The Broader Impacts Network: A national infrastructure model

2010年美国竞争再授权法案（ACRA）要求NSF在其提案审查中包括更广泛的影响标准。此外，ACRA建议NSF鼓励“机构……开发和提供适当的培训和项目，无论是作为单独的机构还是合作伙伴，以协助基金会资助的主要研究人员……实现更广泛影响审查标准的目标。”ACRA还要求申请国家科学基金资助的研究人员必须证明机构支持其更广泛的影响计划，该立法包括了由本国机构或“具有相关专业知识的其他机构或组织”提供更广泛影响支持的条款。为了开始在全国范围内满足这些需求，这个更广泛影响网络（BIN）项目将把各机构聚集在一个国家的保护伞下，共享信息、工具和资源，避免重复工作。该项目有两个目标：创建和培育一个全国性的广泛影响网络基础设施，并加强和发展地方机构层面的广泛影响基础设施。BIN项目的更广泛影响支持项目的目标，并与项目的范围直接相关。BIN项目将通过活跃的名单服务、月度通讯和更广泛的影响网站，向全国社区成员传播有关最佳做法和有效工具的信息。还将为个别调查人员制作一份通讯，以及更广泛的影响网站的一个部分。网站这一部分的信息和通讯将根据个别调查人员的需要进行调整，如培训信息、供资期限和成功的更广泛影响活动的例子。该项目还将支持一年一度的“更广泛影响基础设施峰会”。峰会有三个目标：将具有更广泛影响力的基础设施专业人士聚集在一起，分享最佳实践、想法和挑战；为具有更广泛影响的基础设施支持的未来制定路线；并向NSF提供关于在机构和主要研究者层面支持更广泛影响的现实的反馈。国家科学委员会认识到，对更广泛的影响活动进行有意义的评估最好是在机构一级，而不是在个别项目一级。为此目的，密苏里大学将试行一种机构工具，汇总有可能在全国实施的更广泛的影响评价。该项目的具体成果包括BIN网站、月度通讯、更广泛影响的社区列表服务，以及一个试点评估工具，用于汇总可在全国实施的机构层面更广泛影响的活动。利用现有资源和避免重复工作的更广泛影响网络将帮助研究人员以独特和创造性的方式解决更广泛的影响标准。该奖项由分子和细胞生物科学部的遗传机制和分子生物物理学小组共同资助。

The America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2010 (ACRA) requires NSF to include the broader impacts criterion in its proposal review. Furthermore, ACRA suggested that NSF encourage "institutions...to develop and provide, either as individual institutions or in partnerships thereof, appropriate training and programs to assist Foundation-funded principal investigators...in achieving the goals of the Broader Impacts Review Criterion." ACRA also requires that investigators applying for NSF funding must show institutional support for their broader impacts plan, and the legislation included provision for broader impacts support to originate at the home institution or "another institution or organization with relevant expertise." To begin to meet these needs on a nation-wide scale, this Broader Impacts Network (BIN) Project will bring institutions together under a national umbrella to share information, tools and resources and to avoid duplication of effort. The project has two goals: to create and cultivate a national Broader Impacts Network infrastructure and to strengthen and grow the broader impacts infrastructure at the local institution level. The broader impact of the BIN Project support the aims of the project and are directly related to the scope of the project. The BIN Project will disseminate information on best practices and effective tools for broader impacts to members of the national community through an active listserv, a monthly newsletter, and a broader impacts website. A newsletter, as well as a section of the broader impacts website, will also be created for individual investigators. Information on this section of the website and the newsletter will be tailored to the needs of individual investigators, such as training information, funding deadlines, and examples of successful broader impacts activities. The project will also support the annual Broader Impacts Infrastructure Summit. The Summit has three goals: bring broader impacts infrastructure professionals together to share best practices, ideas, and challenges; set the course for the future of broader impacts infrastructure support; and provide the NSF with feedback regarding the realities of supporting broader impacts at the institutional and principal investigator levels. The National Science Board has recognized that meaningful assessment of broader impacts activities may best be achieved at the institutional level instead of at the individual project level. To that end, the University of Missouri will pilot an institutional tool for aggregating broader impacts evaluation that has potential for national implementation. The specific deliverables of this project are a BIN website, monthly newsletter, broader impacts community listserv, and a pilot evaluation tool for aggregating broader impacts activities at the institution level that can be implemented nationally. Broader Impacts Networks that leverage existing resources and avoid duplication of effort will help researchers with addressing the broader impacts criterion in unique and creative ways.This award is co-funded by the Genetic Mechanisms and Molecular Biophysics Clusters in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.