Support for participation in HFSP Grant Writing Masterclass and Annual Meeting

Date and location

Date: 6-11 July 2025

Where: Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Application deadline

Wednesday 02 April 2025 at 2 PM (NZST)

About the Human Frontier Science Program

The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) supports basic research focused on the elucidation of the sophisticated and complex mechanisms of living systems, for the benefit of all humankind. The programme emphasises novel international and interdisciplinary collaborations.

New Zealand is a member of HFSP and New Zealand researchers can therefore apply for HFSP Research Grants and HFSP Postdoctoral Fellowships to go overseas. New Zealand researchers can also host international HFSP Postdoctoral Fellows.

About the Opportunity to participate in HFSP grant writing Masterclass and Annual Meeting

Royal Society Te Apārangi (the Society) and MBIE would like to raise more awareness of HFSP funding opportunities, familiarity with the HFSP funding process, and support for writing competitive HFSP applications. For this purpose, we want to support a group of selected New Zealand researchers to participate in an HFSP-organised Grant Writing Masterclass and the HFSP Annual Meeting in Melbourne.

The Society will register, and pay the registration fee, for the selected participants. In addition, each participant will receive a $3,000 grant from the Catalyst: Leaders fund to pay for flights, accommodation and incidentals.

The opportunity to participate in these events is aimed for researchers that:

• have a strong interest in submitting an HFSP project proposal within the next two years
• are willing to help promote HFSP opportunities at their research organisation in the future
• will commit to participate in the whole grant writing Masterclass and subsequent HFSP meeting.

For more information about the HFSP Masterclass, see here

 Selection process

A minimum of 10 participants will be selected to participate in the HFSP Meeting and Grant Writing Masterclass. When selecting participants, the Society will consider:

• diversity across research areas, research organisations, gender and career stage;
• ability to plan and carry out original research in, or contributing to, life science;
• whether the applicant is in an employment position where they can lead their own research
• where the above considerations are insufficient to decide between applicants, the Society will use a ballot system to select the participants.

Preference will be given to applicants from larger research organisations (i.e. Universities and CRIs) in order to be able to promote HFSP to as many researchers as possible.

How to apply

To apply for this opportunity, you must commit to participate in the whole grant writing Masterclass and the HFSP Annual Meeting, be willing to help promote HFSP opportunities at your research organisation, and plan to submit an HFSP project application within the next two years.

To apply, please send your CV (NZ-RST CV template) to:International.Applications@royalsociety.org.nz

You are welcome to give a motivation for your application in your email, but this is not a requirement.

Application deadline

• Wednesday 02 April 2025 at 2 PM (NZST)

Questions

Please address questions relating to this opportunity to Troels Petersen at troels.petersen@royalsociety.org.nz

More information about the Human Frontier Science Programme (HFSP)

HFSP supports basic research focused on the elucidation of the sophisticated and complex mechanisms of living systems, for the benefit of all humankind. The programme emphasises novel international and interdisciplinary collaborations that bring together ‘traditional’ life scientists with scientists from other disciplines such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science and engineering to address questions at the frontier of the life sciences.

HFSP attaches highest importance to novelty, scientific merit, internationality, and interdisciplinarity. HFSP funds projects in basic research studying fundamental problems on all organizational and trophic levels of life sciences. Research projects may range from biological functions at the molecular and cellular level up to the level of biological systems, including cognitive functions. All levels of analysis are supported: for example, studies on genes and individual molecules, intracellular networks, intercellular associations in tissues and organs, and networks underlying the complex functions of entire organisms, populations, or ecosystems.

HFSP programmes available:

• Programme grants (US$ 100,000 per year per PI for three years – max 4 PIs)
• Early Career grants (within 5 years of first independent position; US$ 100,000 per year per PI for three years – max 4 PIs)
• 3-year Postdoctoral Fellowships (option for last year to be taken in home country)
  • Long-term Fellowships (for life scientist with less than 5 years post-PhD experience who wishes to broaden their scientific experience in a foreign laboratory in any country.
  • Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships – specifically for scientist with a PhD in non-biological disciplines that wishes to bring new perspectives to research in the life sciences (any country)

Research grants are provided for teams of scientists from different countries who wish to combine their expertise in innovative approaches to questions that could not be answered by individual laboratories. Preliminary results are not required and applicants are expected to develop new lines of research through the research collaboration.

Funding process

Applications for HFSP funding is a two stage process. The first stage is the submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI). From here, the best proposals are being invited to submit a full proposal. Letters of Intent are due in March for research grants and in May for Postdoctoral Fellowships.

For more information, including more information on what HFSP funds and does not fund, please visit the HFSP website .