About EMBL

We are Europe’s leading life sciences laboratory

We operate six sites across Europe each with its own research units, services and facilities.

With 27 member states, EMBL has more than 110 independent research groups and service teams covering the spectrum of molecular biology at six sites in Barcelona, Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg, EMBL-EBI Hinxton, and Rome.

Governance

EMBL Council comprises national representatives of our member states and is EMBL’s governing body. Our Director General is Professor Edith Heard FRS.

EMBL pursues five missions in research, services, training, technology transfer and policy development. Our five-year plans are set out in our Scientific Programme.

A leader in Europe and worldwide

EMBL fosters International Relations across Europe and worldwide, and we have partnerships with comparable institutions. Our Strategy Office aligns activities across all sites, and you can learn more in our History and Legal Status section.

portrait of EMBL Director General, Professor Edith Heard FRS
EMBL Director General, Professor Edith Heard FRS

Organisational activities

Innovation and Translation

EMBL harnesses its entrepreneurial spirit through technology-transfer programmes, industry relations and technology spin-offs.

Support EMBL

By supporting EMBL with your philanthropic contribution, you are enabling progress in its purest form.

Administration

Our Administration units support all parts of EMBL and deliver long-term strategic administrative planning.

Alumni

We foster connections between the laboratory, its member states, current EMBL staff, EMBL alumni and the public.

Science and society

We aim to create a platform for dialogue and debate, allowing EMBL to examine the ethical, legal, and social implications of scientific research.

Communications

We seek to inform, inspire, and engage society with EMBL’s research, services and training.

Our Public Engagement and Outreach

Our public engagement and outreach activities seek to ensure wider awareness and application of EMBL’s knowledge by general scientific audiences, teachers, young learners, and the public.

Learn more about our public engagement activities.

Our commitment to Open Science

Wherever possible our databases and software are freely available to the scientific community, and our Office for Scientific Information Management (OSIM) provides a hub of expertise on the management of scientific outputs and related services.

EMBL strongly encourages open access publication and is committed to support fair and responsible research assessment practices.

Sustainable and inclusive

We are committed to transitioning to a sustainable organisation, and to creating a more inclusive research and work culture, including the provision of independent and impartial support for staff.

Learn more about working at EMBL.

EMBL 2021 Annual Report

Read EMBL’s mission highlights of 2021