80045• HFSP-RA-2011-couv_couv2012 04/06/12 16:44 Page1 11 Acknowledgements HFSPO is grateful for the support of: Australia National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Canada Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) European Union European Commission - Directorate General Information Society (DG INFSO) 20 REPORT ANNUAL European Commission - Directorate General Research (DG RESEARCH) France Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg (CUS) Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche (MESR) Région Alsace Germany Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) India Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Ministry of Science and Technology Italy Ministry of Education, University and Research Japan Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Republic of Korea Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) New Zealand Health Research Council (HRC) Norway Research Council of Norway (RCN) Switzerland State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) United Kingdom Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Medical Research Council (MRC) The International Human Frontier Science United States of America Program Organization (HFSPO) National Institutes of Health (NIH) 12 quai Saint Jean - BP 10034 National Science Foundation (NSF) 67080 Strasbourg CEDEX - France Fax. +33 (0)3 88 32 88 97 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.hfsp.org Japanese web site: http://jhfsp.jsf.or.jp 80045• HFSP-RA-2011-couv_couv2012 04/06/12 16:44 Page2 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, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union. Since 1990, over 6000 awards have been made to researchers from more than 70 countries. Of these, HFSPO 18 HFSP awardees have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize. Registre des Associations de Strasbourg Volume 58- Folio 99 Achevé d’imprimé en juillet deux mille douze sur les presses de Faber The International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) 12 quai Saint Jean BP 10034 67080 Strasbourg CEDEX France Fax. +33 (0)3 88 32 88 97 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.hfsp.org Japanese web site: http://jhfsp.jsf.or.jp © Photos: HFSPO thanks Rae Silver (p.14), Jyotsna Dhawan (p.37) and Gina Turrigiano (p.40) for supplementary photos in addition to those provided by Sandro Weltin (p.7,9,10,15,17,27,39), Musashi University (p.12), Owen Egan (p.41), Martin Reddington (p.44) and those taken from the website of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden (p.22), Duke University (p.25), shutterstock/ David Lee (p.1), shutterstock/ Vaclav Volrab (p.2), shutterstock/ irin-k (p.3), shutterstock/ vblinov (p.6), shutterstock/ FotoVeto (p.7), shutterstock/ pandapaw (p.16), shutterstock/ Kesu (p.26), shutterstock/ Cuiphoto (p.38), shutterstock/ panda3800 (p.52), shutterstock/ Eric Isselée (p.64), shutterstock/ Wallenrock (p.74). 80045• HFSP-RA-2011-chap1_HFSP-RA-2011-chap1 24/05/12 16:34 Page3 APRIL 2011 - MARCH 2012 ANNUAL REPORT — 3 — 80045• HFSP-RA-2011-chap1_HFSP-RA-2011-chap1 24/05/12 16:34 Page4 Table of contents The following documents are available on the HFSP web site www.hfsp.org Joint Communiqués (Tokyo 1992, Washington 1997, Berlin 2002, Bern 2004, Ottawa 2007, Canberra 2010): 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 the HFSP: 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 — 80045• HFSP-RA-2011-chap1_HFSP-RA-2011-chap1 24/05/12 16:34 Page5 INTRODUCTION 7 Introduction 8 Highlights in FY 2011 9 Message of the Secretary General 10 Board of Trustees 12 Council of Scientists 14 Secretariat 15 CHAPTER 1 - FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 17 1.1 Introduction 18 1.2 Long-Term and Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships 18 1.3 Fellowship Awards in 2012 20 1.4 The 2012 Review Committee for Fellowships 22 1.5 Career Development Awards 23 1.6 Career Development Awards in 2012 24 1.7 The 2012 Review Committee for Career Development Awards 25 CHAPTER 2 - RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM 27 2.1 Overview of the Grant Program 28 2.2 Young Investigator Grants 30 2.3 Program Grants 30 2.4 Research Grant Awards in 2012 31 2.5 The 2012 Review Committee for Research Grants 36 CHAPTER 3 - OUTREACH AND NETWORKING 39 3.1 HFSP Nakasone Award 40 3.2 Awardees Meeting 41 3.3 Communications 42 3.4 Honours and prizes 45 CHAPTER 4 - BUDGET AND FINANCE 59 4.1 Guidelines for HFSPO funding 54 4.2 Key financial figures for FY 2011 54 4.3 FY 2011 financial summary 61 4.4 Budget for program activities FY 2012 63 APPENDIX 77 A.1 History of the Program 70 A.2 Joint Communiqué of the Intergovernmental Conference on the Human Frontier Science Program, Canberra, 28 May 2010 72 A.3 Summary of decisions of the Board of Trustees in 2011 74 A.4 Long-Term and Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships awarded in 2011 75 A.5 Career Development Awards made in 2011 78 A.6 Research Grants awarded in 2011 79 — 5 — 80045•HFSP-RA-2011-chap1_HFSP-RA-2011-chap1 24/05/12 16:34 Page6 — 6 — 80045• HFSP-RA-2011-chap1_HFSP-RA-2011-chap1 24/05/12 16:34 Page7 Introduction Introduction Highlights in FY 2011 Message of the Secretary General Board of Trustees Council of Scientists Secretariat Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker (Secretary General), Toru Nakahara (Deputy Secretary General) and Jill Husser — 7 — 80045• HFSP-RA-2011-chap1_HFSP-RA-2011-chap1 24/05/12 16:34 Page8 Introduction Since 1990, 898 Research Grants involving 3,388 scientists, 2,600 Long-Term, 73 Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships and 173 Career Development Awards have been awarded. Researchers from more than 70 countries have received HFSP funding so far. The focus of research supported by HFSP is on the complex mechanisms of living organisms, ranging from the biomolecular level to that of behaving organisms. The life sciences have undergone a revolution in recent years, emerging as a leading The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) scientific area with a convergence of interest from promotes fundamental research in the life other disciplines such as physics, mathematics, sciences with special emphasis on novel and chemistry, computer science and engineering on interdisciplinary research, international and in solving biological questions. HFSP aims to stay at the particular intercontinental collaboration and forefront of research by involving scientists from support for young investigators. Since its outside the life sciences as part of research establishment in 1989, HFSP has demonstrated collaborations and as postdoctoral fellows. To this end, the value of creating a framework for the Young Investigator and Program Grants are competitive, collaborative, international research specifically geared to fostering interactions between scientists from different disciplines and this is a major of the highest caliber and of providing young factor in the review of applications in these programs. scientists with the opportunity to emerge as In addition, HFSP has extended its commitment to talented researchers capable of shaping the interdisciplinary research by introducing science of the future. Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships to equip young scientists from outside biology with the skills needed The International Human Frontier Science Program to tackle problems in the life sciences. Organization (HFSPO) implements the Program through the following mechanisms of research A program dedicated to the frontiers of science must support, details of which can be found in Chapters 1 support the next generation of researchers, who are in and 2 of this report: the strongest position to open new avenues of research. Several of the HFSP programs are specifically ■ Long-Term Fellowships – for young scientists within targeted towards early career scientists: the Fellowship three years of obtaining their Ph.D who wish to programs, Career Development Award and Young broaden their scientific experience in a foreign Investigator Grant. In addition, Program Grant teams laboratory. are encouraged to include young scientists with the result that a significant number of scientists under ■ Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships – modeled on the the age of 40 participate in this program. Taking these Long-Term Fellowships but specifically for scientists researchers together, approximately 70% of annual with Ph.Ds in non-biological disciplines who seek HFSP funds are awarded to early career researchers. training in the life sciences. ■ Career Development Awards – for former HFSP The HFSPO is financed and managed by Fellows to help them set up their own independent representatives of the Management Supporting laboratories in the home country or another HFSP Parties (MSPs). The MSPs are those countries that member country. directly fund the HFSP Programs plus the European Union, which represents the EU countries that do ■ Young Investigator Grants – grants for interdisciplinary not contribute directly. The MSPs are: Australia, teams of young researchers who are within the first Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the five years of their first independent positions and Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, located in different countries. Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union. ■ Program Grants – for interdisciplinary teams of Japan provided about 45 % of MSPs’ contributions researchers in different countries at any stage of for FY 2011.