ANNUAL REPORT 2016 ANNUAL REPORT FY2016 REPORT ANNUAL APRIL 2016-MARCH 2017 HUMAN FRONTIER SCIENCE PROGRAM The Human Frontier Science Program is unique, supporting international collaboration to undertake innovative, risky, basic research at the frontier of the life sciences. Special emphasis is given to the support and training of independent young investigators, beginning at the postdoctoral level. The Program is implemented by an international organisation, supported financially by Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union. Since 1990, over 7000 researchers from more than 70 countries have been supported. Of these, 26 HFSP awardees have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize. APRIL 2016 - MARCH 2017 ANNUAL REPORT — 3 — Table of contents The following documents are available on the HFSP website www.hfsp.org: Joint Communiqués (Tokyo 1992, Washington 1997, Berlin 2002, Bern 2004, Ottawa 2007, Canberra 2010, Brussels 2013, London 2016): http://www.hfsp.org/about-us/governance/intergovernmental-conference Statutes of the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization: http://www.hfsp.org/about-us/governance/statutes Guidelines for the participation of new members in HFSPO: http://www.hfsp.org/about-us/new-membership General reviews of the HFSP (1996, 2001, 2006-2007, 2010): http://www.hfsp.org/about-us/reviews-hfsp Updated and previous lists of awards, including titles and abstracts: http://www.hfsp.org/awardees — 4 — INTRODUCTION Introduction Message from the Secretary General Board of Trustees Council of Scientists Secretariat CHAPTER 1 - FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 1.1 Fellowship Awards in 2017 1.2 The 2017 Fellowship Review Committee 1.3 Long-Term and Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships awarded in March 2016 1.4 Career Development Awards in 2017 1.5 The 2017 CDA Review Committee 1.6 Career Development Awards in March 2016 CHAPTER 2 - RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM 2.1 Funding frontier research 2.2 Frontier projects in award year 2017 2.3 Further observations from the 2017 review cycle 2.4 Media snippets following the release of the 2017 HFSP Research Grants 2.5 The 2017 Review Committee for Research Grants 2.6 Research Grants awarded in 2016 CHAPTER 3 – THE SCIENCE OF HFSPO 3.1 HFSPO accepts preprint articles 3.2 An effort for the global scientific community 3.3 The 2017 HFSP Nakasone Award 3.4 The Sixteenth HFSP Awardees Meeting, Singapore, 10-13 July 2016 3.5. Inspiring science 3.6. Great minds at work 3.7. Honours and prizes CHAPTER 4 - BUDGET AND FINANCE 4.1 Guidelines for HFSPO funding 4.2 Contributions for FY 2016 4.3 Geographical distribution of contributions 4.4 Payments of awards 4.5 FY 2016 financial summary 4.6 Financial outlook for FY 2017 4.7 Overview of HFSPO budget for FY 2017 APPENDIX A.1 Joint Communiqué of the Intergovernmental Conference on the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization, London, 10 June 2016 A.2 Summary of decisions of the Board of Trustees in FY 2016 — 5 — — 6 — Introduction Introduction Introduction Message from the Secretary General Board of Trustees Council of Scientists Secretariat — 7 — Introduction The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) promotes fundamental research in the life sciences with special emphasis on novel and interdisciplinary research, international and, in particular, intercontinental collaboration and support for young investigators. Since its establishment in 1989, HFSP has demonstrated the value of creating a framework for competitive, collaborative, international research of the highest caliber and of providing young scientists with the opportunity to emerge as talented researchers capable of shaping the science of the future. The International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) implements the Program through the following mechanisms of research support, details of which can be found in the subsequent chapters: n Long-Term Fellowships – for young life scientists n Career Development Awards – for former HFSP within three years of obtaining their Ph. D. who Fellows to help them set up their own independent wish to broaden their scientific experience in a laboratories in their home country or another foreign laboratory. HFSP member country. n Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships – specifically for n Young Investigator Grants – grants for scientists with a Ph. D. in non-biological disciplines interdisciplinary teams of young researchers who seek training in the life sciences. who are within the first five years of their first independent positions and located in different countries. n Program Grants – for interdisciplinary teams of researchers in different countries at any stage of their careers. — 8 — Since 1990, 1059 Research Grants involving With a mission to the frontiers of science, HFSPO 3902 scientists have been awarded. During the same supports the next generation of researchers who period HFSPO funded 3079 Fellowships and, since are in the strongest position to open new avenues 2003, 220 Career Development Awards. Researchers of research. Several of the HFSP programs are from more than 70 countries have received HFSP specifically targeted towards early career scientists: funding so far. the Fellowship programs, Career Development Award and Young Investigator Grant. In addition, The focus of research supported by HFSPO is on the Program Grant teams are encouraged to include complex mechanisms of living organisms, ranging young scientists with the result that a significant from the biomolecular level to that of behaving number of scientists under the age of 40 participate organisms. The life sciences have emerged as a in this program. Taking these researchers together, leading scientific area with a convergence of interest approximately 70 % of annual HFSPO funds are from other disciplines such as physics, mathematics, awarded to early career researchers. chemistry, computer science and engineering on solving biological questions. HFSPO aims to HFSPO is financed and managed by support frontier research by involving scientists representatives of the Management Supporting from outside the life sciences as part of research Parties (MSPs). The MSPs are those countries collaborations and as postdoctoral fellows. To this that directly fund the HFSP Programs plus end, the Young Investigator and Program Grants the European Union, which represents the EU are specifically geared to fostering interactions countries that do not contribute directly. The between scientists from different disciplines and MSPs are: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, this is a major factor in the review of applications India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New in these programs. In addition, HFSPO has extended Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, the its commitment to interdisciplinary research by United Kingdom, the United States of America introducing Cross‑Disciplinary Fellowships to equip and the European Union. Japan provided 39 % of young scientists from outside biology with the skills MSPs’ contributions for FY 2016. needed to tackle problems in the life sciences. (Note: Statutes definition of HFSPO Membership undergoing revision). HFSPO is governed by a Board of Trustees (Board) consisting of representatives of the MSPs. The Board is advised by a scientific advisory body, the Council of Scientists (Council) and the Organization is run from the Secretariat in Strasbourg, France. — 9 — Message from the Secretary General Annual Report That said, many applied benefits have flowed from the basic research that has been HFSPO’s mission for 27 years. Some of these are summarised elsewhere in this Annual Report. Just to take two examples: n HFSPO supported a basic science project by Andrew McMahon, Clifford Tabin and Philip Ingham in 1993, to unravel the regulation of gene expression patterns during vertebrate brain Warwick ANDERSON development, particularly whether the signalling Secretary General of HFSPO molecule hedgehog found in the fruit-fly was also important in vertebrates. The unexpected findings of that project have led to a new drug to treat common skin cancer of basal cell carcinoma. n Duncan J. Irschick and Alfred Crosby from UMass The founders of the International Human Frontier Amherst, USA, and Walter Federle, University of Science Organization, the G7 nations, had the vision Cambridge, UK, were awarded an HFSP Research of bringing scientists together from around the Grant in 2012, to investigate which kind of world to work at the frontier of knowledge in the life adhesive mechanisms animals, such as geckos, use sciences. In short, they created “life science without when climbing smooth surfaces. This team is now borders”. developing new and better adhesives based on the principles learned from this research; for example More than 25 years later, the original seven countries small patch-like adhesives that can hold amazing – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and loads and stick to even smooth surfaces. USA, together with the EU – were joined by most of the other leading scientific countries in the world, Some of the other benefits that result from HFSPO including Australia, India, the Republic of Korea, funded research include new collaborations New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland. worldwide by top scientists in order to tackle These all contribute to a pool of over 50 million USD visionary projects, ones where the applicants per year, to fund research that extends the frontier