Policies

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is dedicated to promoting knowledge and advancing human health through discovery research in the basic biomedical sciences. HHMI’s guiding principle is to support ‘people, not projects’ because we believe that it is individuals who – with creativity, curiosity, and persistence – break through barriers to advance scientific knowledge.

In carrying out our mission, we are committed to supporting discovery science in basic biomedical research fields for public benefit. Equally, we are committed to ensuring that scientists we employ as HHMI Investigators, Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, and Janelia Senior Group Leaders and Janelia Group Leaders have great flexibility in conducting their research and are free to promptly publish and broadly share their results, including tools and data. Our policies and practices reflect these core research values.

We expect scientists employed by HHMI, including HHMI Investigators, Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, and Janelia Senior Group Leaders and Janelia Group Leaders, to conduct all of their work consistent with these core values as they are reflected in HHMI policies and practices. Because of their affiliation with the universities, hospitals and other research institutions that host their laboratories, HHMI Investigators and Freeman Hrawbowki Scholars are also subject to their host institution’s policies and practices. These typically align well with HHMI’s.

When HHMI scientists propose to engage with other organizations whose policies and practices do not align with HHMI’s, we weigh any competing considerations. Our goal is to strike a balance that allows our scientists to proceed with their research priorities, while also protecting our core research values.