Broader Impacts

Definition of Broader Impacts

Broader Impacts refers to the potential for a research project to benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes. Those 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

Harvard offers a wide range of programs and resources that FAS faculty can leverage to strengthen the broader impacts of their research proposals. These opportunities help demonstrate how a project can benefit society and advance desired societal outcomes, such as broadening participation in STEM, enhancing education and training, strengthening research infrastructure, and translating discoveries for public good.

• Advancing education and educator development at any level
• Expanding public engagement with research and scholarship
• Improving the well-being of individuals and communities
• Developing a skilled, globally competitive workforce
• Building partnerships between academia, industry, and other sectors Strengthening national security
• Enhancing the economic competitiveness of the United States
• Creating new infrastructure for research and education 

Broader Impacts are identified as a priority area in the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) current strategic plan, but NSF is not the only funder with this requirement. Many agencies across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts now ask reviewers to assess the quality of a project’s educational activities, outreach, public engagement, and collaborations. 

Examples of Broader Impacts activities include:

• Designing curricula for K–12 classrooms
• Hosting professional development workshops for teachers
• Visiting K–12 classrooms or bringing students to campus
• Encouraging undergraduate participation in summer research
• Hosting students in your lab
• Incorporating innovative uses of technology or media in teaching
• Offering free, public lectures, programs, or workshops
• Contributing to blogs, podcasts, or digital libraries
• Creating exhibits or public-facing resources in collaboration with museums or cultural institutions 

These resources can be used to illustrate how faculty research contributes to societal well-being, inspires the next generation of scholars, and ensures that the benefits of discovery extend beyond academia.

Broader Impacts Support for FAS Faculty

Sponsors encourage the utilization of existing resources in the development of Broader Impacts plans. The FAS Research Development team has developed relationships with educational and outreach programs at Harvard that faculty can leverage to develop their plans. These include:

• outreach and educational programs for K-12 students and teachers;
• opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research and education projects;
• platforms for faculty to widely disseminate their research results; and
• workshops, conferences and lecture series.

FAS faculty are invited to contact us to receive suggestions about, and introductions to, programs they might leverage to develop a Broader Impacts plan. 

Are You a Resource for Faculty?

If you work for a program that can help faculty to fulfill the Broader Impacts requirement and would like your program to be included in our resource database, please contact us.