NSF Seeks Input on Merit Review Principles, Comments Due September 20
NSF Seeks Input on Merit Review Principles, Comments Due September 20
 
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August 2024

On August 26, the Federal Register published a Request for Information from the National Science Foundation (NSF) seeking public input on the NSF Merit Review criteria, policy, and processes. NSF’s review process includes the consideration of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria. Detailed information on the Merit Review Principles, Criteria, and Elements are noted in the RFI.

The National Science Board (NSB) established the NSB-NSF Commission on Merit Review in December 2022 to reexamine the NSF merit review criteria. NSB last considered updates to the Merit Review criteria and process in 2010–2011. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act included a provision encouraging NSF to conduct activities related to the implementation of the Broader Impacts criterion across NSF programs.

The RFI is seeking feedback in six areas:

  • Areas of misunderstanding, gaps, or lack of clarity regarding (a) the three Merit Review Principles, (b) the two statutory Merit Review Criteria which are used to evaluate all proposals to NSF, and (c) the five Merit Review Elements NSF uses to assess each criterion
  • Feedback to (a) clarify how the merit review criteria can be used in preparing and reviewing proposals, (b) ensure proposals, reviews, and funding decisions demonstrate full consideration of both criteria while maintaining openness to the full spectrum of potential activities under each, and (c) better recognize and support potentially transformative and high-risk/high-reward activities
  • How NSF guidance may have influenced decisions to submit proposals, and how NSF might best support investigators interested in submitting a proposal to NSF
  • Opportunities to improve implementation of the Merit Review criteria, policy, and processes based on experience reviewing NSF proposals
  • How NSF might better support awardees in demonstrating and documenting outcomes of their awards without unnecessarily increasing awardees’ administrative burden of reporting
  • Comments on or suggestions for improving NSF’s current Merit Review criteria, policy, and processes, as well as aspects of Merit Review criteria, policy, and processes that are currently working well

The deadline for comments is September 20, with submissions to be made through a form provided by NSF.