Accomplishments Section
Most requests for report revisions are related to the “Accomplishments” section. This is the most important section. NIFA requests that the first paragraph be an overarching impact statement written in non-technical language and describing the real or potential impact of the work you conducted over all project years to date. This statement will be a primary tool for briefing leadership and legislators about what has been accomplished with the public funding invested in your project. Guidance for writing your impact statement can be found by selecting "Impact Statement" on the left menu of this webpage.
The paragraphs that follow this impact statement must address each project objective separately. If you are writing an annual progress report, report only on the activities conducted during the project year on which you are reporting. If you are writing an final report, you must summarize the activities and accomplishments for all project years, breaking down the report by objectives.
For each objective, provide information on...
1) Major activities completed / experiments conducted;
2) Data collected;
3) Summary statistics and discussion of results and
4) Key outcomes or other accomplishments realized.
For #4 above, key outcomes are defined as changes in knowledge, action, or condition
A change in knowledge occurs when the participant (scientist, trainee, or citizen) learns or becomes aware.
Examples of a change in new fundamental or applied knowledge significant enough to be included in a publication; methods and techniques; policy knowledge; improved skills; or increased knowledge of decision-making, life skills, and positive life choices among youth and adults.
A change in action occurs when there is a change in behavior or the participants act upon what they have learned (adoption of techniques and methods or a change in practice).
Examples of a change in actions include: application and actual use of fundamental or applied knowledge; adoption of new or improved skills; direct application of information from publications; adoption and use of new methods or improved technologies; use of skills by youth and adults in making informed choices; adoption of practical policy and use of decision-making knowledge.
A change in condition occurs when a societal condition is changed due to a participant's action.
Examples of a change in conditions include: development of human resources; physical, institutional, and information resources that improve infrastructure technology transfer; management and behavioral changes and adjustments; quantified changes in descriptive statistics (trade balance, export sales, etc.); better and less expensive animal health; changes in conditions (e.g., wages, health care benefits, etc.) of the agricultural workforce; higher productivity in food provision; quantified changes in quality-of-life for youth and adults in rural communities; safer food supply; reduced obesity rates and improved nutrition and health; or higher water quality (e.g., increased water clarity) and a cleaner environment (e.g., measurably reduced pollution).