(a)  Assessment

Not later than 120 days after August 9, 2022, the Director shall enter into an agreement with a qualified independent organization to assess how the Broader Impacts review criterion is applied across the Foundation and make recommendations for improving the effectiveness for meeting the goals established in section 1862p–14 of this title.

(b)  Activities

The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support activities to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and availability of resources for implementing the Broader Impacts review criterion, including⁠—

(1)  training and workshops for program officers, merit review panelists, award office administrators, faculty, and students to improve understanding of the goals and the full range of potential broader impacts available to researchers to satisfy this criterion;

(2)  repositories and clearinghouses for sharing best practices and facilitating collaboration; and

(3)  tools for evaluating and documenting societal impacts of research.