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HFSPO publishes the 2018 review of its programs

The review of the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) by an Independent Scientific Review Committee (ISRC) is now available.

The ISRC’s work was supplemented by a detailed data analysis[1] for the years 2009-2018 using awardee questionnaires, bibliometric analysis, scientist’s interviews and case studies. The ISRC concluded:

  • HFSP grants and fellowships are highly recognized and a real mark of distinction.”
  • “HFSPO is successful in its strategy to enhance and synergize national science funding programs.”
  • “HFSPO is international at every level.”
  • “The current policy of funding curiosity-driven, daring, interdisciplinary and international research, without any priority given to a scientific topic or area, has been particularly successful.“

From the detailed data analysis, the ISRC concluded that based on the feedback from the review and selection processes from reviewers and awardees:

  • “All the indicators point to the high impact level of the scientific outcomes.”
  • "Bibliometric comparisons with other national or international funders, all much larger than HFSP, are stunningly convincing that the scientific returns on investment are significantly above world average.”
  • “The analysis demonstrates the very high quality of the review and selection processes.”
  • “The post-doctoral fellowships are an undoubted ‘success story’.”
  • “The analysis demonstrates that HFSP Research Grants are unique in combining impact, multidisciplinary collaboration and interdisciplinary research at the same time.”
  • “The funding amount and duration of the awards are no longer competitive relative to other funding programs.”

The ISRC report and the analytic supplement are available at http://www.hfsp.org/about-us/reviews-hfsp.


[1] This detailed analysis report was commissioned from Science Metrix Inc, Montreal Canada.

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