April’s Question of the Month: Do you carry out impact reports on your AOI/ID/STP

Demonstrating impact is one of the most important, and at times more challenging, responsibilities facing Science Parks, Innovation Districts and Areas of Innovation today. Stakeholders, founders and other actors increasingly expect evidence-based accounts of how these spaces contribute to economic development, knowledge transfer and societal progress. This month, we asked our members whether they currently carry out an impact report for their organisation, understanding this to mean a method of documenting various KPIs and the relevance of the organisation’s activities compared with its intended strategy. 

The results show an encouraging picture of a community that takes accountability and measuring seriously. The largest share of respondents (approx 46%) confirmed that they do conduct an impact report every year, reflecting a strong culture of transparency and strategic alignment. Additionally, 31% said they do so occasionally, suggesting that regular impact reporting is within reach for a broader group, even if not yet fully embedded in annual practice.  

A smaller group (around 15%) indicated they do not currently produce an impact report but would like to plan to do so in the future. This is a positive signal on the growing willingness to measure impact across the community. Meanwhile, approximately 8% said they find it difficult to measure impact or are unsure how to do so, highlighting a real challenge that organisations face when it comes to translating complex, multifaceted activities into clear and meaningful indicators. Notably, none of the respondents indicated that impact reporting was of no current interest to them. 

Taken together, these results reflect the increasing commitment to evidencing the value of impact reports., while also acknowledging that the tools and frameworks to do so are still evolving. As expectations placed on innovation ecosystems continue to grow, having impact measuring techniques in place is becoming more important.