Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary Evidence
Supporting Harvard Faculty Taking Major Intellectual Risks
The Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) invites Harvard social science tenure-track faculty to collaborate on research that challenges dominant scientific, political, or cultural assumptions. Through uniquely tailored support — including high-level data expertise, infrastructure, and funding — we help investigators collect the extraordinary evidence required to move the scientific community’s dominant position the farthest distance.
What is an "Extraordinary Claim"?
An extraordinary claim is an empirical claim that is unusually distant from the current dominant view of the scientific community.
Examples:
- Contrarian findings that challenge widely accepted assumptions
- Novel empirical insights into taboo, under-researched, or dismissed topics
- Investigations that expose structural flaws in prevalent methodologies
- Projects previously deemed “unfundable” or politically risky
How do we evaluate whether a project has an extraordinary claim?
What we offer
What is the process?
Confidentiality
The Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary Evidence partnership is built on trust and an unusual level of confidentiality. All project proposals, data, and research discussions shared with our team are treated as strictly confidential. You can tell others you received our support if you wish, but we will never share anything about your project without your permission. We have found that this high level of confidentiality gives researchers the freedom to explore far riskier ideas than they would otherwise. We invite you to join our highly secure environment for candid, rigorous collaboration with our experts. By keeping your ideas totally private, ECEE can help you develop the extraordinary evidence necessary to convince yourself and the world that you’re right, and if not, to learn why.
Contact us
If you have a project that you believe is suitable for the ECEE partnership, please get in touch with us at extraordinary@iq.harvard.edu