Unconventional funding scheme for high-risk research, including lottery element, offers wider lessons, says Anete VingreWhat kinds of work does dedicated funding for high-risk, high-reward (HRHR) research actually support? To address these questions Technopolis recently worked with the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) to evaluate its 1000 Ideas programme. The 1000 Ideas programme has been running since 2019, providing empirical data on some of these interesting questions. Discussion around lottery funding focuses on perceptions and whether researchers think it is fair and legitimate. Technopolis found little evidence of this in the 1000 Ideas programme.