HFSP Long-Term Fellowships 2026 (Fully Funded)

The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) is now accepting applications for its Long-Term Fellowships (LTF) for the award year 2026. These prestigious postdoctoral fellowships offer early-career researchers in the life sciences an exceptional opportunity to pursue cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research abroad.

Administered by the International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO), this global fellowship supports scientists seeking to explore novel scientific questions in basic life sciences - especially those that challenge conventional thinking and methodologies.

Program Overview

The HFSP Long-Term Fellowship (LTF) is designed for applicants with a doctoral degree in life sciences and a desire to broaden their expertise in a new research environment and country. The fellowship:

1. Supports fundamental, exploratory research
2. Encourages international and interdisciplinary collaboration
3. Funds projects distinctly different from prior PhD/postdoc work
4. Offers 3 years of generous financial support

The LTF differs from the Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship (CDF), which is tailored for applicants with non-biological academic backgrounds.

1. Three-year funding including living, child, research, and travel allowances
2. A relocation allowance for the fellow, spouse/partner, and children
3. Opportunity to work in a new country at a leading research institution
4. Freedom to use the third year flexibly (e.g., return to home country, join a different lab)
5. No requirement for preliminary data at the application stage

HFSP Long-Term Fellowship – Funding Details

Living Allowance

1. Amount varies by host country
2. Example: $59,460 per year in the United States

Child Allowance

1. 10% of the living allowance per child (provided in Year 1 only)

Research & Travel Allowance

1. Example: $7,200 per year in the United States
2. Amount varies based on host country

Relocation Allowance

1. Up to $4,000 depending on host region
2. Covers fellow, spouse/partner, and children

HFSP Member Countries

1. Includes the USA, UK, Germany, France, Japan, India, Canada, and over 30 other nations. Full list available at www.hfsp.org.

This fellowship is open to applicants from: 

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus (EU part only), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, the Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA).

To apply for the HFSP Long-Term Fellowship 2026, you must meet these requirements:

1. Academic Background

1. PhD (or equivalent) in life sciences
2. Must be conferred between 25 September 2022 and 25 September 2025 (exceptions made for certain career interruptions)

2. Research Project

1. Must be fundamental, life sciences-based
2. Must be different from prior PhD/postdoc research
3. Cannot be applied research (e.g., drug development, clinical trials, diagnostics)

3. Host Institution

1. Must be outside the applicant’s home country
2. Applicant must not have worked or studied in host country for more than 12 months at the time of fellowship activation
3. Host supervisor must not be a prior collaborator, co-author, or supervisor

4. Nationality

1. Applicants from HFSP member countries may apply to any non-national host country
2. Applicants from non-member countries can only apply to work in HFSP member countries

5. Publication Requirement

1. At least one lead-author research article published, in press, or accepted in a peer-reviewed journal by the Full Proposal deadline

HFSP 2026 Application Timeline

1. Portal Opens: 13 March 2025
2. LOI ID Registration Deadline: 7 May 2025
3. Letter of Intent (LOI) Submission Deadline: 15 May 2025
4. Full Proposal Deadline (by invitation only): 25 September 2025
5. Final Notification of Results: March 2026
6. Fellowship Activation Window: 1 April 2026 – 1 January 2027

How to Apply for HFSP Long-Term Fellowship 2026

Step 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)

1. Submit via ProposalCentral.com by 15 May 2025
2. Include project summary, host details, personal CV, and publication list

Step 2: Full Proposal (By Invitation Only)

1. Submit detailed project description, supervisor recommendation, and two references by 25 September 2025

Additional Notes

1. Use of AI tools in proposal writing must be disclosed. AI-generated content is discouraged.
2. Ethical, privacy, and data protection considerations must be addressed in research proposals.
3. The fellowship includes strict compliance guidelines, publication rules, and intellectual property rights.