Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards | 23 566

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 566

The Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary grant program that funds scientific and technological research and development in archaeology, with the core goal of advancing anthropological knowledge about past human behavior. The program is explicitly framed around anthropologically relevant archaeology, meaning proposals must do more than describe sites, artifacts, or methods in isolation. Applicants are expected to make a clear, persuasive case that their research questions matter to broader anthropological debates and that the results have real potential to improve understanding of human societies and behavior over time.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its openness. NSF does not set priorities by geographic region or time period, so projects can focus on any part of the world and any archaeological era as long as the anthropological contribution is convincing. The program also avoids privileging particular theoretical orientations or types of research questions. In practice, this means applicants have substantial freedom to propose innovative work, whether it is grounded in evolutionary anthropology, cultural ecology, household archaeology, landscape approaches, political economy, symbolism and ideology, human-environment interactions, or other frameworks, as long as the proposal demonstrates strong intellectual merit and anthropological significance.

The solicitation notes that the program does not restrict proposals to a narrow set of categories, but most submissions tend to fall into two broad areas. First are field research projects, which can include excavation, survey, remote sensing, and other forms of data collection that produce new primary archaeological evidence. Second are projects focused on analysis of archaeological materials, often using multiple complementary approaches. This can include laboratory analyses and interpretive work drawing on techniques such as bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, geochemistry, isotopic analysis, lithic or ceramic analysis, chronometric dating, spatial analysis, or other interdisciplinary methods, especially when they are integrated to address a coherent anthropological question rather than used as standalone technical exercises.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as "Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards" under Funding Opportunity Number 23-566. It is offered by the National Science Foundation under CFDA 47.075 and categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The instrument type is a grant, and the opportunity is competitive, with an expected number of approximately 30 awards. The award ceiling is listed as 0, which typically indicates that a single fixed maximum is not specified in the summarized record and that budget size is likely evaluated based on project scope, justification, and program norms rather than a hard cap stated in this extract. The original closing date for the cycle shown is July 3, 2023, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of March 21, 2023.

Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which signals that the precise applicant categories are defined in the full NSF solicitation and related program guidance. In general terms, applicants should expect that the full eligibility rules, submission requirements, and compliance expectations (such as data management, permitting and legal/ethical considerations for fieldwork and collections, and documentation of broader impacts) are governed by NSF policies and the Archaeology Program's detailed instructions.

Overall, the key takeaway is that this grant opportunity supports a wide range of archaeological projects as long as they are tightly connected to anthropological questions about past human behavior, clearly explain why the research matters, and demonstrate how the proposed work can produce meaningful contributions to anthropological knowledge without being constrained by region, period, or theoretical preference.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Archaeology Program Senior Research Awards" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.075.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 03, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 23 566

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