Howard Hughes Medical Institute

MEDICAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES THE HHMI INVESTIGATOR PROGRAM THE HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE'S APPROACH TO BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CAN BE SUMMARIZED IN THREE WORDS: PEOPLE, NOT PROJECTS. THIS COMMITMENT IS REFLECTED IN THE HHMI INVESTIGATOR PROGRAM. RATHER THAN AWARDING RESEARCH GRANTS, THIS PROGRAM EMPLOYS SCIENTISTS,PROVIDING THEM WITH LONG-TERM, FLEXIBLE FUNDING THAT THEY MAY USE TO PURSUE THEIR SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS. HHMI BELIEVES THAT SCIENTISTS OF EXCEPTIONAL TALENT AND IMAGINATION WILL MAKE FUNDAMENTAL DISCOVERIES OF LASTING SCIENTIFIC VALUE ANDTHATBENEFITHUMAN HEALTHIF THEY ARE GIVEN THE RESOURCES, TIME, AND FREEDOM TO PURSUE CHALLENGING QUESTIONS. HHMI INVESTIGATORS RECEIVE A SEVEN-YEAR APPOINTMENT, WHICH ISRENEWABLEPENDING FAVORABLE SCIENTIFIC REVIEW. AMONG THE MORE THAN265 CURRENT HHMI INVESTIGATORS, 16 ARENOBEL LAUREATES ANDNEARLY150AREMEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. HHMI INVESTIGATORS DIRECT HHMI RESEARCH LABORATORIESLOCATEDON THE CAMPUSES OFMORE THAN 55HOSPITALS,UNIVERSITIES,AND OTHER RESEARCHINSTITUTIONSTHROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. SINCE THE EARLY 1990S, INVESTIGATORS HAVE BEEN SELECTED THROUGH RIGOROUS NATIONAL COMPETITIONS. THE INSTITUTESOLICITSAPPLICATIONS DIRECTLY FROM SCIENTISTS AT RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH THE AIM OFIDENTIFYINGTHOSE WHO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE. HHMI EMPLOYS AN OPEN APPLICATION PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT IT SELECTS ITS RESEARCHERS FROM A BROAD AND DEEP POOL OF SCIENTIFIC TALENT. JANELIA RESEARCH CAMPUS HHMI'S JANELIA RESEARCH CAMPUS IN ASHBURN, VIRGINIA, INNOVATES RESEARCH PRACTICES, TOOLS, AND TECHNOLOGIES TO SOLVE BIOLOGY'S DEEPEST MYSTERIES. AT JANELIA, INTEGRATED TEAMS OF LAB SCIENTISTS AND TOOL-BUILDERS PURSUE A SMALL NUMBER OF KEY SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT. TO DRIVE SCIENCE, THESE DISCOVERIES ARE SHARED OPENLY WITH THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. IN FY24, HHMI ANNOUNCED AI@HHMI, A 10-YEAR, $500 MILLION INVESTMENT TO SUPPORT AI-DRIVEN PROJECTS AND EMBED AI SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT EVERY STAGE OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS. IN FY25, THE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCED SIX AMBITIOUS AI PROJECTS SPEARHEADED BY BOTH HHMI INVESTIGATORS AND JANELIA GROUP LEADERS. IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, THERE WERE27GROUP LEADERS,16SENIOR GROUP LEADERS, AND8JANELIA SCHOLARS AT JANELIA, IN ADDITION TO GRADUATE STUDENTS, POSTDOCS, AND VISITING SCIENTISTS. JANELIA ALSO HOSTS A VIBRANT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE PROGRAM, WHICH BRINGS MANY SCIENTISTS TO ITS CAMPUS EACH YEAR FOR EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS. THE FREEMAN HRABOWSKI SCHOLARS PROGRAM THE FREEMAN HRABOWSKI SCHOLARS PROGRAM SUPPORTS OUTSTANDING EARLY CAREER BASIC RESEARCHERS WHO HAVE STRONG POTENTIAL TO BECOME LEADERS IN THEIR FIELDS. SCHOLARS PRIORITIZE SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE IN THEIR OWN RESEARCH WHILE CREATING LAB CLIMATES IN WHICH EVERYONE CAN THRIVE. LIKE HHMI INVESTIGATORS, SCHOLARS ARE EMPLOYEES OF THE INSTITUTEBASED AT HOSPITALS, UNIVERSITIES, AND OTHER RESEARCH INSTITUTES IN THE UNITED STATES,ANDAREPROVIDED WITH LONG-TERM, FLEXIBLE FUNDING TO PURSUE THEIR BOLDEST IDEAS. EACH SCHOLAR IS APPOINTED FOR UP TO TWO FIVE-YEAR TERMS. INTHE SUMMER OF 2025, HHMI ANNOUNCED ITS SECOND COHORT OF FREEMAN HRABOWSKI SCHOLARS: 30 EXCEPTIONAL SCIENTISTS FROM 23 U.S. RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. ONCE APPOINTED, THEY WILL JOIN THE 31 INAUGURAL FREEMAN HRABOWSKI SCHOLARS.THE PROGRAM IS NAMED AFTER FREEMAN A. HRABOWSKI III, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY.