Scientific Forebears

In planning Janelia Farm, HHMI carefully studied the organization, management, and scientific culture of other important research models at both academic and for-profit laboratories, including the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB) in Cambridge, England, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Embryology, and AT&T's Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

	Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB) in Cambridge, England, opened in 1962. READ MORE		Bell Labs at Lucent Technologies world headquarters in Murray Hill, NJ. READ MORE

Although very different from the way research is carried out in any of HHMI's host institutions—or indeed, any current major biomedical research laboratory—the type of alternative research organization that was planned for Janelia Farm has been successfully implemented before, most notably at the MRC LMB and Bell Labs.

ROLE MODELS

The MRC LMB and Bell Labs are generally considered to have been the most successful research institutions in biology and electronics, respectively, and although neither currently exists in its original form, they have served as useful models for Janelia Farm. Despite the fact that one of these institutions was a small public-sector biological research laboratory and the other a large private-sector electronics enterprise, they shared a surprisingly wide range of operating principles:

• Individual research groups were small. At the MRC LMB and Bell Labs, small group size was considered essential to promote collaboration and communication between groups, as well as good mentoring.
  
  
• Group leaders were active bench scientists. Group leaders at the MRC LMB and Bell Labs were active bench scientists who carried out experimental work with their own hands. This was true even for Nobel Prize winners and department chairs.
  
  
• Research was internally funded. All research funding at the MRC LMB and Bell Labs was provided from internal sources at a dependable and generous level. Outside grant applications were not permitted, nor was there any obvious pressure for the work to be of immediate medical relevance or commercial value.
  
  
• Excellent support facilities and infrastructure were provided. At both the MRC LMB and Bell Labs, there was core support for routine functions, such as glassware washing, media preparation, and central stores, as well as for sophisticated functions such as instrumentation design and fabrication. This enabled individuals and small groups to function effectively and to focus on creative activities.
  
  
• Staff turnover was high and tenure limited. Many scientists were at an "early career stage," and moved on to university positions after 5-10 years. The ones who remained for their entire career continued to be active researchers with their own hands.
  
  
• Originality, creativity and collegiality were valued and supported. The MRC LMB and Bell Labs emphasized tackling difficult and important research problems. Management at both institutions were knowledgeable with the work carried out under their direction and could evaluate potential of those who had not yet achieved external recognition.

It is important to state explicitly that no institutions in operation today (other than Janelia Farm) fully fit the description above. The funding mechanism that supported Bell Labs was destroyed by the breakup of the AT&T monopoly, and the MRC LMB suffered from the imposition of tenure by the British civil service as well as competition for key talent from the Wellcome Trust's research laboratories. Only a private organization with a large endowment, such as HHMI, could support such an enterprise today. This offers the Institute the opportunity to create a truly unique research facility.

• OTHER RELEVANT INSTITUTIONS

  In the planning process, HHMI identified and examined several relevant current institutions.

  EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY (EMBL)

  The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) was established in 1974 and is supported by 16 countries including nearly all of Western Europe and Israel. More

  CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON, DEPARTMENT OF EMBRYOLOGY

  Founded in 1913, this research laboratory has a long-standing association with the Johns Hopkins University and is located on its Homewood campus in Baltimore. More

  COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORIES (CSHL)

  CSHL is a research and educational institution that was founded at the turn of the last century and now has 47 research faculty members. More

Photos: (left) courtesy of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology; (right) courtesy of Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs