Human Genome Initiative Collective name for several projects begun in 1986 by DOE (US Department of Energy) to (1) create an ordered set of DNA segments from known chromosomal locations, (2) develop new computational methods for analyzing genetic map and DNA sequence data, and (3) develop new techniques and instruments for detecting and analyzing DNA. This DOE initiative is now known as the Human Genome Program. The US national effort, led by DOE and NIH (National Institutes of Health), is known as the Human Genome Project.