Project Impact Statements
The NCRA REQUIRES impact statement submission for both new proposal submission and midterm reviews.
Difference Between Impact and Accomplishment
This question is one of the most frequent questions received by our office. The difference comes down to a description of project achievements or a list of measurable outcomes.
Accomplishment: This information should be built around the activity's milestones, as they were identified in the original proposal. Accomplishments should also reflect on the items that stakeholders want to know, or want to see. Committees may describe plans for the coming year in no more than one or two short paragraphs.
Other pertinent information may be reported, such as extension activities, extramural funding or intellectual property generated, etc. If any grants or contracts were acquired as a direct result of this project's activity during this project period, list granting agency, title of project, duration (eg. 1999 -2003), and award amount. Also, committees may indicate if there are plans to develop a new or revised project in this area research.
Impact: The quantifiable difference a land-grant program makes in the quality of life for its clients and general citizenry.
Supplementing that brief statement is also the definition of an impact statement: "A brief document that describes the social, environmental, and/or economic difference that your research, teaching, or extension efforts have made on the public." Specifically, it states the accomplishments and the payoff to society.
Impact Statement Use and Submission Guidelines
The NCRA proudly posts our regional impact statements on the NCRA Impact Statement website.
These impact and research needs statements should not be seen by committees as “more paperwork.” In fact, they should be seen as opportunities to brag about the many accomplishments your committees have made — how have they given back to the community? How is the committee benefiting its stakeholders? This is also your project’s chance to describe research needs that would enhance its outcomes and output.
An important source of information in formulating these impact and research needs statements comes from the SAES-422 forms, which are required of ALL NCRA projects. We encourages all committees to submit their annual reports in a timely manner (within 60 days of the annual meeting). If a committee has kept up with its reporting requirements, the impact statement should be easy to write - the statement should not exceed two pages.
That being said:
- PROJECTS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED IMPACT STATEMENTS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO WRITE NEW IMPACT STATEMENTS EVERY YEAR. ADDITIONALLY, COMMITTEES WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED IMPACT STATEMENTS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO WRITE NEW IMPACT STATEMENTS PRIOR TO NEW PROPOSAL OR MIDTERM REVIEW. These committees will only be asked to update their previously-submitted impact statements prior to review.
- HOWEVER, PROJECTS THAT HAVE NOT SUBMITTED IMPACT STATEMENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO WRITE THEIR STATEMENT FROM SCRATCH PRIOR TO NEW PROPOSAL OR MIDTERM REVIEW. Committees who have yet to write impact statements are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to save time in preparing for the review process.
To see if your committee has submitted an impact statement, refer to the NCRA Impact Statement Website (Project Impact Statement Index).
To submit your committee's impact statement, use the Impact Statement Submission Form.