Mission 

The Salk Institute embodies Jonas Salk’s mission to dare to make dreams into reality. We explore the very foundations of life, seeking new realities in neuroscience, genetics, immunology and more. We are small by choice, intimate by nature, fearless in the face of any challenge. We live to discover. Be it cancer or Alzheimer’s, aging or diabetes, we understand that every cure has a starting point. Salk is where cures begin.

Where your support goes

Salk’s Education Outreach has a nearly half-century tradition of sharing its groundbreaking biological research with the San Diego community. Programs are tailored for adults and student groups while special events are designed for all ages.

Under the direction of neurobiologist Ellen Potter and educational specialist Dona Mapston, Education Outreach’s signature programs—Mobile Science Lab, Heithoff-Brody Scholars Program, and March of Dimes High School Science Day—are complemented by scientific presentations and community outreach events. The recently launched New Frontiers in Science initiative adds SciChats@Salk and Partnerships in Science Education to the roster to inspire the next generation.

With all these program offerings, Salk’s world-class faculty and staff are key partners in the curriculum, imparting their passion and knowledge of innovative research that impacts human health to help inspire and launch the next generation of scientists.

The results 

The Lasker Award, which has come to be known as the “American Nobel,” recognizes basic researchers and clinical scientists whose work has been seminal to understanding and treating disease and is the most coveted award in medical science. 

The Nobel Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award given for intellectual achievement in the world. As stipulated by Alfred Nobel in his will, it is awarded “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” 

The Gairdner is one of the most prestigious awards in all of science. Founded by the late Toronto businessman James Gairdner, the Gairdner Award recognizes medical scientists “whose seminal discoveries and major scientific contributions constitute tangible and significant achievement in biomedical sciences.”