Human Frontier Science Program HFSP Long-Term Fellowship
Fully funded postdoctoral fellowships for frontier, interdisciplinary basic research in the life sciences, supporting early career scientists to work in a new country.
Quick Facts
Status
Opening SoonFunding
Fully FundedDeadline
Full Proposal deadline: September 24, 2026 at 9:00 am Eastern US Time
Country
StrasbourgAbout the Human Frontier Science Program HFSP Long-Term Fellowship
The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Postdoctoral Fellowship supports proposals for frontier, potentially transformative research in the life sciences, with a strong emphasis on high-risk, interdisciplinary projects that challenge existing paradigms using novel approaches and techniques.
Two types of fellowships are available. Long-Term Fellowships are intended for applicants with a PhD on a biological topic who want to embark on a novel and frontier project focusing on the life sciences. Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships are for applicants who hold a doctoral degree from a non-biological discipline, such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, or computer sciences, and who have little or no experience in the life sciences.
The fellowship is awarded for a fixed duration of three years, equating to 36 months, and cannot be renewed. Fellows must devote themselves entirely to their research project on a 100 percent full-time equivalent basis at the host institution.
Applications follow a two-step submission process via the online portal ProposalCentral. Applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent, and selected candidates are then invited to submit a Full Proposal.
Allowances are administered through the host institution and differ depending on the host country. Qualified fellows may receive a living allowance, research and travel allowance, child allowance, parental leave allowance, and relocation allowance.
Eligible Levels
Eligible Fields
Why Choose This Scholarship?
Fully funded support for three years of transformative postdoctoral research in the life sciences
Opportunities for cross-disciplinary transitions from physical or computational sciences into biology
International mobility to conduct research in one of many HFSPO member countries
Comprehensive allowances including living, research, travel, and family support
Networking opportunities through attendance at annual HFSP Awardees Meetings
What the Scholarship Covers
Studying in Strasbourg
Fellowships must be held in an HFSPO member country, and applicants cannot work in their home country or the country where they obtained their PhD.
Eligibility Requirements
8 requirements
Documents Checklist
6 documents required
How to Apply - Step by Step
Create an account on the ProposalCentral online submission platform.
Initiate and complete the Letter of Intent before the required May deadline.
Submit the Letter of Intent via ProposalCentral.
Wait for notification of the Letter of Intent outcome between mid-August and end of August.
If invited, submit a Full Proposal via ProposalCentral by September 24, 2026.
Receive final outcome notification towards the end of March.
Sign the Agreement and Conditions of Award with the host supervisor and host institution administrator before fellowship activation.
Application Timeline
March 25, 2026
Information Webinar
March 12, 2026
Portal Opening
Applications must be started between March 12 and May 5, 2026
May 5, 2026 at 9:00 am Eastern US Time
Letter of Intent Initiation Deadline
May 12, 2026 at 9:00 am Eastern US Time
Letter of Intent Submission Deadline
Mid-August to End of August 2026
Letter of Intent Outcome Notification
September 24, 2026 at 9:00 am Eastern US Time
Full Proposal Submission Deadline
End of March 2027
Final Outcome Notification
April 1, 2027 to January 1, 2028
Fellowship Activation Window
Insider Tips & Pro Tips
Ensure your project focuses on basic, fundamental research rather than applied, clinical, or pharmaceutical topics.
Check your PhD conferral date carefully to ensure you are within the 36-month eligibility window prior to the Full Proposal deadline.
Verify that your lead author publication meets the exact format requirements, such as peer-reviewed status or availability in an open-access preprint repository with a submission to a journal.
Confirm that you have not spent more than 12 months living, studying, or working in your proposed host country.
Contact the HFSP Fellowship Office early if you have career interruptions that qualify for an eligibility extension.
Draft a project proposal that is primarily your own original idea rather than a direct continuation of your PhD or your host supervisor's ongoing work.
Important Links & Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions
4 questions - click any to expand
Long-Term Fellowships are for applicants with a PhD in a biological topic, while Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships are for applicants with a doctoral degree from a non-biological discipline such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, or computer sciences with little or no prior experience in the life sciences.
No, candidates cannot apply for a fellowship to work in the country of their nationality, nor can they take up the fellowship in the country where they obtained their PhD.
Applicants must have at least one full-length original research publication in English as a lead author, either published, in press, accepted, or available on an open-access preprint repository and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal at the Letter of Intent stage.
The HFSP fellowship is awarded for a fixed duration of three years, equivalent to 36 months, and cannot be renewed.
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