Postdoctoral Fellowships at HFSP | Postdoc Fellowship Program in France

Postdoctoral Fellowships at HFSP France

Postdoctoral Fellowships offered by the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) provide an exceptional fellowship opportunity for life science graduates seeking frontier, high-impact research careers. These globally recognized fellowships support interdisciplinary, high-risk projects and encourage international mobility, including highly sought-after Fellowships in France and other HFSP member countries.

About the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)

The Human Frontier Science Program is an international organization dedicated to funding frontier research in life sciences. HFSP promotes scientific excellence by supporting bold, interdisciplinary projects and fostering global collaboration through its prestigious Postdoctoral Fellowships program.

HFSP Postdoctoral Fellowships

Programme Overview

The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Postdoctoral Fellowships support frontier, high-risk, and potentially transformative research in the life sciences. Interdisciplinary projects that challenge existing paradigms using novel approaches are strongly encouraged.

HFSP fellowships aim to:

• Support fundamental, basic research in the life sciences
• Encourage scientific risk-taking and innovation
• Enable international mobility and skill diversification for early-career researchers

Types of Fellowships

1. Long-Term Fellowships (LTF)

   • For applicants with a PhD in a biological discipline
   • Focus on novel and frontier life science research

2. Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships (CDF)

   • For applicants with a PhD in a non-biological discipline (e.g. physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computer science)
   • Applicants must have little or no prior experience in life sciences

Only one fellowship competition is held per year.

2027 Fellowship Cycle – Key Dates

Applications are submitted via ProposalCentral

The application portal is not yet open (opens March 2026)

Fellowship Duration & Conditions

Duration: 3 years (36 months), non-renewable

Employment: 100% full-time equivalent (FTE)

PhD completion: Must be completed before fellowship activation

Fellowships are administered through the host institution

Financial Support & Allowances

HFSP provides:

• Living Allowance
• Research & Travel Allowance

Additional allowances may include:

• Child Allowance
• Parental Leave Allowance
• Relocation Allowance

Allowance amounts vary by host country

Full details are available in the Application Guidelines

Postdoctoral Fellowships Interruptions (Deferrals)

• Possible under specific circumstances (e.g. parental leave, illness)
• Up to 24 months maximum
• Fellows must complete at least 1 year before requesting deferral
• Requires prior HFSP approval

Concurrent Funding & Employment

• Fellows cannot hold another salaried position or paid fellowship
• HFSP living allowance may be supplemented to meet institutional salary requirements
• Additional research grants are allowed (not for salary)
• Fellows must devote themselves entirely to the HFSP project

Third Year Options

In year three, fellows may:

• Remain in the same host lab
• Return to their home country (or partner’s country)
• Move to another HFSP member country (approval required)

No need to describe third-year plans in the application

Eligibility Criteria (Key Requirements)

1. Nationality

   • Applicants may be of any nationality
   • Fellows cannot work in their country of nationality
   • Rules differ for:
     • Nationals of HFSP member countries
     • Non-member country nationals
     • Dual nationals (special conditions apply)
   • HFSP Member Countries include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, UK, USA (full list included in guidelines)

2. Host Country & Institution

   • Applicants must:
     • Change country
     • Not work in:
       • Country of nationality
       • Country where PhD was obtained
     • Have ≤12 months total experience in the proposed host country
     • Not currently be working at the host institution unless arrival is after 1 April 2026
     • For-profit institutions are not eligible as hosts
     • Collaborations with industry are allowed

3. Host Supervisor

   • One primary host supervisor required
   • Optional secondary supervisor allowed
   • Host supervisor cannot be:
     • Former PhD/postdoc supervisor
     • Previous collaborator
   • Applicant must not have worked with the supervisor for >12 months
   • Each supervisor may support only one LOI per year

4. Doctoral Degree

   • PhD (or equivalent) must be completed before fellowship start
   • Degree must have been conferred after 24 September 2023
   • Career interruptions (e.g. parental leave, illness) may be exempted
   • Exemptions must be approved before LOI submission

5. Publication Requirement

   Applicants must have at least one lead-author research publication:

   At LOI stage, the manuscript must be:

   • Published, or

   • Accepted / in press, or

   • Available as a preprint AND submitted to a journal

   At Full Proposal stage, preprints alone are not sufficient

   Review articles and patents do not qualify
   Joint-first authorship is accepted (equal contribution must be stated)

   Scientific Scope Of Postdoctoral Fellowships

   HFSP Supports

   • Fundamental biological research

   • Novel, hypothesis-driven projects

   • Projects clearly distinct from prior PhD/postdoc work

   • Exposure to new disciplines, methods, or theories

   HFSP Does NOT Support

   • Purely applied or clinical research

   • Drug discovery or diagnostics

   • Engineering/biotech projects without a basic biological question

   • Descriptive or observational studies

   • Incremental or “next-step” projects

   • Projects closely continuing host lab or applicant’s prior work

   • Research in for-profit environments

   Application & Review Process

   Step 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)

   • Eligibility check

   • Scope screening

   • Peer review by 2–3 committee members

   • Top 15–20% invited to submit Full Proposal

   Step 2: Full Proposal

   • External peer review (2–3 reviewers)

   • Review Committee evaluation

   • Committee meeting and final ranking

   • Funding decisions made in early 2027

   Feedback is only provided to applicants who submit Full Proposals

   Confidentiality & Fairness of Postdoctoral Fellowships

   • All applications are confidential

   • Reviewers and committee members are bound by confidentiality

   • HFSP applies consistent eligibility and review standards

   APPLY ONLINE HERE