In 2016, our Institute grew further, thanks to the support of The Hormel Foundation. Again, we doubled the size of The Hormel Institute by adding another 20 state of the art labs. We also added a global communications center named “Ray Live Learning Center” in recognition of the significant contribution of Gary and Pat Ray. This was notable progress, especially in light of the tripling in size just 8 years earlier. The 2nd expansion celebration brought leaders and supporters from throughout the state, country and world to tour the beautiful expanded facility and new state of the art technologies. The new labs house the world’s most cutting edge imaging technology - including a Titan Krios Cryo-Electron microscope (the 7th installed in the USA at the time) - that captures and develops 2-D and 3-D images at the subatomic level. This technology is available at very few institutes in the country and will be used for cancer drug development.

The Hormel Institute’s lab sections increased to 15 in 2016, as we began to fill the newly built labs, broaden our scope of cancer research and expand our research capabilities. In 2017, we celebrated our 75th anniversary.  In May 2019, The Hormel Institute’s fifth executive director (Zigang Dong) resigned to pursue other opportunities.

The Hormel Institute’s sixth executive director, Robert Clarke, joined in September 2020 to lead the Institute into a new era of accomplishment. Dr. Clarke, an internationally recognized breast cancer researcher, was a former Dean for Research at Georgetown University Medical Center (Washington, D.C.) and an Associate Vice President of Georgetown University Medical Center. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, a leading expert in breast cancer research, also joined The Hormel Institute from Georgetown. Dr. Hilakivi-Clarke currently serves as the Assistant Director for Faculty Affairs at The Hormel Institute. 

The period from fall 2020 onwards continues to be marked by significant growth in both faculty and staff. This growth is accompanied by a complete institutional reorganization based on an exciting and ambitious strategic plan grounded in our mission, vision, and values. The expanding research and education activities include important new partnerships with Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR), and Hormel Foods. Starting in 2021, and staying true to the institute's 80+ year mission to strengthen research and education, we began dramatically expanding our community education and outreach activities across SE Minnesota. We also strengthened our role as a pillar of the community, creating new collaborations with key organizations within the City of Austin. These collaborations include several new educational programs with Austin Public Schools. Other new initiatives include our first clinical and population research studies led by both UMN investigators in the Twin Cities and our own faculty at the institute. Today, The Hormel Institute is focused on “Cancer+”, where we study cancer and cancer-related diseases that affect human wellbeing. As of mid 2024, The Hormel Institute has nearly 30 faculty-led research laboratories and approximately 150 employees dedicated to advancing our mission.