Five frameworks for evaluating ex ante broader impacts of research vary in emphasis on methods versus outcomes¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The report describes five frameworks that can be used to evaluate ex ante broader impacts: the HERG Payback Framework, SIAMPI, Contribution Mapping, the Research Contribution Framework, and the RAPID Outcome Mapping Approach. They "vary widely in their emphasis on methods and outcomes." HERG "assumes that broader impacts of research are linear," while other models assume steps in the research process can feed back to earlier steps and that broader impacts can occur at any stage. SIAMPI focuses on productive interactions between researchers and non-academics; Contribution Mapping focuses on actor activities toward research methods; the Research Contribution Framework focuses on research uptake by non-academics within defined organizations; and RAPID focuses exclusively on outcomes including attitude and behavior changes of non-academics.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Applicable to ex ante evaluation of research proposals' potential broader impacts, before impacts have occurred

Constraints¶

• The frameworks differ in scope: the Research Contribution Framework is intended to assess impacts within defined organizations rather than society at large

Target Learners¶

• Research funders and program officers evaluating grant proposals

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Assessing the potential broader impacts of research proposals ex ante

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Hug and Aeschbach taxonomy of grant review criteria and elements coded as entity-dimension combinations

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Chandler, Jesse, Emily Rosen, Kimberley Raue, Katlyn Lee Milless and Danielle Rockman. 2024. A Review of Funder Instructions and Grant Reviewer Practices for Assessing the Intellectual Merit and Other Impacts of Research. Alexandria, VA: U.S. National Science Foundation. https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2024/nsf24020/nsf24020.pdf