The Human Genome Project was a 13-year international scientific research project completed in 2003 that determined the sequence of nucleotide base pairs that make up human DNA and mapped human genes. The project was undertaken by scientists at research institutions around the world including the U.S. Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, and Wellcome Trust. The project's goals were to identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion base pairs that make up human DNA, and store this genetic information. The project advances science and medicine by furthering the understanding of human genetics.