What is the name of the medical research institute founded by billionaire aviator Howard Hughes?

The medical research institute founded by billionaire aviator Howard Hughes is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Usually called HHMI, it was established in 1953 to support basic biomedical research. Hughes described the institute’s ambition in broad terms: to investigate fundamental questions about life. The organization began in Florida and later moved its headquarters to Maryland, where it remains a major American research philanthropy.

HHMI’s early structure attracted controversy because Hughes transferred Hughes Aircraft stock to the institute, and critics questioned whether its charitable status served as a tax shelter. After Hughes died in 1976, new trustees oversaw the organization. The 1985 sale of Hughes Aircraft to General Motors dramatically increased HHMI’s resources and expanded its ability to fund investigators and laboratories.

HHMI is not the same as a general “Howard Hughes Foundation.” Its work includes biomedical research, investigator support, science education, and research campuses such as Janelia in Virginia. The initials HHMI are therefore a useful clue, but the full canonical name is required here.