The HGP was begun in 1990 as a 13-year effort and completed in 2003. According to the official HGP web site (http://www.doegenomes.org/), the goals were as follows:

• Identify all of the approximately 30,000–40,000 genes in human DNA
• Determine the sequence of the 3 billion chemical pairs of human DNA
• Store this information in public databases
• Improve tools for data analysis
• Transfer related technologies to the private sector
• Address the ethical, legal, and social issues that may stem from the project