In 2022, the National Science Board (NSB) formed a Commission to evaluate the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) process for reviewing grant applications, the first comprehensive review of NSF’s merit review process in more than a decade. Following nearly two years of information gathering and analysis, consultation with internal and external stakeholders, and deliberation the Commission presented preliminary implementation guidance in a webinar (NSB-NSF Commission on Merit Review (MRX) Open Meeting). FABBS submitted comments this past September in response to an NSF Request for Information on this topic.
Dr. Wanda Ward (a psychologist) Chaired the Commission and provided the overview and guidance. Dr. Ward reviewed:
- NSF mission – To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, propensity to secure the national defense; and other purposes.
- Commission Charge -” …assess the efficacy of the current Merit Review policy and associated criteria and processes at supporting NSF’s mission to create new knowledge, fully empower diverse talent to participate in STEM, and benefit society by translating knowledge into solutions”
- Overarching Questions
- To what extent are the Merit Review process and criteria, as currently understood, implemented, and assessed resulting in awards for research and education that achieve NSF’s mission?
- What changes to the Merit Review process and criteria, their implementation, or their assessment are needed to achieve NSF’s mission?
- Current Criteria – Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts
While the Commission shared that NSF’s processes for reviewing research applications reflect high standards, it encourages greater transparency and increased training for reviewers and program officers, especially for the “broader impacts” criterion and to reduce inappropriate bias.
In addition, the Commission encourages NSF to develop agency-wide policies and mechanisms to ensure safe and inclusive research environments and establish an internal repository of solicitation-specific guidance to help identify common themes and terminology across NSF funding opportunities. The recommendation to increase public information sharing of portfolio balance factors will require more regular reporting from awardees on criterion specific outcomes.
The Commission will share guidance with the NSB in December and a final list of recommendations in February 2025.
