Making NSF Broader Impacts Specific and Concrete

You're absolutely right – NSF reviewers are looking for concrete, actionable plans, not just good intentions. The key is to demonstrate how your project will contribute to broader societal impacts, not just that it will.

Let's break down how to craft specific, impactful activities.

The Core Principle: Who, What, How, When, Where, and With Whom?

For every broader impact activity you propose, ask yourself:

• Who will benefit or be involved? (Specific groups, institutions, individuals)


• What exactly will you do? (The action)


• How will you do it? (Methodology, resources)


• When/Where will this take place? (Timeline, location)


• With Whom will you collaborate? (Partnerships are highly valued)


• How will you measure success? (Even if briefly mentioned)

Categories of Broader Impacts & Specific Activity Examples

Here are common broader impact categories with examples of specific activities versus vague statements:

1. Education and STEM Workforce Development

• Vague: "Will train the next generation of scientists."


• Specific Activities:


• Undergraduate Research: "Host 2 undergraduate researchers (e.g., from [Specific Institution type, e.g., local community college, HBCU/HSI, or your home institution]) for 10-week summer research experiences, involving them in [specific tasks, e.g., data collection, analysis, coding] and requiring them to present their findings at [specific event, e.g., university symposium, national conference]."


• Curriculum Development: "Develop a new, open-source computational module on [specific topic] for a [specific course, e.g., 'Introduction to Data Science' or 'Environmental Engineering'] course at [your institution or a partner institution], integrating project data and tools."


• K-12 Outreach: "Partner with [Specific Local School District or Science Museum, e.g., 'Springfield Public Schools'] to create a hands-on, 2-hour workshop series for 8th-grade science classes on [project topic, e.g., 'understanding air quality data'] for 30 students per year, utilizing project-derived data visualizations and expert volunteers from the research team."


• Graduate Student Mentorship: "Provide formal mentorship for 3 graduate students, including weekly project meetings, professional development workshops (e.g., grant writing, scientific communication), and opportunities to co-author publications and present at [specific conferences]."

2. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)

• Vague: "Will promote diversity in STEM."


• Specific Activities:


• Targeted Recruitment: "Actively recruit one undergraduate student per year from underrepresented groups in STEM, specifically targeting students from [Specific program, e.g., 'U-RISE' at a local HSI/HBCU or 'McNair Scholars Program'] for project involvement and mentorship."


• Accessible Materials: "Ensure all project outputs (e.g., website, data visualizations, educational modules) adhere to WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines, specifically for visually impaired users by including descriptive alt-text and screen-reader compatible formats."


• Inclusive Environments: "Develop and implement a lab-specific 'Inclusive Practices Plan' (IPP) that includes regular unconscious bias training for all team members, establishes clear communication protocols for diverse team members, and provides flexible work arrangements to support family responsibilities."


• Community Engagement: "Collaborate with [Specific Community Organization, e.g., 'Boys & Girls Clubs of America' or 'Native American Science & Engineering Program'] to host a series of career panel discussions for underserved youth, featuring diverse STEM professionals, including team members."

3. Public Engagement and Outreach

• Vague: "Will communicate findings to the public."


• Specific Activities:


• Public Lecture Series: "Deliver an annual public lecture at [Specific Venue, e.g., 'local science museum' or 'public library'] describing project findings and their societal relevance, followed by a Q&A session open to all community members."


• Interactive Website/Portal: "Develop and maintain an interactive project website (e.g., using WordPress or GitHub Pages) that includes easily digestible summaries of research findings, infographics, data visualizations, and a 'FAQ' section, updated quarterly with new results."


• Citizen Science Project: "Launch a citizen science initiative, in partnership with [Specific NGO or local government, e.g., 'Audubon Society' or 'City Parks Department'], inviting community members to contribute [specific data, e.g., observations of local wildlife, air quality readings] using a user-friendly mobile app, which will be integrated into the project's data analysis pipeline."


• Social Media Campaign: "Create a dedicated social media campaign (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) for the project, posting weekly updates, interesting facts, and engaging visuals, reaching an estimated audience of 5,000 followers, and utilizing relevant hashtags (e.g., #NSFfunded, #SciComm)."

4. Dissemination and Societal Benefit

• Vague: "Will contribute to knowledge."


• Specific Activities:


• Data Sharing: "Deposit all raw and processed data into a public, open-access repository (e.g., Dryad, Zenodo, or a domain-specific repository like PDB for structural biology) within 6 months of publication, adhering to FAIR data principles."


• Open-Source Software/Tools: "Develop and release an open-source software package/tool (e.g., 'PyAnalysis' on GitHub with a permissive license like MIT) for [specific function, e.g., 'analyzing geospatial climate data'], providing detailed documentation and tutorials for non-expert users."


• Policy Briefs: "Synthesize key research findings into 2-page policy briefs, targeting policymakers at [Specific Government Agency, e.g., 'Environmental Protection Agency' or 'Department of Energy'], and present these findings at relevant workshops or congressional briefings."


• Industry Collaboration: "Engage with [Specific Industry Partner, e.g., 'Acme Inc. focused on renewable energy solutions'] through quarterly meetings to discuss research progress and identify potential applications for [specific technology/process developed in the project]."

5. Infrastructure and Resources

• Vague: "Will build research capacity."


• Specific Activities:


• Shared Instrument Development: "Develop a novel, low-cost sensor for [specific measurement] which will be openly documented and blueprints shared on [specific platform, e.g., 'Instructables' or 'Open-Source Hardware Association'], allowing other researchers and citizen scientists to replicate it."


• Workshop for Non-Experts: "Host a free 2-day workshop at [your institution] for regional academic and industry partners on how to utilize [specific instrument or computational platform acquired/developed through the project], providing hands-on training for 15 participants."

Before & After Example

Before (Vague):
"Our project will have broad impacts by advancing scientific understanding and educating students, contributing to the nation's scientific enterprise."

After (Specific):
"This project will significantly advance the nation's scientific enterprise through two key broader impact activities:

• STEM Workforce Development: We will host two undergraduate students from [Specific Regional University, e.g., "Northwood Community College's 'Bridge to Research' program"] for 10-week summer research internships. These students will be actively involved in [specific tasks, e.g., conducting field data collection, performing initial data analysis using Python, and developing scientific communication skills]. They will each present their independent research project at our institution's annual Undergraduate Research Symposium and receive formal mentorship through weekly meetings and a structured professional development plan.


• Public Science Literacy & Data Dissemination: We will create an interactive online dashboard (using [specific tool, e.g., "Tableau Public" or "Shiny R"]) that visualizes key project findings related to [specific project data, e.g., "local air quality trends over the past decade"]. This dashboard will be publicly accessible via our lab website, updated quarterly with new data, and promoted through targeted posts on our institutional social media channels. We will also partner with the [Specific Local Science Museum, e.g., "City Museum of Science and Industry"] to host one 'Science Saturdays' event annually, demonstrating the dashboard and engaging 100+ visitors in hands-on activities related to environmental data interpretation."

Key Takeaways for Your Broader Impacts Section:

• Tailor to Your Project: Each activity should logically flow from and be supported by your research. Don't just pick generic items.


• Be Realistic: Propose activities you can actually accomplish with your resources and timeline. Over-promising is a red flag.


• Leverage Partnerships: Collaborating with established organizations (schools, museums, NGOs) strengthens your plan and shows feasibility.


• Quantify When Possible: "Two students," "10-week," "100+ visitors," "quarterly updates" – these numbers demonstrate commitment.


• Mention Evaluation: Briefly describe how you'll assess the success of your activities (e.g., "student surveys," "website analytics," "attendance records").


• Integrate, Don't Just Add: Ideally, your broader impacts should be woven into the fabric of your project, not an afterthought.