It is intended that TFC thematic programs will have a long–term impact far beyond the program itself, through important breakthroughs, new research directions and collaborations. One of the explicit goals of TFC is to overcome the normal barriers between individual research areas and to extend interdisciplinary co–operation by bringing together researchers with very different backgrounds and expertise. The selection process therefore pays attention to the following guidelines:
- The program should have ambitious and challenging content of high impact, which is likely to lead to key solutions to important problems in society and to open new research directions;
- The program should include a description of potential interactions with other research fields (a description of interdisciplinary collaborations);
- The program should include research visits of more than one month for several distinguished key contributors as well as shorter visits for many other junior and senior participants;
- The program should include activities to encourage and develop young researchers to become future leaders in the program's field.
* Presentation at the IAB
The International Advisory Board (IAB) meets once each year to evaluate the thematic program proposals. During the final stage of the evaluation process, you are required to give an oral presentation about your proposal to the IAB. Successful proposals will likely be developed through a process of discussion between the proposers and the IAB, mediated by the TFC director.