Congratulations to Tobias Walter, who was chosen from a group of 894 eligible applicants to be one of 26 newly-minted Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigators! HHMI investigators will receive the flexible support necessary to move their research in creative new directions. The initiative represents an investment in basic biomedical research of $153 million over the next five years.
The scientists represent 19 institutions from across the United States. The new HHMI investigators – which include three current HHMI early career scientists — were selected for their individual scientific excellence.
HHMI will provide each investigator with his or her full salary, benefits, and a research budget over their initial five-year appointment. The Institute will also cover other expenses, including research space and the purchase of critical equipment. Their appointment may be renewed for additional five-year terms, each contingent on a successful scientific review.
HHMI encourages its investigators to push their research fields into new areas of inquiry. By employing scientists as HHMI investigators — rather than awarding them research grants — the Institute is guided by the principle of “people, not projects.” HHMI investigators have the freedom 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 many years.
