The Broader Impacts Merit Review criterion (BI) plays a crucial role in NSF’s mission. BI activities advance scientific knowledge and contribute to socially relevant outcomes. The basics of Broader Impacts were addressed in an infographic we previously shared on the blog.

If you have submitted a proposal to the NSF, you are aware that the BI activities of a project are part of the Foundation’s Merit Review process. But… what are Broader Impacts activities? The term “broader impacts” has wide-ranging implications, thus there are many questions about this subject in our scientific community.

MCB is excited about the first, of what we hope to be many, posts featuring the BI activities of MCB-funded investigators. We hope to share a sampling of projects that represents the diversity of activities and their outcomes. If you are: 1) an MCB-funded researcher and 2) would like to share your research and broader impacts activities, please fill out this form to be considered for a future post.

The National Alliance for Broader Impacts (NABI) is a national network of individuals from universities, professional societies, and science organizations that focuses on promoting Broader Impacts activities locally, nationally, and internationally (NSF award #MCB-1313197). NABI is committed to creating a community of practice by achieving the following four objectives:

• identify and curate promising models, practices, and evaluation methods for the BI community;
• expand engagement in and support the development of high-quality BI activities by educating current and future faculty and researchers on effective BI practices;
• develop the human resources necessary for sustained growth and increased diversity of the BI community; and
• promote cross-institutional collaboration on and dissemination of BI programs, practices, models, materials, and resources.

An important aspect of NABI’s mission is to provide professional development and support for researchers. To do so, offices have been created at many institutions to help researchers design, implement, and evaluate their BI activities. A great example of this effort is the Broader Impacts Network at the University of Missouri (NSF award #MCB-1408736).

NABI also coordinates the annual Broader Impacts Summit (award #IIA-1437105). The summit is a great platform to discuss issues related to BI, to cultivate new ideas, and move the field of BI forward. The summit also presents a unique professional-development opportunity for BI support staff.

When asked about the future of NABI, Dr. Susan D. Renoe, adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Missouri and director of the Broader Impacts Network, responded:

“We will continue to provide high-quality professional development for individuals and broader impacts support for researchers through our programming. In addition, the future of NABI represents the future of broader impacts. As our network grows, so, too, will the scope and scale of the broader impacts of research.”

Award #MCB-1408736 is co-funded by the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and Emerging Frontiers in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and by the Division of Chemistry in the Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences.