HFSP – Human Frontier Science Programme

The program promotes international collaboration in basic research focused on the elucidation of the sophisticated and complex mechanisms of living organisms. 

Supported projects must aim to contribute to ground-breaking research and emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary/interdisciplinary approaches. The project must be different from the applicants' ongoing research work.

Please see links below to the HFSPO website for more information about the HFSP calls. 

Research Grants are awarded for three years, to international (preferably intercontinental) teams of 2 – 4 members who have not collaborated before. Participation of researchers from disciplines outside the traditional life sciences, such as biophysics, chemistry, computational biology, computer science, engineering, mathematics, nanoscience or physics, is recommended.  

There are two types, Research Grants – Early Career and Research Grants – Program. 

• Research Grants – Early Career is for teams of independent researchers who all have a maximum of 5 years' experience as head of their own research group, and a maximum of 10 years' experience after their PhD. 
• Research Grants – Program is for independent researchers at all stages of their career, and researchers early in their career are strongly encouraged to participate in a Program team. 

The Research Grant awarded amount depends on the size of the research group, up to $500,000 per year for a team of four members. The main applicant/project manager must be located in one of the HFSP member countries, but the other team participants can be in any country. 

Please see the website for more information. 

The Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded for three years to talented postdoctoral fellows with ground-breaking research projects in the life sciences. In particular, the program also encourages postdoctoral fellows with a background in fields other than biology to apply for projects to solve fundamental problems in the life sciences. The Postdoctoral Fellowship must be linked to a host institution, which cannot be located in the country where the applicant has obtained a doctorate or worked as a postdoctoral fellow, nor can the applicant be a citizen of the host country. The applicant cannot have worked with the supervisor at the host institution previously.

HFSPO awards two types, Long-Term Fellowships and Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships. 

• Long-Term Fellowships are for applicants with a Ph.D. in biology, who wants to embark on a new and ground-breaking project with a focus on life sciences. 
• Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships are for applicants who have a PhD from a non-biological discipline (e.g. physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering or computer sciences) and who have not worked in the life sciences before. 

The Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded amount is paid to the host institution. The amount covers all or part of the salary of the postdoctoral fellow and includes a sum for research-related costs. The allowance varies depending on the host country.  

You can find more information on the HFSP web. 

Is HFSP something for you? Try their Eligibility quiz.