The Instituto de Archaeologia Brasileira – IAB, was founded April 29, 1961 and is a nonprofit scientific-cultural institution, which, for 59 years, has dedicated itself to Research, Teaching and Disclosure of Brazilian archaeology. In 1965 they established a branch in Vila Santa Tereza, in Belford Roxo, RJ.

They developed scientific research in the field of academic archaeology, financially supported by agreements signed with research promotion agencies, both national and international, as well as contracted archeology with state and private sector companies.

 It is a Scientific, Technological and Innovation institute (ICT) registered in the Directory of Institutions of the CNPq, Accredited by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) for guarding Archeological Collections.  Today its holdings include ten buildings, technical reserves, museum (listed in the National Register of Museums of the Brazilian Institute of Museums (IBRAM), laboratories (already in use by researchers from FIOCRUZ), warehouses, classrooms and accommodations for visiting researchers, as well as areas for socio-cultural activities. 

Agreements and Partnerships

Since its foundation almost 60 years ago, the Institute has signed many covenants and partnerships with municipal, state, federal and international institutions to develop research, administer courses, mount exhibitions among other activities. Here are some of them:

• 1965-1970 – CNPq (BR) and Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C.) (PRONAPA)
• Decade of 1960’s – Flumitur (Archeological research agreement)
• 1965 – Divisão de Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico do Estado da Guanabara (partnership)
• 1970/71 – Setor de Arqueologia do Projeto Rondon ( archeological research in Amazonas)
• 1974-2012 – Divisão de Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico do Estado da Guanabara (creating the Center for Archaeological Studies (Centro de Estudos Arqueológicos (CEA) and, afterwards, with the Instituto Estadual de Patrimônio Cultural (INEPAC).
• From 1978 to the present – FIOCRUZ (many partnerships)
• 1978 – ONU/UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (research in Uruguay with teams from that country, as well as from  Canada, France and the United States)
• 2005 – Partnership with the City government of Mesquita (RJ) (Exposition)
• 2007-2012 – State University of Tocantins–UNITINS, creating the Núcleo Tocantinense de Arqueologia (NUTA) (Partnership)
• 2009 – Labtrip (FioCruz) (genetic research)
• 2009 – University of Rondônia (UNIR,) (Partnership)
• 2011-2017 – UniRedentor (Lato senso Post Graduate course in Archeology)
• 2013 – Colégio Estadual Santa Tereza (CEST) (Exposition)
• 2015 – Universidade of Leicester (genetic research) partnership
• Partnerships for expositions and other events with the Prefeitura de Belford Roxo
• 2018 – Partnership with the IEVA to teach Post Graduate course in Archaeology.
• 2020 – Partnership with the Prefeitura de Nova Iguaçu (Exposition)

Awards and Recognition

Their systematic performance and unquestionable professional quality earned them Recognition and Awards. Below are some examples.

• Decade of the 1960’s – Diploma de Mérito da Academia Brasileira de Belas Artes
• 1963 – Títle of an Institution of Public Utility, (PL Nº 344) from the Legislative Assembly of Guanabara
• 1986 –José Reis Prize for Scientific Disclosure (CNPq)
• 2014 – Títle of an Institution of Public Utility from the Câmara Municipal de Belford Roxo (PL Nº 1513).
• 2016 – Stamp of APTO for Research and Custodian of Collections – (IPHAN/CNIGP)
• 2017 – Diploma Heloneida Studart of Culture – 2017 – ALERJ
• 2018 – Certificate as a Cultural Location. (PMBR)
• 2018 –Designated as a Document Collection of Public and Social Interest – Decreto Federal Nº 9.618