CRANE Network: Creating a 4* Impact Case Study

​Presentor: Professor Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE

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​CRANE is a UKRI-EPSRC funded network established to strengthen and unify the UK’s cybersecurity research ecosystem. The network’s mission is to support, develop and nurture high-impact cybersecurity research across disciplines, while fostering challenge and insight from diverse stakeholder groups including academia, industry, government and the third sector. CRANE works to identify emerging trends and national research strengths, support pilot projects, and build an inclusive, sustainable research community that promotes career development and the exchange of ideas.

​Outline

​This seminar is part of the support given to academics and researchers within the network. A key part of this is support for research impact, and for academics and researchers to understand how best to translate research into real impact that makes a difference in the lives of UK citizens.

​With research outputs, citations are an important part of academic work, but an important element relates to the actual impact of the research. This identifies a significant change in areas such as economic, political or societal benefit. Within the REF (Research Excellence Framework), impact case studies are graded up to four stars, and which identifies outstanding impact. This session outlines how to identify and write a 4* impact case study and provides examples of two case studies rated 4*.

​About the presenter

​William (Bill) J Buchanan OBE FRSE is a Professor of Applied Cryptography in the School of Computing, Edinburgh and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University. He is a Fellow of the BCS and a Principal Fellow of the HEA. Bill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to cybersecurity, and, in 2024, he was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). In 2023, he received the "Most Innovative Teacher of the Year" award at the Times Higher Education Awards 2023 (the "Oscars of Higher Education"), and was awarded “Cyber Evangelist of the Year” at the Scottish Cyber Awards in 2016 and 2025. Along with this, he has won the Best Lecturer/Tutor for Computing at the Student-voted Excellence Awards six times (2011, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2023) - along with Highly Commended awards in 2024 and 2025. In 2026, he was the winner of the special 10th anniversary Security Veteran Award at the Computing Security Excellence Awards.

For REF 2021, he led two impact case studies, and which were rated at the highest level of 4* (outstanding in their impact).

More details: https://github.com/billbuchanan/github.io/