The Maryland-based Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) recently announced that it will provide $50 million in grants to small colleges and universities to encourage science studies. Across the U.S., 47 schools will each receive a four-year grant between $800,000 and $1.5 million to develop new science programs and promote research.

"HHMI is investing in these schools because they have shown they are superb incubators of new ideas and models that might be replicated by other institutions to improve how science is taught in college," said Sean B. Carroll, vice president of science education at HHMI. "[The schools] care deeply about teaching and how effectively their students are learning about science."

HHMI has listed six strategic goals for the programs, including personal apprentice-based opportunities that encourage research, strategies for attracting diverse students, channels for scholars to become K-12 science teachers, the development of a definition for scientific literacy and a holistic approach to learning competency.

The institute has given 274 higher education schools more than $870 million since 1988 in a continued effort to support research and undergraduate studies. Recipients of these awards might benefit from grant management software [1] to manage incoming funds and ensure dollars are correctly allocated to programs within the schools.