New Report Details Recent Trends in NSF Awards

July 11, 2023

The National Science Board is pleased to share the National Science Foundation’s FY 2021 Merit Review Digest, which provides summary annual statistics on proposals awarded and declined and on characteristics of the individuals and organizations submitting proposals and receiving NSF awards.

The Board relies on these data to understand current trends in STEM research and education as it formulates policies to help develop a robust and diverse STEM talent pool to fuel our Nation’s science and engineering enterprise.

NSF has been providing this annual report to the Board since 1977. The FY 2021 Merit Review Digest breaks down the overall number of proposals, awards, and funding rate by NSF Directorate or Office, shares information about how proposals are reviewed, and tallies proposals, awards, and funding rates by demographic data.

NSF’s proposals are evaluated by two criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. The Board's Vision 2030 report expressed the Board’s commitment to examining how the Broader Impacts criterion meets societal needs and working with NSF leadership to review and recommend changes to policies and processes as needed.

Highlights

NSF made 11,344 new, competitive awards in FY2021; its overall funding rate was 26%, slightly below FY2020’s 28% funding rate due to a decrease in RAPID awards to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency received slightly more proposals than last year, but the total number of proposals are approximately 10% below the number submitted in 2018 due in large part to the increasing number of directorates instituting a no-deadline policy.

In FY 2021, NSF received $8.7 billion in annual congressional appropriations to fund the agency’s programs. It received an additional $600 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to aid individuals and institutions most significantly impacted by the pandemic.

At the end of FY 2021, NSF began requiring newly registered principal investigators (PIs) to respond to demographic questions about gender, ethnicity, race, and disability status, with the option to select, “Do not wish to provide.” Before the new requirement was instituted, less than half of new NSF PIs were providing demographic information. For the remainder of FY 2021 following implementation, 95% of new PIs opted to report their gender and 90% volunteered race and ethnicity responses.

The report also shares proposals, awards, and funding rate by state. Every state is represented, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Alaska had the highest funding rate at 42% and California submitted the most proposals (5,118) and received the most awards (1,451). The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 25 states participated in the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, also known as EPSCoR, program in FY 2021.

Overall, NSF funded more grants in FY 2021 than ever before. Furthermore, the estimated number of people budgeted on successful research awards was at its highest level in FY 2021, reaching 30,292 graduate students, 5,008 postdoctoral researchers, and 44,564 personnel. There were 21,900 PIs funded during the FY 2019 – 2021 period with a funding rate of 43%. Total annual research award amounts are also at a peak, reaching $24,951 per award in FY 2021. For research awards with graduate student support, that amount was $34,368 in FY 2021.

In February 2021, the Board passed two resolutions to enhance the merit review process. The first requested that the NSF Director to implement policies to maximize reviewers’ preparedness to fulfill their role in the merit review process. The second resolution requested the Director to develop a plan to include at least one member on review panels with in-depth expertise and knowledge in the Broader Impacts criteria. The Board expects to hear results in FY 2023, accounting for a delay due to the pandemic.

Merit Review Reexamination

For decades the Board has worked with NSF to ensure the fairness and effectiveness of the merit review process. The Board last systematically examined the merit review policy and criteria in 2011. Considering the focus that NSF and Congress place on accountability and the growth in professionalism regarding the Broader Impacts criterion, the Board charged a joint Commission with NSF to re-examine the merit review criteria and process in February 2023.

The Commission will review multiple aspects of the merit review process, including the review criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria, and data and reporting progress toward achieving NSF goals. The commission expects to present recommendations to the Board and the Agency by spring of 2024.

About the National Science Board

The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 charged the NSB with two roles: to be the governing board of the NSF and an advisor to Congress and the President on policy matters related to STEM research and STEM education. Selected for their distinguished service and accomplishments in academia, government, and the private sector, the Board’s 24 presidentially appointed members are leaders in STEM research and education.

Media Contact: Elizabeth Jeffers, National Science Board, (703) 292-7496, ejeffers@nsf.gov

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