Researchers ‘stunned’ after HHMI abruptly cancels program to make science more inclusive The biomedical philanthropy also reworded online descriptions of remaining DEI programs

https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/06/hhmi-ends-stem-diversity-inclusion-program/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ViLJg2Ep0y2oIDeLQevMWJ4qqe8O_WfwhU9JqdCu0qjbhGW0Dudwx1-Wd9TcaVwic2I_siXLkgDpRs9SKqkjUYwH0MQ&_hsmi=346170968&utm_content=346170968&utm_source=hs_email Another funding stream dries up amid war on DEI The latest blow to diversity in science and health inequities: This week, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute abruptly closed down a $60 million program aimed at retaining undergraduate STEM students. The decision came as a shock to the 104 institutions receiving funding through the program, called Inclusive Excellence, or IE3. Those colleges and universities used the money to improve introductory science courses, hire students in labs, create teaching resources, and more. Some researchers — already rocked by the threat of federal funding cuts — had hoped philanthropic sources with deep pockets could help sustain them for the next four years. HHMI’s retreat from the IE3 program suggests that may not happen, especially considering how vocal the institute had been about diversity in science, STAT’s Anil Oza reports. Researchers he spoke with struck a somber tone, saying they were running out of options for where to turn for support on work that even mentions the word “diversity.” Read more.