STRASBOURG, France, 5 February 2024 — The International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) issued today its new, nine-year strategic plan which will greatly enhance Research Grant and Fellowship award programs and implement new initiatives to extend opportunities to more diverse researchers.

This focus comes at a time when global governments have been urgently calling for basic research to take key roles in pioneering a healthier, better future for humanity given the issues we face. Indeed, during the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima, global leaders called for greater investment in basic research to uncover new knowledge and tools to address critical challenges facing humanity – during the S7 meeting, global science ministers praised HFSPO’s role in this process and committed to continue to support the Program.

As a strategy and roadmap to that future, “Frontier Life Science in a Time of Change” is unique because HFSPO is unique. A voluntary organization made up of 16 Member countries plus the European Commission, HFSPO is not bound by national priorities nor agencies that opt for incremental progress. HFSPO was chartered by the G7 in 1987 to open new frontiers in basic research by funding investigations for which there are no prior studies and to do so for the benefit of humankind.

“HFSPO drives scientists to expand the frontiers of science, to explore new horizons previously hidden from view, if you will,” said Pavel Kabat, HFSPO Secretary-General. “Knowledge is only in part cumulative – it also involves having the imagination to see things differently. And this is why HFSPO exists. Our role in the science enterprise is to cultivate brilliance and reward courage and creativity. That’s a tall order, and to continue to sustain that drive, we had to develop a smart strategy.”

The plan was officially approved by the HFSPO Board of Trustees with all Member countries committing to support the tenets of the plan and its fiscal basis during the 2023 Triennial Conference of HFSPO Members held in Paris.

Because HFSPO has such a specific focus, the 2024-2032 Strategic Plan is similarly aligned to this ambition. Based on four principles: Vitality, Connectivity, Diversity, and Foresight, the plan lays out three goals. Goal #1 is the overarching focus, with Goals #2 and #3 as the support framework that is essential to truly expand frontier science in new, previously unimagined ways.

• Goal #1 – Expand Frontier Science

• Goal #2 – Strengthen HFSPO Through Engagement

• Goal #3 – Become a Globally Inclusive Organization

“This plan stimulates growth by expanding the number of awards we give – thus, increasing and deepening the power and impact of discovery science at a time when humanity most needs new ideas,” said Shigekazu Nagata, President of HFSPO. “Likewise, through these goals HFSPO commits to broadening the range of perspectives involved in driving cutting-edge science by prioritizing diversity. We want to invite a wider range of scientists from different countries, cultures, and points of view to help shape the future of discovery.”

To read “Frontier Life Science in a Time of Change,” in full, go to HFSPO Strategic Plan 2024-2032. Or request a hard copy, by contacting Communications.

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The Human Frontier Science Program was established by the G7 countries at the initiative of former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone of Japan at the 1987 Venice Summit. Open to scientists of every nation, HFSPO is supported by 17 Members: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, and the European Commission. The mission of HFSPO is to foster bold, basic, frontier research in the life sciences and interdisciplinary collaborations around the world. Since 1990, more than 8,500 researchers from more than 70 countries have been supported. Of these, 29 HFSP awardees have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.