News Release

New special report highlights NSF-funded broader impacts

Reports and Proceedings

U.S. National Science Foundation

Broader Impacts Improving Society Special Report

image: Broader impacts are one of the pillars of the National Science Foundation's merit review process. They include transformational discoveries, promising technology, innovative science education and more. Today the National Science Foundation released a special report on broader impacts, showcasing some of the many ways National Science Foundation-funded science touches our lives. view more 

Credit: Steven Buhneing, NSF

Each year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) receives about 50,000 proposals for research funding in all fields of science and engineering from all corners of the country. NSF distinguishes among the proposals through a competitive review process built on two criteria: intellectual merit and broader impacts--will the research advance knowledge and will it benefit society?

Today, NSF released a special report to showcase broader impacts and examples of the diverse and far-reaching ways NSF-supported science touches our lives.

"Intellectual merit and broader impacts are the pillars of NSF's merit review process," said Wanda E. Ward, head of NSF's Office of International and Integrative Activities. "In some projects, broader impacts are intrinsic to the science itself. In others, they may focus on broadening the participation of underrepresented groups, education in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM), enhancing research infrastructure, broad dissemination to enhance public understanding and more."

Explore examples of NSF-funded broader impacts--stories of transformational discoveries, promising technology, innovative STEM education and more--in the broader impacts special report.

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