European Molecular Biology Laboratory


The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is a molecular biology research institution supported by 27 member states, two prospect states, and two associate member states. EMBL was created in 1974 and is an intergovernmental organisation funded by public research money from its member states. Research at EMBL is conducted by approximately 85 independent groups covering the spectrum of molecular biology. The list of independent groups at EMBL can be found at. The Laboratory operates from six sites: the main laboratory in Heidelberg, and outstations in Hinxton, Grenoble, Hamburg, Rome and Barcelona. EMBL groups and laboratories perform basic research in molecular biology and molecular medicine as well as train scientists, students, and visitors. The organization aids in the development of services, new instruments and methods, and technology in its member states. Israel is the only full member state located outside Europe.

History

EMBL was the idea of Leó Szilárd, James Watson and John Kendrew. Their goal was to create an international research centre, similar to CERN, to rival the strongly American-dominated field of molecular biology. Kendrew served as the first Director-general of EMBL until 1982 and was succeeded by Lennart Philipson. From 1993 to 2005, Fotis Kafatos, served as director and was succeeded by Iain Mattaj, EMBL's fourth director, from 2005 to 2018. In January 2019, Edith Heard became the fifth director of EMBL and the first woman to hold this position.

Research

Each EMBL site has a specific research field. The EMBL-EBI is a hub for bioinformatics research and services, developing and maintaining a large number of scientific databases that are free of charge. At Grenoble and Hamburg, research is focused on structural biology.
The EMBL Rome site is dedicated to the study of epigenetics and neurobiology. Scientists at EMBL Barcelona are exploring how tissues and organs function and develop, in health and disease. At the headquarters in Heidelberg, there are units in cell biology and biophysics, developmental biology, genome biology, and structural and computational biology, as well as service groups complementing the aforementioned research fields.
Many scientific breakthroughs have been made at EMBL. The first systematic genetic analysis of embryonic development in the fruit fly was conducted at EMBL by Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus, for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995. In the early 1980s, Jacques Dubochet and his team at EMBL developed cryogenic electron microscopy for biological structures. They were rewarded with the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Membership

EMBL is currently supported by 27 member states, two associate member states, and two prospect member states.
Member StatesYear of joining
1974
1990
2006
2014
1974
1984
1974
1974
1984
2017
2005
2003
1974
1974
2019
2007
2016
2018
1974
1985
2019
1998
2018
1986
1974
1974
1974
Prospect Member States
2019
2020
Associate Member States
2014
2008

Training

Advanced training is one of EMBL's five core missions. Over the years, the Laboratory has established a number of training activities, of which the EMBL International PhD Programme is the flagship - it has a student body of about 200, and since 1997 has had the right to award its own degree. Other activities include the postdoctoral programme, including the EMBL Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral programme ; the European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences for teacher training; and the Visitor Programme. EMBL is currently building a centre for high-resolution light and electron microscopy in its Heidelberg Headquarters. This centre will be open to visiting scientists worldwide and provide a unique service facility for the life sciences, uniting cutting-edge equipment, experts and data analysis.

EMBL Advanced Training Centre

In March 2010, the EMBL Advanced Training Centre was inaugurated on the main campus in Heidelberg. Shaped in the form of a double helix, it hosts conferences and provides training.

Science and society

EMBL also runs an active Science and Society Programme which offers activities and events on current questions in life science research for the general public and the scientific community.