Research Funding

Funded Research Programs

The funded research programs at NHGRI's Division of Extramural Research (DER) support research in genomics at sites across the nation. Information on DER's major funded research programs can be found by following the links below.

The Large-Scale Genome Sequencing Program
The Large-Scale Genome Sequencing Program is composed of several broad research programs. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) engages in specific initiatives and sequencing projects that comply with the aims of these research programs. The scientific organization of the Large-Scale Genome Sequencing Program is depicted on the following page.

Genetic Variation Program
The Genetic Variation program supports research on genetic variation and how it relates to diseases, responses to drugs and environmental factors.

Genome Technology Program
The Genome Technology program supports research to develop new methods, technologies and instruments that enable rapid, low-cost determination of DNA sequence, SNP genotyping and functional genomics (broadly defined) experiments. Priorities include the refinement of current technologies to increase efficiency and decrease cost while maintaining or improving data quality, and the development of completely novel approaches to achieve orders-of-magnitude improvement. Integration of process steps is key to achieving these goals.

Functional Analysis Program
The Functional Analysis of the Genome program manages and supports research that will lead to improved techniques and strategies for efficient identification and functional analysis of genes, coding regions and other functional elements of entire genomes on a high throughput basis.

Genome Informatics and Computational Biology Program
The Genome Informatics program supports research in computational biology that will enable the development of tools for sequence analysis, gene mapping, complex trait mapping and genetic variation. These tools include mathematical and statistical methods for the identification of functional elements in complex genomes; the identification of patterns in large datasets (for example, microarray data); and the mapping of complex traits and genetic variations (for example, single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs).

Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research Program
The National Human Genome Research Institute's (NHGRI) Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research Program was established in 1990 as an integral part of the Human Genome Project (HGP) to foster basic and applied research on the ethical, legal and social implications of genetic and genomic research for individuals, families and communities. The ELSI Research Program funds and manages studies, and supports workshops, research consortia and policy conferences related to these topics.

Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science
The Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science (CEGS) program supports the formation of multi-investigator, interdisciplinary research teams to develop novel and innovative genomic research projects, using the data sets and technologies developed by the HGP.

Division of Extramural Research (DER) Program Staff
A complete list of full staff information for the above program areas.

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Last Reviewed: February 27, 2012