Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Institute?

HHMI is a nonprofit medical research organization that engages in the direct conduct of research. The Institute's original charter states, "The primary purpose and objective of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute shall be the promotion of human knowledge within the field of the basic sciences (principally the field of medical research and medical education) and the effective application thereof for the benefit of mankind."

Who founded the Howard Hughes Medical Institute?

Howard R. Hughes, who founded HHMI, was a man of restless intellect, great energy, and diverse talents. He dabbled in movies; designed, constructed, and raced airplanes; made TWA a premier international airline; and built the Hughes Aircraft Company into one of the country's largest and most important defense contractors. Although he retreated into a reclusive existence dominated by illness in the years before his death, his life was one of remarkable achievement.

The creation of the medical institute that bears his name stands as Hughes's most enduring accomplishment. His vision of scientific philanthropy was neither modest nor ordinary. He wanted his medical institute to be committed to basic research, to probe "the genesis of life itself."

When was the Institute founded?

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Hughes Aircraft Company were chartered in Delaware on December 17, 1953. Howard Hughes became the sole trustee of the Institute and the company's stock was transferred to the Institute with a portion of the profits to be used for medical research.

How did the Institute evolve after the death of Howard Hughes?

The Delaware Court of Chancery designated eight business and academic leaders as successor trustees to Howard Hughes in 1984. The charter trustees, initially led by George W. Thorn, M.D., reaffirmed the Institute's biomedical research mission, named a president, and elected a ninth trustee. The following year, the Trustees made a decision to sell the Hughes Aircraft Company and devote the proceeds to a major expansion of the research program. The $5 billion generated by the sale of the company to the General Motors Corporation established the Institute's endowment.

Where is HHMI based?

HHMI's administrative headquarters is located at

4000 Jones Bridge Road
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815

How does HHMI approach biomedical research?

HHMI values creativity. We encourage our scientists to extend the boundaries of knowledge by providing them with the resources, time, and freedom to pursue challenging questions and make fundamental discoveries. Our scientists are free to explore and, if necessary, to change direction in their research. Moreover, they have support to follow their ideas through to fruition—even if that process takes a very long time.

How does HHMI conduct research?

At HHMI, the engines of discovery are powered by about 300 HHMI investigators who direct Institute research laboratories on the campuses of universities and other research organizations throughout the United States.

By appointing scientists as Hughes investigators—rather than awarding research grants—HHMI is guided by the principle of "people, not projects."

In 2006, HHMI opened its first freestanding laboratory, the Janelia Farm Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia. The stunning campus—named for Jane and Cornelia Pickens, whose parents owned the original farm—is home to small groups of researchers who work in a highly collaborative environment. These scientists focus on understanding how networks of neurons enable complex behavior and the development of new tools and computational methods for image analysis..

What is an HHMI investigator?

Since the early 1990s, HHMI has selected its scientists—called investigators—through rigorous national competitions. These scientists receive renewable, five-year appointments and conduct their research in Hughes laboratories around the country at universities, research institutes, medical schools, and their affiliated hospitals. HHMI enters into long-term collaborative agreements with these host institutions and supports its scientists with a field staff of more than 2,000.

Who are the investigators?

The Institute is an operating medical research organization—not a foundation. This means that it carries out research with its own scientific teams. Currently, it employs about 300 HHMI investigators, all of whom work in Institute laboratories while also serving as faculty members at the host institutions with which HHMI has entered into long-term collaborations. The scientists are supported by approximately 2,500 research associates, technicians, and other personnel employed by the Institute, as well as by a headquarters staff.

HHMI selects its investigators from among the faculties of universities and academic health centers around the country. Candidates are asked to apply directly to HHMI during periodic open competitions for HHMI investigator positions. Prior approval by an investigator's host institution is no longer part of the application process. Those selected as investigators are appointed for five-year terms, which may be renewed after a rigorous review process. They meet regularly at HHMI's headquarters in Maryland to discuss their work.

By appointing scientists as Hughes investigators—rather than awarding research grants—HHMI is guided by the principle of "people, not projects." It believes that science is facilitated best by providing outstanding researchers with the resources and flexibility to follow their scientific instincts and to pursue new opportunities as soon as they arise.

What are some of the key discoveries made by HHMI investigators?

HHMI scientists have made many significant discoveries that have transformed our understanding of basic biological systems by working directly on human problems, as well as in model organisms such as worms, flies, and mice.

Notably:

1. Mario R. Capecchi at the University of Utah, in what turned out to be a risk well taken, ultimately found that by systematically knocking out genes in a family called Hox, he could produce mice with dramatic developmental defects. http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/capecchi_bio.html
   
   
2. Thomas A. Steitz's patience in the lab paid off when he and his team published the critical structure of the ribosome in 2000. The landmark findings took up 25 pages in the journal Science—a bountiful scientific harvest. http://www.hhmi.org/news/steitz.html
   
   
3. Huda Y. Zoghbi saw her first patient with Rett syndrome nearly 20 years ago. It took 14 years of trying before a colleague in her lab at the Baylor College of Medicine identified the gene responsible for most Rett cases. It took another three years before Zoghbi could announce (in the July 18, 2002, issue of the journal Neuron) that her lab had created a mouse model for Rett. http://www.hhmi.org/news/zoghbi2.html
   
   
4. A study by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center led by Joan Massagué has identified a set of four rogue genes that accelerates the spread of breast cancer from its primary site in the breast to a secondary location in the lungs.

How does HHMI support science education?

Over the past two decades, HHMI has made more than $1 billion in grants to enhance science education through a continuum of learning from preschool through graduate school and beyond. It is one of the largest private educational initiatives in U.S. history and focuses on four broad areas:

1. Graduate training
2. Undergraduate education at universities and liberal arts colleges
3. Precollege science education
4. International science

Can I apply for a grant?

HHMI will consider unsolicited proposals, but rarely funds them.

What science education resources does HHMI offer?

The Institute has produced a variety of award-winning publications, videos, and other free materials that can be ordered online. Also available at this Web site is BioInteractive, a collection of virtual labs, biological animations, and other learning modules; an online laboratory safety training program; and other interactive sites for curious people of all ages. The News section features the latest developments in biomedical research and related fields.

1. Order Publications Online
2. Visit BioInteractive
3. Read the News