Broader impacts
Definition
Broader impacts is one of NSF's two merit review criteria, covering a proposal's potential to benefit society and contribute to specific, desired societal outcomes. Every NSF proposal must address it alongside intellectual merit.
How it works
Broader impacts works as the "benefit to society" half of NSF review, and reviewers judge it with the same five elements they use for intellectual merit: potential, creativity, a well-reasoned plan with a way to assess success, team qualifications, and adequate resources. Broader impacts can come from the research itself, from activities directly related to it, or from separate activities supported by the project. Common examples include:
- Training graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates in research.
- Developing curricula, courses, or open educational materials.
- Partnerships with industry, government, or community organizations to apply results.
- Public engagement with science, such as museum programs or K-12 outreach.
- Research infrastructure, open datasets, or software others can use.
- Contributions to national security, economic competitiveness, or public health.
The one-page Project Summary must have a separate "Broader Impacts" section, and the Project Description must include a distinct section discussing them.
What changed in 2025
The broader impacts criterion itself has not been rewritten, but NSF's Statement of Priorities issued in April 2025 changed how proposals are expected to frame it. NSF asks proposers to prioritize specific societal goals listed in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, and states that activities to broaden participation must be open and available to all Americans. NSF can return proposals that do not align with its priorities without review. Check the current solicitation and NSF priorities page before writing.
Why it matters for applicants
Broader impacts matters because reviewers rate both criteria, and a vague or generic plan weakens an otherwise strong proposal. Reviewers increasingly look for concrete activities with named partners, a timeline, a budget, and a way to measure results, not a list of good intentions. The NSF CAREER award puts extra weight on integrating research with education, which overlaps heavily with broader impacts.
Broader impacts vs NIH significance
NSF's broader impacts asks how the project benefits society beyond the research community, while NIH's closest equivalent, the significance part of "Importance of the Research," asks how the project advances health and science. NIH has no separate broader impacts criterion.
Common mistakes
- Promising outreach with no partner, budget, or evaluation plan.
- Copying the same broader impacts paragraph across proposals.
- Relying on outdated framing that no longer matches NSF's current priorities.
- Overlooking broader impacts that flow directly from the research itself.
How Atom helps
Atom Proposals gives section-by-section guidance for broader impacts built from the solicitation, and its AI reviewer critiques the draft against NSF merit review criteria before submission.
Frequently asked questions
Broader impacts are the ways a project benefits society and contributes to specific, desired societal outcomes, such as training students, developing curricula, transferring technology, or engaging the public. NSF reviews them for every proposal.
The criterion was not rewritten, but NSF's April 2025 Statement of Priorities asks proposers to prioritize specific societal goals from the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 and requires broadening participation activities to be open to all Americans.
Broader impacts appear in two places: a required Broader Impacts section of the one-page Project Summary, and a distinct section within the Project Description.