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NSF 101: Five tips for your Broader Impacts statement

Categories: Resource

Date: 9/30/2024

How does your research impact society? Scientists and engineers funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation are accountable to taxpayers for conducting research, and collectively moving their research beyond the lab to impact the public good, thereby benefitting the economy, society and discovery itself. This is what NSF defines as "Broader Impacts."

The Broader Impacts statement is a critical component of any research proposal submitted to NSF. Broader impacts strengthen the relationship between the science community and society. Take for example the work of Ayanna Howard, the Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Professor and Chair of the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, whose work with artificial intelligence-powered robots inspires children of all ages and abilities to fall in love with STEM and represents this important engagement between research and society. Another example is the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Innovation in Information Technology study in which an infographic was created to visually tell the story of how computer science and engineering researchers partnered with industry to develop billion-dollar industries over many decades.

Here are five tips from NSF program officers to help you with your Broader Impacts statement.

View the article on the NSF website