Key Role of Frontier Life Science Research Reaffirmed by International Commitment
Members of the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) representing countries from around the world plus the European Commission ― which taken together comprises a total of 40 countries ― met on Tuesday, 27 June 2023 in Paris, France, to reaffirm their commitment of HFSPO, the only truly global program that supports and funds frontier research in the life sciences.
Last week’s Triennial Conference marks the 11th such recommitment, since the Organization’s formation in 1989. Current Members include: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, the Republic of South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, plus the European Commission. Since, the last Triennial Conference held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2019, three new Members have joined HFSPO: Israel, South Africa, and Norway. HFSPO operations and programmatic decisions are funded in three-year increments, or triennia, which are approved through cooperative, voluntary Member agreement during the Triennial Conference.
The meeting was emblematic of the future of HFSPO in that Member representatives committed to evolve the organization in terms of its programmatic, visionary and financial bases. This strategic move was unanimously approved by all Member representatives and will permit HFSPO to award even more research grants and fellowships for frontier life science ― frontier research being those investigations into wholly new ideas, for which there are no prior studies. Member representatives commended HFSPO for its impressive track record in stimulating and supporting world-class excellence in high-risk, high-impact frontier life science, which represents a unique global niche and value proposition.
Member representatives agreed to support the HFSPO Vision and HFSPO Strategic Plan 2024-2032. They agreed to commit to a world where frontier, breakthrough science pioneers new knowledge and solutions for humanity’s future. In order to remain a vital and unique contributor, HFSPO must evolve and respond to rapidly changing life sciences enterprise globally by:
- Continuing and fortifying its core mission, namely, to identify and support the best international frontier research grant and fellowship projects;
- Becoming more diverse and inclusive across its Members and expanding global partnerships by strategic evolutionary growth; and by
- Exercising flexibility and agility to respond to the changing nature of the frontiers of the life sciences in the 21st century.
Member representatives recognize the global research ecosystem has undergone profound change since HFSPO was founded in 1989 and are prepared to respond to current needs by supporting an evolving budget that implements the nine-year strategy spanning 2024-2032.
Further, Member representatives share the view that basic life science ― specifically, the frontier nature of the research the Organization supports ― has a unique role to play at this time in history by supporting interdisciplinary, internationally collaborative investigations that connect fundamental life science research with those studies dedicated to climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, health, and the sustainability transition.
“I applaud and thank the HFSPO Members for authorizing this crucial step,” said Pavel Kabat, Secretary-General of HFSPO. “Basic science is one of the most creative wells of knowledge and it can become an important resource for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Disciplines such as molecular and developmental biology have enormous potential to help people advance creative solutions that promote greater sustainability. Likewise, scientists in neuroscience and the cognitive sciences can provide vital insight in understanding human and societal behaviour as humanity’s transitions to a low carbon society and economy. Our vision is to shift the paradigm by bringing together the best of the life sciences with the climate change and sustainability community to support basic science that can forge new solutions for a sustainable transition.”
Immediately following the Triennial Conference, HFSPO and its global partners hosted a three-day High-level Science Summit & Symposium, “Fundamental Life Science Meets Climate, Environment, and Sustainability,” that brought more than 2,000 top science ministers, funders, and breakthrough scientists in diverse disciplines together to further discuss how basic life science research can partner with and advance solutions in climate, biodiversity loss, food security, marine resources, and in the transformations that individuals and societies are undergoing currently. For more information on the Summit & Symposium, visit our website and our social media.
The 2023 Triennial Conference of HFSPO Members was hosted by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MSRI), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan. The conference was held at the Académe des Sciences in Paris.
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HFSPO 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, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America 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, close to 8,000 researchers from more than 70 countries have been supported. Of these, 28 HFSP awardees have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.