Broader Impacts, a term used by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to evaluate a grant proposal’s potential to benefit society, reflects a broader interest by many granting agencies and foundations to fund research that is grounded in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the communities in which we live. Many federal, state, and local grants require researchers in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts to identify how they integrate community engaged and community-based research into their scholarship.   

Contributions to the achievement and advancement of positive societal outcomes varies depending on the areas of research, but examples of these outcomes include, but are not limited to: 

• full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities; 

• improved education and educator development at any level; 

• increased public engagement; 

• improved well-being of individuals in society; 

• development of a diverse, globally competitive workforce; 

• increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others; 

• improved national security; 

• increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and 

• enhanced infrastructure for research and education 

Researchers at the University of Iowa seeking to apply to NSF grants are encouraged to review the Vice President for Research’s website information on broader impacts.