Howard Hughes Medical Institute

THE HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE IS A PHILANTHROPY THAT SERVES SOCIETY THROUGH THE DIRECT CONDUCT OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION.

MEDICAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES (A) THE HHMI INVESTIGATOR PROGRAM (B) JANELIA RESEARCH CAMPUS (A) THE HHMI INVESTIGATOR PROGRAM THE HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE'S APPROACH TO BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CAN BE SUMMARIZED IN THREE WORDS: PEOPLE, NOT PROJECTS. BY EMPLOYING SCIENTISTS AS HHMI INVESTIGATORS - RATHER THAN AWARDING RESEARCH GRANTS - THE INSTITUTE PROVIDES LONG-TERM, FLEXIBLE FUNDING THAT ENABLES ITS RESEARCHERS TO PURSUE THEIR SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS WHEREVER THEY LEAD. HHMI BELIEVES THAT SCIENTISTS OF EXCEPTIONAL TALENT AND IMAGINATION WILL MAKE FUNDAMENTAL DISCOVERIES OF LASTING SCIENTIFIC VALUE AND BENEFIT TO HUMANITY IF THEY ARE GIVEN THE RESOURCES, TIME, AND FREEDOM TO PURSUE CHALLENGING QUESTIONS. HHMI INVESTIGATORS RECEIVE A SEVEN-YEAR APPOINTMENT, WHICH IS RENEWABLE PENDING FAVORABLE SCIENTIFIC REVIEW. THE INSTITUTE NURTURES THE CREATIVITY AND INTELLECTUAL DARING OF SCIENTISTS WHO ARE WILLING TO SET ASIDE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM OR THE EASY QUESTION FOR A FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM THAT MAY TAKE MANY YEARS TO SOLVE. AMONG THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT DISTINGUISH THIS GROUP OF SCIENTISTS ARE QUALITIES SUCH AS CREATIVITY, A PENCHANT FOR RISK-TAKING, AND A COMMITMENT TO DISCOVERY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND PERSEVERANCE. THIS UNIQUE RESEARCH MODEL IS AN IMAGINATIVE AND POWERFUL ALTERNATIVE TO FUNDING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH THROUGH GRANTS. THE HHMI INVESTIGATOR PROGRAM EMPLOYS MORE THAN 260 HHMI RESEARCHERS, AMONG THEM 16 NOBEL LAUREATES AND MORE THAN 150 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. HHMI INVESTIGATORS DIRECT INSTITUTE RESEARCH LABORATORIES ON THE CAMPUSES OF ABOUT 60 UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. SINCE THE EARLY 1990S, INVESTIGATORS HAVE BEEN SELECTED THROUGH RIGOROUS NATIONAL COMPETITIONS. THE INSTITUTE SOLICITS APPLICATIONS DIRECTLY FROM SCIENTISTS AT MEDICAL SCHOOLS AND OTHER RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH THE AIM OF IDENTIFYING THOSE WHO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE. HHMI EMPLOYS AN OPEN APPLICATION PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT IT IS SELECTING ITS RESEARCHERS FROM A BROAD AND DEEP POOL OF SCIENTIFIC TALENT. HHMI ANNOUNCED A NATIONAL COMPETITION IN OCTOBER 2022 TO APPOINT APPROXIMATELY 25 NEW INVESTIGATORS. THIS EFFORT WILL EXPAND HHMI'S COMMUNITY OF INVESTIGATORS WHO PERFORM BASIC BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE NATION. IN JANUARY 2023, THE INSTITUTE LAUNCHED THE EMERGING PATHOGENS INITIATIVE WITH A $100 MILLION COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT BASIC RESEARCH TARGETED AT PREPAREDNESS FOR EMERGING PATHOGENS THAT COULD THREATEN HUMAN HEALTH. THIRTEEN PROJECT TEAMS INVOLVING 70 SCIENTISTS FROM 29 INSTITUTIONS WILL COLLABORATE ON THE RESEARCH. THIS ONE-TIME COMPETITION INVITED PROPOSALS FROM HHMI INVESTIGATORS FOR PROJECTS TO BE CONDUCTED INDEPENDENTLY OR IN COLLABORATION WITH A DIVERSE SPECTRUM OF SCIENTISTS AT US INSTITUTIONS AND ACROSS THE GLOBE. (B) JANELIA RESEARCH CAMPUS HHMI'S JANELIA RESEARCH CAMPUS IN ASHBURN, VIRGINIA, INNOVATES RESEARCH PRACTICES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO SOLVE BIOLOGY'S DEEPEST MYSTERIES. AT JANELIA, INTEGRATED TEAMS OF LAB SCIENTISTS AND TOOL-BUILDERS PURSUE A SMALL NUMBER OF SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS WITH POTENTIAL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT. TO DRIVE SCIENCE FORWARD, METHODS, RESULTS, AND TOOLS ARE SHARED WITH THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. IN FY23, JANELIA OPENED LABS IN THE CAMPUS'S NEWEST RESEARCH AREA, 4D CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY (4DCP). 4DCP AIMS TO EXAMINE HOW CELLS WORK AND COMMUNICATE ACROSS SCALES TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN ORGANS AND ORGANISMS, AN EFFORT THAT LEVERAGES JANELIA'S STRENGTHS IN DEVELOPING CUTTING-EDGE MOLECULAR TOOLS AND IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES AS WELL AS COMPUTATIONAL AND THEORETICAL METHODS. AS A RESULT OF DEDICATED RECRUITMENT EFFORTS, JANELIA WELCOMED SIX NEW GROUP LEADERS IN 4DCP, ONE SENIOR GROUP LEADER IN MOLECULAR TOOLS AND IMAGING, AND TWO GROUP LEADERS IN MECHANISTIC COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE. IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, THERE WERE 27 GROUP LEADERS, 15 SENIOR GROUP LEADERS, AND SIX JANELIA SCHOLARS AT JANELIA, IN ADDITION TO GRADUATE STUDENTS, OTHER SCIENTIFIC TRAINEES, AND VISITING SCIENTISTS. JANELIA ALSO HAS A VIBRANT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE PROGRAM, WHICH BRINGS MANY SCIENTISTS TO ITS CAMPUS EACH YEAR FOR EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS, AS WELL AS RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ADVANCED IMAGING CENTER AND COLLABORATORIUM FOR SCIENTISTS TO COME ONSITE TO COLLABORATE WITH JANELIA RESEARCHERS.

SCIENCE EDUCATION, FELLOWSHIPS, AND MEDIA PROGRAMS (A) CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE LEADERSHIP & CULTURE (B) BIOINTERACTIVE (C) TANGLED BANK STUDIOS (D) HANNA H. GRAY FELLOWS PROGRAM (E) E-LIFE OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL (F) AFRICA HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN SOUTH AFRICA (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)