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Anusandhan National Research Foundation

Impact conclave guide for institutions

An institution-led convening that brings ANRF-supported grantees, researchers, institutional leadership and ecosystem stakeholders together to showcase research progress, enable collaboration and strengthen pathways from research to wider impact. Grantee research sits at the centre of the programme, complemented by focused sessions on capability building and research-to-impact pathways. Conclaves are programme-agnostic and may bring together grantees across different ANRF programmes and institutions.

Showcase
Help grantees share their research progress and potential impact.
Connect
Bring researchers together with peers and potential collaborators.
Enable
Provide tools and insights to increase research impact.
Amplify
Increase visibility of the research, researchers, and institution.

Roles

The host institution owns delivery; ANRF enables it. Everything in the left column is the institution's to do.

Host institutionowns delivery

  • Confirm leadership support and appoint a nodal lead
  • Finalize date, venue, and organizing team
  • Develop and finalize the event programme
  • Manage grantee/speaker outreach and registrations
  • Coordinate participant communication and PR
  • Manage logistics, AV, recording, and event delivery
  • Complete post-event communication and follow-up

ANRF teamenables

  • Support host institution onboarding
  • Enable grantee access through approved processes
  • Share playbooks, examples, and reference materials
  • Support ANRF speakers, content, and visibility
  • Receive post-event materials

Steps

Timelines are indicative and may be adjusted to local requirements and event format.

  1. Phase 0

    Activate & Commit

    T-10 to T-8 weeks
    Host institution responsibilities
    • Secure senior leadership support and agree on the purpose
    • Appoint a nodal lead
    • Finalize date, format, and key objectives
    • Confirm venue and organizing team
    • Arrange space for networking and posters
    Output
    • Host
    • Sponsor
    • Nodal lead
    • Indicative date
    • Objective
  2. Phase 1

    Design

    T-8 to T-6 weeks
    Host institution responsibilities
    • Define participants, including nearby institutions
    • Estimate number of presenters
    • Prioritize grantee showcase time
    • Select a few additional sessions
    • Identify required experts and speakers
    • Assign a chair for each session
    Output
    • Draft agenda
    • Presentation format
    • Session themes
    • Speaker requirements
  3. Phase 2

    Mobilise

    T-6 to T-4 weeks
    Host institution responsibilities
    • Get the grantee list from ANRF and finalize invitees
    • Confirm the registration platform and access
    • Send grantee invitations with key event details
    • Confirm speakers and session titles
    • Collect speaker bios and photos
    Output
    • Invitations issued
    • Registrations underway
    • Speakers confirmed
    • Presenters briefed
  4. Phase 3

    Lock & Prepare

    T-4 to T-1 wk
    Host institution responsibilities
    • Confirm speakers, sessions, moderators, and attendance
    • Share save-the-date, speaker updates, and final agenda
    • Collect all presentations in one folder
    • Finalize venue, catering, signage, badges, posters, certificates
    • Test AV and recording
    • Prepare a detailed event run sheet with timings and owners
    • Brief the event team on their roles
    Output
    • Final agenda
    • Confirmed participants
    • Materials
    • Logistics
    • AV ready
  5. Phase 4

    Deliver

    Event day
    Host institution responsibilities
    • Check venue, AV, presentations, registration, and recording
    • Keep sessions on time
    • Run all presentations from one system
    • Track presenter start times
    • Capture photos, recordings, posters, and feedback
    • Record collaboration opportunities
    • Back up all recordings and files
    Output
    • Event delivered
    • Attendance recorded
    • Content captured
    • Follow-ups documented
  6. Phase 5

    Amplify & Close

    T+1 day to T+2 weeks
    Host institution responsibilities
    • Thank speakers and participants
    • Share photos, links, and certificates
    • Publish event recap and social content
    • Share presentations and recordings with consent
    • Add ANRF as a collaborator
    • Prepare the close-out note and follow-up actions
    • Archive all event materials in one place
    Output
    • Recap and communication complete
    • Content published
    • Close-out note
    • Actions assigned

Designing the conclave

An illustrative one-day shape. Grantee research is the centre of the programme — everything else is chosen against local priorities.

Illustrative one-day agenda

09:00-09:30Registration and networking
09:30-10:00Welcome and opening
10:00-10:45Grantee showcase (Block 1)
10:45-11:00Tea / networking
11:00-11:45Practical researcher session
11:45-12:30Grantee showcase (Block 2)
12:30-13:30Lunch + posters / networking
13:30-14:15Research-to-impact session
14:15-15:00Grantee showcase / poster pitches
15:00-15:30Collaboration / interaction
15:30-15:45Tea
15:45-16:30Open discussion / ecosystem dialogue
16:30-17:00Key takeaways and closing

Grantee presentations

  • Give each grantee 3-5 minutes to present
  • Cover research problem, progress, impact, and support needed
  • Keep content simple for an interdisciplinary audience
  • Collect slides in a standard format in advance
  • Run all slides from a central system

Speakers

  • Define the expertise needed for each session
  • Shortlist speakers from relevant networks and organizations
  • Use existing connections for initial outreach where possible
  • Clearly share topic, duration, and audience
  • Allow enough time for speaker follow-up and confirmation

Menu of additional sessionsSelect a limited number against local priorities.

Understanding Impact
The ANRF impact framework; pathways from research to wider outcomes
Research Communication
SARAL; research beyond papers; science communication and social media
Translation & Commercialization
Lab-to-market pathways; science-led startups; industry perspectives on impact
Research Enablement
IPR; regulatory pathways; proposal writing; research ethics
Interaction & Collaboration
ANRF dialogue; poster showcase; two-minute talks; grantee meet-up

Communications and PR

Each trigger has one communication attached to it.

TriggerCommunicationPurpose
Date confirmedSave-the-dateAnnounce the conclave and build awareness
Registration opensGrantee invitation / registration noteInitiate participant mobilisation
Speakers confirmedSpeaker announcementsBuild interest and event visibility
Programme finalizedFinal agendaCommunicate the confirmed programme
Prior to eventParticipant logistics noteReporting time, venue, travel, presenter instructions
Event dayLive social contentCapture and amplify key moments
Post-eventInstitutional recap + participant amplificationExtend visibility and document outcomes

Save-the-date and speaker creatives are viewed mostly as thumbnails, keep the date, venue and speaker name legible at small display sizes. Speaker announcements need photograph, name, designation, organization and session title.

Closure

What the close-out note covers, and what the archive holds.

Close-out note

  • Event details: Host, date, and venue
  • Participation: Attendees, grantees, and institutions
  • Programme: Key sessions and highlights
  • Outcomes: Research themes, needs, and collaboration opportunities
  • Communications: Social posts, photos, and recordings
  • Follow-up: Actions, owners, and timelines
  • Learnings: What worked, challenges, and improvements

Event archive

  • Final agenda and attendance
  • Presenter list and presentations
  • Communication and PR materials
  • Photos and recordings
  • Social and publication links
  • Close-out note