NSB to Revisit NSF’s Merit Review Process
The National Science Board (NSB), the policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that also serves as an independent advisor to the President and Congress on federal science policy issues, met on May 9-10. Among the topics discussed was the establishment of a commission to review NSF’s merit review process and criteria. The NSB-NSF Commission on Merit Review (MRX) was formally created in February and is now getting started on its review and engagement with external stakeholders.
The Commission was created in response to language included in the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 that called on NSF to partner with an external organization to assess how NSF’s Broader Impacts review criterion is applied across the agency and make recommendations for improving effectiveness. The NSB decided to broaden the scope of the Commission to include the entire merit review process, which has not been holistically reviewed in 11 years.
The Commission’s work is being guided by two 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?
- Would changes to the Merit Review process and criteria, their implementation, or their assessment be needed to achieve NSF’s mission?
The Board intends to release a preliminary set of recommendations for public comment in November 2023. The final report and recommendations are anticipated for May 2024. Initial input into the activity can be sent to MeritReviewCommission@nsf.gov.