Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)

The Human Frontier Science Program aims to promote intercontinental collaboration and training in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research focused on the life sciences. Since 1989, the Program supports collaborative, cross-border research projects conceived by leading investigators from around the world. HFSP puts a high value on basic life science at the frontiers of knowledge, on international scientific cooperation, and on basic research as a driver of economic and social benefit. HFSP implements a bottom-up approach without topical priorities and emphasizes themes that give rise to emerging fields that make use of novel approaches for example in biotechnology, material science, robotics, advanced computational methods, or nanotechnology. HFSP complements the research priorities of its Members by providing international collaborations in areas and at times not covered by existing international agreements and preferring high-risk, high-gain projects. This is possible because HFSP Members share common values: They prize scientific integrity, excellence, bold innovation, and a willingness to think and work across disciplines through intercontinental collaboration. Members believe that cooperation and collaboration among diverse people, different points of view, and across disciplines build creativity and capability into any effort. Together, they embrace basic frontier life science as highly valuable because these discoveries drive innovation. HFSP is supported by the governments or research councils of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, the European Commission, South Africa and Norway. With its collaborative research grants and postdoctoral fellowships, the program has issued over 4,500 awards involving more than 7,500 scientists from all over the world. Since the beginning of the Program, 28 HFSP awardees have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.