Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Programs: Medical research organization activities (a) the hhmi investigator program (b) janelia research campus (c) highlights from hhmi research laboratories (fiscal year 2017) (d) honors and awards received by hhmi scientists (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. 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 290 hhmi researchers, among them 15 nobel laureates and 164 members of the national academy of sciences. Hhmi investigators direct institute research laboratories on the campuses of 63 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. In march 2017, hhmi announced that it would seek to appoint up to 20 new biomedical researchers through a national open competition. Hhmi recently increased the standard term for hhmi investigators from five to seven years, providing longer term, flexible support as these scientists explore new research territory. The addition of 20 new investigators to this initiative represents a new investment of approximately $168 million in basic biomedical research over the next seven years. Finalists will be announced in spring 2018, with appointments starting as early as september 1, 2018. Highlights of research conducted, and awards received, by hhmi scientists during its year ended august 31, 2017 are included below. (b) janelia research campus the janelia research campus offers a collaborative research environment for scientists across an array of disciplines who have focused on two broad scientific areas of scientific inquiry: the identification of general principles governing how neuronal circuits process information and development of imaging technologies and computational methods that support image analysis. In the current fiscal year, there were 42 group leaders, eight fellows and 15 senior fellows at janelia, in addition to graduate students, other scientific trainees, and visiting scientists. Janelia also operates a vibrant scientific conference program, bringing many scientists to its campus each year for educational meetings.

science education and research grant programs (a) graduate science education and medical research training (b) precollege and undergraduate science education program (c) educational media (d) tangled bank studios (e) hanna gray fellows (f) faculty scholars (g) e-life open access journal hhmi's department of science education emphasizes initiatives with the power to transform graduate, undergraduate, and precollege education in the life sciences. Hhmi is the largest private funder of science education in the united states. During the fiscal year, the institute distributed $38 million in grants to support science education. The institute's science education programs support ties between scientific research and teaching with the goal of increasing and enhancing student research opportunities; improving science courses, curricula, and instruction; and providing enhanced graduate and medical training opportunities. Most hhmi grants are awarded through competitions with specific objectives and eligibility criteria and awards are made following a stringent process of peer review. Hhmi's educational activities are funded through three major programs; the goals of each program and the major activities for the year are summarized below. (a) undergraduate science education program these programs recruit and develop the future leaders of science and enhance science literacy among all students. Precollege grants support teacher training and inquiry-based student learning. Grants to colleges and universities support undergraduate student research, faculty and curriculum development, and science education outreach activities. In june, 2017, hhmi announced the first 24 schools selected in its inclusive excellence initiative. The initiative's broad objective is to help colleges and universities to increase their capacity for inclusion in science of all students, especially those students who come to college via non-traditional pathways. These "new majority" students include underrepresented ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, students who transfer from community colleges, and working adults with families. Inclusive excellence is not simply making sure everyone can participate; rather, it means that the institution makes it clear that the students are welcome and are expected to succeed. Hhmi continued its partnership with the university of maryland, baltimore county (umbc), the pennsylvania state university, and the university of north carolina at chapel hill (unc), in the collaborative meyerhoff adaptation project. The project aims to learn whether elements of umbc's highly regarded meyerhoff scholars program can be adapted at penn state and unc. The participating schools hope to share what they learn so other institutions might follow. During the five-year meyerhoff adaptation project, penn state and unc, working closely with umbc and hhmi, will expand and study the meyerhoff model, while applying it to newly created programs on their campuses. The hhmi professors program empowers accomplished science faculty at leading research universities to apply the rigor and creativity that make them successful in research to important challenges in undergraduate science education. The professors model fundamental reform in the way undergraduate science is taught at research universities through innovative teaching and are encouraged to share ideas and collaborate with their peers to improve science education. Fifty-five scientists have been named hhmi professors since the program began in 2002. In addition to their commitment to student learning, these highly visible scientists have developed new educational resources and implemented novel mentoring programs to support students. In fy2018, hhmi will make awards to a new cohort of hhmi professors. The hhmi's exceptional research opportunities program (exrop) is designed to encourage talented students to pursue careers in science by placing selected undergraduates in summer research experiences in the labs of hhmi investigators, professors, and at the janelia research campus. In 2017, a total of 85 college students (63 first-year students and 22 second-year, "exrop capstone" students) were selected to participate in exrop. The 2017 cohort marked the 15th year of the program.

support for international science (a) new international research scholars program (b) senior international research scholars program (c) international early career scientist program (d) africa health research institute in south africa (a) new international research scholars program forty-one scientists from 16 countries have been chosen as international research scholars, exceptional early-career scientists poised to advance biomedical research across the globe. Hhmi teamed up with the bill & melinda gates foundation, the wellcome trust, and the calouste gulbenkian foundation to develop scientific talent around the world, and will award a total of nearly $26. 7 million to this group of scholars. Each researcher will receive a total of $650,000 over five years. The award is a big boon for scientists early in their careers, and offers the freedom to pursue new research directions and creative projects that could develop into top-notch scientific programs. (b) senior international research scholars program hhmi continues to support 13 of the world's leading basic science researchers as senior international research scholar (sirs). The awards support outstanding biomedical scientists working outside the united states who have made significant contributions to fundamental research in the biological sciences. The sirs awardees, selected from a group of previous hhmi international research scholars, are respected leaders in their fields. Each hhmi senior international research scholar receives a grant of $100,000 per year over five years, and presents their research at scientific meetings held at hhmi. The gatherings are intended to facilitate the exchange of ideas, stimulate new research, and provide an opportunity for collaboration with other hhmi scientists. The senior international research scholars' participation helps strengthen the growing network of international biomedical researchers. (c) international early career scientist program hhmi continues to support 24 international early career scientists who were selected for awards in 2012. Each selected scientist will receive $650,000 over a period of five years with the goal of helping these talented individuals establish independent research programs. In this pilot program, hhmi identified scientists who are, or have the potential to become, scientific leaders. The 24 hhmi international early career scientists conduct research at 20 institutions in 12 countries. Each scientist who was selected had directed his or her own laboratory for less than seven years when they applied to hhmi. The countries represented by the hhmi international early career scientists are argentina, brazil, chile, china, hungary, india, italy, poland, portugal, south africa, spain, and south korea. (d) africa health research institute in south africa in 2009, hhmi helped launch the kwazulu-natal research institute for tb-hiv (k-rith) in collaboration with the university of kwazulu-natal (ukzn), and has provided significant funding to support its research efforts. In 2016, in a move to improve the health of people locally and globally, k-rith joined forces with the africa centre for population health to form a groundbreaking new interdisciplinary institute to fight tuberculosis (tb), hiv and related diseases. The new organization, the africa health research institute (ahri), is located at the heart of south africa's tb and hiv co-epidemic in kwazulu-natal province. The effort brings together the africa centre's detailed population data from over 100,000 participants, with k-rith's expertise in basic science and its world-class laboratory facilities. Hhmi, together with the wellcome trust, continues to provide grant support to ahri, with the university college london and ukzn serving as significant academic partners. Ahri is committed to working towards the elimination of hiv and tb. To achieve this, the institute will bring together leading researchers from different fields, use cutting-edge science to improve people's health, and will help to train the next generation of african scientists.