Some interesting quotes about changes to NSF’s Merit Review Criteria in this article Chemical and Engineering News (via the Penn research office).
C&ENewsDec10.pdf (application/pdf Object).
If you’re interested in the history behind these changes, see “Reassessing the Science-Society Relation” here. If you’re interested in a comparison between NSF and the European Commission on the question of impact criteria, Robert Frodeman and I wrote this.
Remember that any proposals with a deadline on or after January 14 will be subject to the new criteria.