The Human Frontier Science Program

Martin Reddington
Director of Scientific Affairs and Communication, Human Frontier Science Program
Strasbourg, France

The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) is an international funding program that supports collaborative research in the form of grants for teams of scientists in different countries and postdoctoral fellowships for advanced training in laboratories abroad. Although scientists from India have always been able to participate in HFSP programs (with some restrictions), membership of the HFSP Organization now means that scientists in India can take full advantage of all HFSP funding mechanisms. Since India joined HFSP we have seen a substantial increase in the number of Indian scientists applying for Research Grants and there are also more Indians applying for HFSP fellowships for training abroad. The aim of this short contribution is to summarise the grant and fellowship programs to give a sense of what HFSP stands for. We hope this will result in a better understanding of our requirements and will increase the chances of success.    
   
The aim of HFSP is to support research on “complex mechanisms of living organisms”. This is a broad field but for historical reasons the main funding areas range from biomolecular studies to the mechanisms underlying higher cognitive functions. HFSP funding is specifically geared towards basic research on fundamental problems in the life sciences. This includes technological developments that are expected to have a high impact on basic research. HFSP does not support applied, translational research (e.g. diagnostics, therapy, agricultural production and plant breeding). Nor do we fund systematic, high throughput data collection or drug screening programs.    
   
The HFSP Research Grant program is characterised by the "3I\’s": Innovative, International (with strong emphasis on Intercontinental) and Interdisciplinary research. There are two grant programs: Young Investigator Grants, specifically for teams of early career scientists in different countries who are all within 5 years of obtaining their first independent positions and within 10 years of their PhDs; and Program Grants, for international teams of scientists at any stages of their careers. Early career scientists wanting to collaborate with more senior scientists are encouraged to apply for Program Grants. All grants are awarded for 3 years with a fixed amount of up to US$100%,000 per year per grant depending on the team size.    
   
The 3 I’s play a critical role in the review of grant applications. First, projects are expected to be innovative. To encourage this we do not require preliminary data: rather, we would like to receive well argued, original ideas. Team members are expected to use the collaboration as an opportunity to explore new areas rather than continuing along well-trodden paths or maintaining ongoing partnerships. We have observed that this is often a reason for the failure of grant applications involving only senior scientists, even Nobel Prize winners! Secondly, the intercontinental aspect is taken very seriously and the reviewers look positively at applications with a broad global distribution of team members. Although it is important to have a truly intercontinental team, a local collaboration can be part of the broader team composition, but there is no advantage to having a team member from any specific country. Finally, the interdisciplinary nature of the collaboration is a major review criterion. Over the last years, we have seen growing interest from scientists in physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics or engineering who want to join forces with biologists to tackle problems in the life sciences and HFSP places strong emphasis on the application of ideas and technologies from outside the life sciences in pushing forwards the frontiers of biological research. This is clearly evident from the topics and participants in grant awards since around 2003, which can be seen on the HFSP web site at http://www.hfsp.org/awardees/AwardeesRG.php. It is important, however, to make sure that a team member from the physical sciences plays an essential role in the project (not just a token) and is the best person for the job. In fact, it is important to put together a team in which each person has a clear role and excellent experience that is relevant for the project. Avoid putting together a team of Indian scientists working in different countries – your best friend is not necessarily your best collaborator on an HFSP grant!    
   
The review of HFSP applications is rigorous, starting from a short Letter of Intent to the final decision. The Research Grant office receives approximately 750 Letters of Intent for each annual competition. Of these, 80-90 teams are invited to submit full applications and 32-35 awards are made. It is therefore important to think carefully about whether a proposed collaboration meets the expectations of the Program as outlined above. It is also important to stress the fundamental biological questions being approached. National and international funding agencies are increasingly requiring applicants to comment on the social relevance of projects and the scientific community has now been conditioned to emphasise the medical or other implications of research. When applying for HFSP grants you should overcome this reflex and go straight for the scientific jugular! The reviewers don’t have to be told about the devastation caused by Alzheimer’s disease or malaria. They will assess applications in the light of how important they are for understanding basic processes such as mechanisms of protein folding/misfolding or host-parasite co-evolution.    
   
The HFSP postdoctoral fellowship programs should be of great interest to young Indian scientists wanting advanced training abroad. Two programs are available: Long-Term Fellowships are aimed at those who have done their PhDs in the life sciences and wish to broaden their experience in another field of biology. The Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships are specifically for those with PhDs in the physical sciences who want to bring their expertise to bear on biological problems. These two programs are reviewed separately but are structured in the same way. Fellowships are for 3 years but with considerable flexibility in the use of the 3rd year. Indian Fellows who wish to return to India may use the 3rd year of the fellowship back home in order to consolidate contacts and get a “foot in the door”. In addition, those who return may apply for a Career Development Award, which gives $100,000 per year for 3 years to help get their independent labs going. The aim of these measures is to foster independence and it is important that candidates are seen to be moving forwards and not just returning to their PhD environment.    
   
Approximately 700 Fellowship applications are received each year and around 100 Fellows are selected. Fellowships are reviewed on the basis of the track record of the candidate, the proposed project and the host supervisor and academic environment. Applicants must have at least one first author (or, as is becoming more common, “joint first author”) paper in an international peer-reviewed journal. In the candidate’s CV and the proposed project, reviewers are looking for signs of initiative and creativity. Input from the candidate’s own previous experience, for example in chemistry or physics, into the fellowship project is especially welcome in the Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships. In general, a candidate without an outstanding track record, who wants to do more of the same kind of research in the host lab, will not be successful. It is important to make clear your motivation for choosing your project and supervisor. HFSP Fellows are selected in the hope that they will become future leaders and the training environment at the postdoctoral stage is considered critical. Therefore the choice of host supervisor and institution is very important since a rich academic environment with intensive personal contact and possibilities for international scientific exchange provides the perfect basis to launch a career in science.    
   
Further information about these programs is available on the HFSP web site at http://www.hfsp.org/how/appl_form.php. The deadline for the letters of intent for Research Grants is usually at the end of March. For Long-Term and Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships it is mid-September.