Human Frontier Science Program Organization
ongoing
Digital Science
From molecules and cells to complex ecosystems, life sciences explore life in all its forms and at all levels. They combine various disciplines such as biology, biochemistry and genetics.
The Human Frontier Science Programme (HFSP) was established to advance life sciences. This multilateral programme, funded by the EU and eight other countries, supports original research projects that analyse the complex mechanisms of living organisms.
Prognos and Digital Science have been commissioned to evaluate the programme. The evaluation will show how effective, innovative and internationally relevant the funded research is, what contribution it makes to global science and innovation, and how the programme can be strategically developed further.
Whether researching brain processes, neural communication, the development of neurological diseases, or developing new techniques in microscopy and genome research, the HFSP supports outstanding projects in the life sciences.
The programme focuses on international and interdisciplinary collaboration. Researchers from biology, physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science and engineering from all over the world pool their knowledge to work together on innovative projects.
Prognos and Digital Science evaluate the programme’s two main funding mechanisms: postdoctoral fellowships and international research teams. This review is part of the new strategic plan “Frontier Life Science in a Time of Change” for the period 2024–2032.
The evaluation should provide an in-depth analysis of existing funding programmes in order to:
The results of the evaluation are to be presented to the Board of Trustees by the 2026 Annual General Meeting. These findings will significantly influence the implementation of the second (2027–2029) and third (2030–2032) phases of the strategic plan.
The evaluation will be conducted using a theory of change framework to systematically assess the impact of the programmes. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be combined to obtain a comprehensive picture of the programme’s effects. Prognos is responsible for the qualitative methods and will track the impact of the funding on the career paths of the funded scientists.
The qualitative formats will also take an in-depth look at how this unique multilateral funding programme generates such outstanding scientific findings.
Further information on the strategic plan (HFSP website)
Project team: Michael Astor, Jakobus Jaspersen, Isabel Schöfl, Dr Thomas Stehnken, Miguel Wahle
Last update: 21.05.2025
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