TRg – Impact and Behavioural Change: From Projects to Practice

Overview

This training resource examines how projects generate meaningful impact through processes of behavioural change. Rather than focusing solely on outputs—such as reports, tools, or models—the emphasis is on how these outputs translate into changes in practices, routines, and decision-making across individual, organisational, and societal levels. Behavioural change is understood here as a complex, context-dependent process shaped by social norms, institutional structures, and material conditions.

A key premise is that impact does not occur automatically. It requires deliberate strategies, stakeholder engagement, and an understanding of the mechanisms through which change unfolds. The training resource therefore integrates conceptual frameworks with practical tools, enabling participants to both analyse and design processes of impact and behavioural change.

Themes include sustainability, social innovation, participatory approaches, and diversity and inclusion, all of which highlight the complexity and contextual nature of behavioural change processes. You will also learn about impact scenario building and forecasting and measuring impact of projects.

Learning purposes and goals

By participating in this training resource, you will:

1.Understand behavioural change as a multi‑level impact process
Participants will be able to explain how behavioural change and impact emerge through the interaction of micro (individual), meso (organisational), and macro (systemic) levels, and why isolated interventions are insufficient for sustainable change.

2. Analyse how research is translated into practice across contexts

Participants will be able to critically analyse how research outputs are taken up, adapted, or resisted in real‑world settings, identifying key barriers and enablers of research use at individual, organisational, and system levels.

3. Design integrated impact pathways for projects and research
Participants will be able to develop coherent impact pathways or theories of change that link project outputs to behavioural, organisational, and societal change, incorporating sustainability, social innovation, participation, and inclusion.

4. Apply practical tools to anticipate, support, and evaluate impact
Participants will be able to use methods such as participatory strategies, impact scenario building, forecasting, and mixed‑methods evaluation to support the implementation, scaling, and long‑term embedding of research‑based innovations in practice.