Part 2 Writing NSF Grant Proposals Video Series: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts

A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at the University of Hartford about writing successful NSF grant proposals. I've written many proposals over the years, made plenty of mistakes, learned some things, and am still learning.

Part 1 covered getting started fundamentals: the parts and pieces of an NSF proposal, practical writing strategies to help you secure funding, and an introduction to Intellectual Merit (IM) and Broader Impacts (BI).

Part 2 digs deep into Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts: what they mean, how reviewers evaluate them, and practical writing strategies to address both effectively.

Intellectual Merit covers whether your proposed activity can advance knowledge within its field or across different fields. Think of it as the contribution part of potential publications; it addresses the work itself and its findings.

Broader Impacts addresses how your work will benefit society. NSF provides examples: improving STEM education, increasing public scientific literacy, developing a diverse STEM workforce, building partnerships, improving national security, increasing U.S. economic competitiveness, and enhancing research infrastructure.

Here’s Part 2:

Each segment in the series addresses a specific aspect of proposal writing, from early planning questions to building budgets. Watch for Part 3, which will cover additional components of a complete and competitive NSF proposal.

The presentation series reflects conditions as of October 7, 2025. NSF programs and guidelines change, so verify current requirements for your program of interest before and during your writing.

Disclaimer: These opinions and advice are mine! They reflect my experience writing proposals, not official NSF guidance or institutional policy. What worked for me may need adjustment for your field or project.

Agentic Commerce: Can AI Shop Better Than You?

You send a text: "Reorder my usual coffee when I'm running low." An AI agent checks your inventory, compares prices across 50 retailers, selects the best option, and completes the purchase. you receive a notification after it's done.

 That's agentic commerce. AI software acts on your behalf to shop, compare, and buy without you clicking through websites or entering payment information for each transaction. You set preferences and spending limits. The agent operates within those boundaries.

 

The technology uses large language models to understand requests, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to access product catalogs and payment systems, and machine learning to improve recommendations over time. Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Amazon, and Google have all launched or have plans to launch agentic commerce platforms (see Links to Watch below) in 2025. The agents can handle simple tasks like grocery reordering or complex ones like researching neighborhoods when you relocate.

 

Advantages

Time savings: You delegate research, comparison, and execution to software. No browser tabs, no manual price checks.

Price optimization follows: Agents scan thousands of retailers instantly and find better deals than human shoppers typically locate. They monitor price drops and act when conditions meet your preset criteria. Some negotiate pricing directly.

Personalization improvements through pattern recognition: Agents learn your preferences, budget constraints, and purchase history. They filter options against your actual behavior rather than generic demographic data. Recommendations get more accurate over time.

Cart abandonment drops: Friction disappears when agents complete multistep processes automatically.

 

Disadvantages

Trust gaps: Only 24% of US consumers feel comfortable letting AI complete purchases, according to Bain research. Liability remains unclear when an agent makes an unauthorized or incorrect purchase. Who pays when the bot orders the wrong item or books a nonrefundable flight you can't use?

Fraud risks: Agents can be tricked by fake listings, manipulated reviews, or spoofed sellers. Payment credentials become more vulnerable when stored for autonomous access. Data poisoning can skew agent decisions across many transactions.

Merchant disintermediation: Retailers lose direct customer relationships when agents make data driven purchase decisions. Brand loyalty weakens. Small and midsize retailers face higher costs to optimize product data for machine readability.

Pricing pressure increase: Agents search for the best deals automatically, which forces margins down across categories. Impulse purchases decline because agents buy only what you need.

Privacy concerns:  Agents require extensive behavioral data to function effectively. Transparency about data collection varies. Regulatory frameworks lag behind the technology.

You'll need parallel shopping systems: one for humans, one for bots: The transition period creates complexity without guarantees that consumer adoption will follow.

Links To Watch

Here are links to some major agentic commerce platforms:

Visa Intelligent Commerce: https://corporate.visa.com/en/products/intelligent-commerce.html

Mastercard Agent Pay: https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/business/artificial-intelligence/mastercard-agent-pay.html

PayPal Agentic Commerce (PayPal.ai) https://paypal.ai/

Amazon Buy for Me: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-shopping-app-buy-for-me-brands

Google AI Mode Shopping: https://blog.google/products/shopping/google-shopping-ai-mode-virtual-try-on-update/

Some Notes On These: Amazon's Buy for Me is currently in beta testing with limited users. Google's agentic checkout feature was announced at I/O 2025 but has not fully rolled out yet.

Writing NSF Grant Proposals Video Series: Part 1

A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at one of my favorite places that I’ve had the opportunity to  teach - the University of Hartford - about writing NSF grant proposals. I've written many proposals over the years, made plenty of mistakes, learned some things, and still learning. I decided to share what I know more broadly. 

This is Part 1. The presentation reflects conditions as of October 7, 2025. NSF programs and guidelines change, so verify current requirements for your program of interest before and monitor during your writing.

 

The video covers the fundamentals. I focus on practical writing strategies that help you secure funding, including how to address intellectual merit and broader impacts without using generic language.

 

One disclaimer: these opinions and advice are mine. They reflect my experience writing proposals, not official NSF guidance or institutional policy. What worked for me may need adjustment for your field or project.

 

Parts 2 and 3 will come soon. Each segment addresses a specific aspect of proposal writing, from early planning questions to building budgets.

If you're preparing an NSF proposal, I hope this helps. Watch for Parts 2 and 3 coming soon and good luck! Email me if you have questions at gordonsnyder@gmail.com