the higher education sector in Sweden. His educational background is in physics and he worked in research and strategy consultancy before moving into the higher education sector in 2019.

Carlos Galan-Diaz
Head of Research Impact,
University of St Andrews

Carlos is an environmental psychologist by training and currently Head of Research Impact for St Andrews University. Before this he was a Research Impact Officer for the College of Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow (2015-2018) and Impact Research Fellow for the RCUK funded dot.rural Digital Economy Hub at Aberdeen University (2013-2015). Prior to this, he worked in the Social, Economic and Geographic Sciences Group (SEGS) at The James Hutton Institute (2009-2013) and the Robert Gordon University where he gained a PhD and undertook Lecturing (2005-2009).

Carlos’ PhD focused on psychological perspective-taking and emotion in environmental evaluation and environmental preference, while his BSc, from the Faculty of Psychology at UNAM (Mexico City, 2005), was a study about the disciplinary differences of tacit skills and tacit knowledge at UNAM. Carlos is confident and proficient with both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and his research interests include impact evaluation, monitoring and reporting; perspective-taking; well-being, and behaviour change. All of which are linked to a profound interest in how people perceive, make sense and relate to each other and the world around them.

Carolyn Brock
Impact Manager,
Heriot-Watt University
Carolyn joined the Heriot-Watt Research Engagement Directorate – Policy, Strategy and Impact Division – in January 2017 as Impact Development Manager, a support role to coordinate the provision of direct and indirect support for researchers in developing impact to help achieve the University’s research intensification objectives. This includes delivering the impact component of Heriot’s Watt institutional submission to the next Research Excellence Framework (REF), supporting the development of impact case studies and project managing the delivery of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) which focuses on accelerating impact from EPSRC funded research. Previously Carolyn worked in a variety of roles in the University of Edinburgh including several years as Deputy of Head of Research Services, Head of the European Office and finally as Impact Manager, a role embedded in the Commercial Relations Team, focusing on developing strategic relationships between industry partners and external stakeholders.
Clare McLaren
Impact Development Officer,
University of Sterling
Clare works at the University of Strathclyde in the Environment and Impact Team, within Research and Knowledge Exchange Services. She supports the management of a large programme of activities under the University’s Impact Acceleration Account programme, and impact development activity across Strathclyde’s Strategic Themes, which seek to stimulate interdisciplinary working across the Strathclyde community, and encourage collaboration with the wider innovation ecosystem. Before joining the Environment and Impact Team, Clare worked in the International Business Development Team for 7 years, providing support to academic staff applying for funding for their research activities. Prior to working in the HE sector, Clare worked as client liaison consultant for the Technology Strategy Board’s (now Innovate UK), Technology Programme, overseeing delivery of the Programme from within TSB of the various Programme elements.
Keith Dingwall
IAA Manager,
University of Glasgow
Keith is the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Project Manager at the University of Glasgow. He leads on the delivery of the objectives of the University of Glasgow’s Impact Acceleration Account by increasing the global-impact of the University’s EPSRC funded research. Previously Keith was the Senior Business Manager for the Urban Big Data Centre where he was responsible for Centre operations as well as leading on business development and income generation activity. Prior to that Keith was Business Development Manager for SUPA (Scottish Universities Physics Alliance) and a Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) Innovation Partnership Scheme (IPS) Knowledge Exchange Fellow based in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow. In this role he stimulated knowledge exchange activity across all eight SUPA institutions with a focus on STFC funded research, generating new multidisciplinary research and exploitation projects with emphasis on knowledge exchange through collaboration. Keith is a commercially-minded technology professional with extensive experience of international sales and marketing in the electronics industry, and knowledge exchange and commercialisation within the higher education sector. He is an experienced market and technology analyst specialising in key enabling technologies.

Please contact us using the online form or through the below address if you would like further information.

Policy, Strategy and Impact Research Engagement
Heriot-Watt University
EH14 4AS
PSI@hw.ac.uk

Please contact us using the online form or through the below address if you would like further information.

Policy, Strategy and Impact Research Engagement
Heriot-Watt University
EH14 4AS
PSI@hw.ac.uk