HHMI Investigator Program
HHMI Investigator Program supports established scientists pursuing bold basic biological and biomedical research to fundamentally change understanding of how biology works.
Funder: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Due Dates: September 28, 2027 (Applications open) | March 7, 2028 (Applications close)
Funding Amounts: Full salary and benefits, research budget, and capital equipment access for an initial seven-year term, renewable with successful review
Summary: Supports established scientists pursuing bold basic biological and biomedical research that fundamentally changes understanding of how biology works.
Key Information: Applicants must be PI on an active, nationally competitive research grant lasting at least three years; mentored awards and training grants do not qualify.
Description
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Investigator Program provides long-term support to established researchers, including physician-scientists, in basic biological and biomedical sciences. Guided by a philosophy of supporting “people, not projects,” HHMI gives investigators freedom to pursue their boldest ideas across scientific disciplines and a wide range of organisms. Supported research explores living systems at every scale, from molecules and cells to organisms and populations.
Investigators become HHMI employees while maintaining their academic appointments and laboratories at their home institutions. The program emphasizes scientific excellence and inclusive lab leadership: investigators are expected to build collaborative research environments and recruit, mentor, and inspire a wide range of trainees. They also join a community of HHMI scientists who collaborate and share research at scientific meetings.
