High-Risk Research in Biological Anthropology and Archaeology (HRRBAA)

The HRRBAA program provides small awards to support high-risk, exploratory pilot projects in biological anthropology and archaeology that have the potential to lead to significant new anthropological knowledge. This program is designed for projects where research outcomes face unusual uncertainty due to distant locations, uncertain access to data or research sites, or the need to test new and innovative methodologies. Awards provide investigators the opportunity to assess feasibility, conduct reconnaissance, or develop proof of concept for research that may have high risk of failure but also potentially significant payoffs. The program addresses the challenge that risky proposals with great potential for disciplinary advancement face difficulty competing with standard research proposals in a highly competitive environment. Investigators must contact the cognizant NSF Program Director before submitting an HRRBAA proposal to determine whether the proposed work is appropriate for this support mechanism.