Open call – Howard Hughes Medical Institute – Investigator Program

Nov 10, 2022 | Awards & Funding, Research

To: All Divisional Faculty & Researchers
From: Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations
Subject: Funding Opportunity

The Office of Foundations Relations is pleased to share this open call for funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 

UCSC Contact: Caroline Rodriguez | caroline@ucsc.edu
Funder: Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
Opportunity: Investigator Program

 

Overview

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is seeking creative and innovative scientists to join its Investigator Program. Through this competition, HHMI will expand our community of basic researchers and physician scientists across the nation who catalyze discovery research in basic and biomedical sciences, plant biology, evolutionary biology, biophysics, chemical biology, biomedical engineering, and computational biology.

Approximately 25 new Investigators will be selected in this competition.

Please see a list of past awardees.

Additional details can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.

 Eligibility

Please review the eligibility criteria closely. Before you can proceed with the application, HHMI requires completion of an eligibility quiz found here.

The Investigator Program is open to individuals who:

  • hold a PhD and/or MD (or the equivalent).
  • have a tenured or tenure-track position as an assistant professor or higher academic rank (or the equivalent) at an eligible U.S. institution. Federal government employees are not eligible.
  • have more than 5, but no more than 15, years of post-training, professional experience. To meet this requirement, the applicant’s first post-training professional appointment must have begun no earlier than March 1, 2008, and no later than April 1, 2018.
  • are the principal investigator on one or more active, national, peer-reviewed research grants with an initial duration of at least three years as of April 1, 2023. Mentored awards and training grants do not qualify. Multi-investigator grants may qualify.

Award Amount & Terms

  • Investigators retain academic appointments and laboratories at their respective institutions but become full-time employees of HHMI, which provides full salary and benefits. Investigators are appointed for a seven- year, renewable period.
  • Investigators are required to devote at least 75 percent of their professional activities to the direct conduct of research. Applicants with administrative responsibilities or other duties inconsistent with this time commitment may apply but must reduce those other commitments prior to their appointment.
  • Investigator appointments will be made at the institution where the applicant held a qualifying position on March 21, 2023. Alternatively, appointments may be made at a different institution, provided the applicant notifies HHMI of the institution change no later than October 12, 2023.
  • Additional details can be found in the competition Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.
  • An Investigator may not retain an HHMI appointment if the Investigator transfers to another institution prior to the initial appointment review. An early review can be requested after five years.
  • HHMI Investigators must abide by HHMI’s policies for lab heads, including the conduct of science and the open access policy concerning scientific publication. This includes sharing of materials, data, and software. More information about HHMI policies is available at https://www.hhmi.org/about/policies.

 Timeline:

  • March 21, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (ET)               Application due
  • November 7, 2023                                         Semi- Finalist selected
  • March 18, 2024                                         Semifinalists participate in a virtual symposium
  • April 2024                                                 Finalists selected
  • September 1, 2024                                    Appointment starts

Special Requirements

Please notify the Office of Foundation Relations if you are interested in applying to this opportunity (cfr@ucsc.edu). Please submit a proposal intake form prior to UCSC’s internal Institutional Deadlines. For support developing your proposal, please contact the Research Development Specialist assigned to your unit or send a request to resdev@ucsc.edu. Within the Division of Social Sciences, please contact Ashlee Tews (ashleeac@ucsc.edu) to initiate notification and proposal support.


The Office of Foundation Relations is a unit of University Relations. The FR team creates and maintains mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with private organizations, matching grant initiatives with educational and research programs and centers. FR supports faculty and staff to identify and approach these and other private foundations for funding, to assist in strategic positioning of the grant application, and to facilitate funder campus visits. 

For a list of recent funding opportunities, please visit the FR website. FR Calls for Funding

If you have any questions or comments, please contact caroline@ucsc.edu