The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a non-profit medical research institution that is considered to be one of the largest philanthropies in the United States. It plays an outstanding role in the advancement of science education and biomedical research in the nation.

Founded in 1953 by industrialist and aviator, Howard R. Hughes, the institute is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and boasts of more than 3,000 highly-skilled and knowledgeable employees all over United States. It has an endowment of nearly $17 billion, $800 million of which are allocated for research and $120 million for the support of science education.

The organization’s flagship program revolves around understanding the genesis of life, and mainly focuses on the fields of genetics, molecular biology and immunology. It partners with several universities, medical schools, research institutes and health care establishments, in the hope to gain better understanding of life, the elements that make it up and the numerous processes it undergoes.