Creating Societal Impact: Seeing the Potential in Your Research
Interactive workshop on Creativity and Impact
What if societal impact isn't something separate from your research—but simply another way of seeing it?
Time and date: 7 September, 9.00–12.00 (followed by lunch for those registered).
Registration: Please register no later than 2 September 2026 at Workshop on Creativity and Impact – University of Copenhagen
Venue: Faculty Club, the Panum Institute building 16, 6th floor, room 16.
Target group: PhD students from all graduate programmes are welcome. The workshop is organised by the vice-chairs for innovation from the Departments of Neuroscience, Veterinary and Animal Sciences, GLOBE and BRIC, in collaboration with KU Lighthouse and the Vice Dean for Innovation at SUND, supporting the UCPH 2030 ambition of becoming an innovative and solution-oriented university.
About the workshop
In this three-hour interactive workshop, Creating Societal Impact: Seeing the Potential in Your Research, we will challenge common myths around innovation and explore how your existing research already holds the potential to create value beyond academia. Through practical frameworks, interactive exercises, real-life examples, and discussions, you will learn to identify different pathways to impact, reflect on who could benefit from your research, and explore practical first steps towards creating societal value, without needing to become an entrepreneur.
The workshop will also introduce practical considerations around intellectual property and provide an overview of the support available through KU Lighthouse for researchers who would like to explore the potential of their ideas further. This is about expanding your perspective, not changing your identity as a researcher.
To help you get the most out of the workshop, we encourage you to think beforehand about the following question:
Who could potentially benefit from your research, and what difference could it make if successfully implemented?
Gergana Romanova will facilitate the session. She is an Innovation Consultant at KU Lighthouse, working at the intersection of research, education, and innovation. She designs and facilitates learning experiences that support students and researchers in exploring the broader impact of their work and engaging with innovation in accessible, practical ways.