I received an email today and have been given permission to post it here to help spread the word. See below (emphasis is mine).
Looks like ResearchFish is useful for funders and universities, and free for researchers to generate CVs that include alternative products. Cool! I do think the generated CV line items need some ImpactStory badges, what do you think? :)
Dear Heather,
Please find enclosed a letter from Frances Buck, Director of Researchfish, in response to your article published in Nature on 10th January. We have submitted this to the Correspondence team.
With best wishes, Rebecca
Nature’s article, Altmetrics: Value all research products (493,159, 10 January 2013), by Heather Piwowar, suggests that funders are mainly interested in research papers when assessing grant applications.
While publications undoubtedly help demonstrate the impact and significance of research projects, it would be wrong to suggest that this is the only factor funders consider when reviewing a researcher’s contributions — indeed the MRC has been pivotal in promoting a broader approach.
Working in collaboration with Researchfish and five other major medical research charities in the UK, the MRC have developed a new online facility that enables researchers to comprehensively record the outcomes of their work. Funders can then review and easily evaluate this information. Researchfish’s portal is currently being used by 16 funding agencies, and over 6,500 PIs have already signed up, recording a wide range of products, from publications, to intellectual property and patient outcomes.
Frances Buck
Director Researchfish St John’s Innovation Centre Cowley Road Cambridge CB4 0WS, UK frances@researchfish.com