As researchers, we all have our specialist subjects. Whether yours is the result of a lifelong passion, a driving motivation to solve a problem, or a happy accident that you fell into, the importance of your research is something that seems obvious…to you. It is often more challenging to convince others about the benefits of your work and, in the case of grant writing, why they should fund your research. This is where being able to describe the impacts of your work becomes critical. 

How does it advance your field?

NSF uses the term intellectual merit to describe the impacts of your research on your field of study. Other funding agencies may refer to this by a different name, but they are, nevertheless, interested in how your research advances your field of study. There are many ways that your work can advance your field, including:

• Methodology: Are the methods you plan to use revolutionary? How are they different from previous methods? What new information or perspective will they provide? What are other potential applications for your techniques? 
• Knowledge: Will your work fill a specific gap in current understanding? Why is addressing this missing piece important? What are the downstream effects on your field (and others) once that gap is filled? 
• Technology: Would your research result in a product that will transform your field? What are the potential impacts and applications of this new technology on other research? 

How does it help? 

Another way to view research impact is looking at how it affects broader society (those outside your specific field of study). This is your chance to justify why taxpayers (or whoever is providing the funding) should invest in your work. There are myriad ways that research can benefit society, below are a few examples:

• Education: Does your research fill a much-needed gap in understanding for the public, industry, policymakers, etc.? How (what modes) can you use to translate your work for non-specialists? What are the larger benefits of disseminating the knowledge gleaned from your work?
• Industry: Will your research produce products that can impact the broader community? Will those products increase efficiency? Facilitate health and well-being? Be used as components for something larger?
• Policy: Can your research inform policymakers are key issues? What are the various ways that the results of your research can be used and what are the larger impacts?

Bottom line 

To successfully fund your research, you need to be able to articulate the impacts of your work. For some fields, describing impacts is easy. For others, it is more difficult. Whichever category your work falls into, your research is important and meaningful to you, so your task as a grant writer is to make the case for your research impact so that reviewers to see the value as well.