“Happy Birthday, EMBL! I am still a proud member of the wonderful EMBL family, that very, very special institute that connects people across Europe and the world with exciting memories. Cheers to the next 50 years!”

— Tweet from Ulrich Elling, Predoctoral Fellow EIPP, 2001-2006, now Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna

“Congratulations EMBL on 50 years of innovative molecular biology research. New England Biolabs is happy and proud to have been a trusted partner and reliable supplier to EMBL from the very beginning. Our shared values, such as the advancement of science, sustainability and social responsibility, bind us together….we are still enthusiastic about supporting your research and shaping the science of tomorrow together with you.”

— Translated from a New England Biolabs LinkedIn post, 20 June 2024, celebrating the two organisations’ 50th anniversaries

“We’re thrilled to congratulate our long-standing scientific collaborator @embl on their 50th anniversary! We look forward to continuing this fruitful partnership. Here’s to the future of microscopy and the endless possibilities that lie ahead! Happy Birthday!”

— Tweet from Zeiss Microscopy (@zeiss_micro), 25 February 2024

“I wish EMBL and all its staff, past and present, a very happy birthday!  Those who founded EMBL were truly visionary, when one considers the multitude of achievements and success stories from the past 50 years. Today, I have the privilege of leading this great organisation, in an era where the world needs science more than ever before.”

— Edith Heard, EMBL Director General, 2019-2025

“…happy birthday #EMBL50 you are one of a kind and always will be. Your lineage is incredible and more is to come judging from the junior researcher talks….”

— Tweet from Aimée Zuniga, Predoctoral Fellow, 1990-1994, now Research Group Leader, University of Basel Department of Biomedicine

“50 years of molecular biology is a lot! When @embl was born, even Sanger sequencing had not been invented yet…. Who knows what the next 50 years will bring?… HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMBL!”

— Tweet from James Sharp, Head, EMBL Barcelona

“On EMBL’s anniversary, and with EMBL being its people, I wish everyone ingenuity and brilliance to overcome any challenges, and introspective opportunities such as this one to collectively reflect upon and celebrate our achievements and successes.”

— Renato Alves, Senior Bioinformatics Community Manager, Data Science Centre

“Happy Birthday EMBL! Impact is the right word as my very first job was in administration at EMBL (EMBO Journal one year, Cell Biology Department secretary for 6 years). I was able to work with the most wonderful set of group leaders: Kai Simons, Eric Karsenti, Marino Zerial, Carlos Dotti, Tony Hyman, Suzanne Eaton. But also Iain Mattaj and Matthias Hentze shaped my thinking, to name just a few. The experience at EMBL opened my eyes for what is out there in the world and set the foundation for my future life, professionally and privately as I not only met my husband Jorge 25 years ago there, but the experience allowed me to continue working in other great scientific institutes in different parts of the world like Cold Spring Harbor Labs and ETH Zurich. Forever grateful.”

— Eva Radeck da Silva, Cell Biology and Biophysics secretary, 1993-2000

“EMBL is the best example for how science should be done: international, well-equipped, with the goal of gaining deep understanding of fundamental mechanisms of biology, eventually offering solutions for diseases and preservation of our environment.”

— Hüseyin Besir, Head, Protein Expression and Purification Core Facility, now Head of R&D, Biomex GmbH, Heidelberg

“I always wanted to do impactful science, and with my science, help humanity. In this dream EMBL was the place that helped me to move towards my goals. I am so much thankful for all that I could learn and experience at EMBL! Ultimately, this was the best “training” a scientist could wish for!”

— Matyas Gorjanacz, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2003-2013, now Head of Laboratory, Bayer AG, Berlin

“For me, EMBL was the place where nothing was impossible, the place enabling groundbreaking ideas to be tested and transformed into scientific innovations.”

— Maiwen Caudron-Herger, Predoctoral Fellow EIPP, 2001-2005, now a Team Leader, German Cancer Research Center 

“EMBL is a dream come true for a young researcher in love with molecular biology. I consider myself extremely lucky to have experienced the unmatchable culture and working ethos of the Laboratory, the attitude of openness and sharing, the atmosphere of excitement and creativity, the ability to learn new things every single day, the possibility to be inspired by so many talented and passionate people, and also to participate in a cosmopolitan and diverse community of scientists . I am grateful for everything and I wish EMBL to remain the cherished flagship of molecular biology in Europe for many, many decades to come!”

— Niovi Santama, postdoc in the Lamond Group 1993-1996; now Professor, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry Lab at University of Cyprus

“I have fond memories of my time at EMBL that really shaped my outlook on science.”

— Rebecca Berrens, diploma student in the Hentze Group, 2010, now a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Development & Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford

“EMBL is a leading institution in Life Sciences, known for its diversity, openness, curiosity, and excellence. For decades, it has brought together brilliant minds to explore and understand the secrets of life. Being part of this environment is a unique privilege, reflecting the dedication and hard work that characterise EMBL.”

— Sarah Fahs, Predoctoral Fellow 2014-2018, now Associate Director Preclinical R&D and Medicinal Chemistry, BioNTech, Munich

“EMBL is a science paradise. I was lucky to spend recently two years at EMBL Heidelberg as a visitor. I have enjoyed the spirit of collaboration, the happiness of doing science, the respect of each other’s work and the willingness to help. I came back rejuvenated!”

— Pascale Cossart, Professor “de Classe Exceptionnelle”, Institut Pasteur, Paris (EMBL Visiting Scientist 2022-2023)

“EMBL Hamburg was the place to be for protein crystallography in the early 90’s. It provided me with a model of how to do science in a collaborative, innovative and inclusive way which has stood the test of time.”

— Martin Walsh, Postdoctoral Fellow EMBL Hamburg, 1994-1997, now Life Sciences Coordinator and Group Leader at the Research Complex at Harwell Diamond Light Source, UK

“My experience at EMBL was the most important for my professional and personal autonomy both as a cook and as a molecular biologist.”

– Elda Perlino, CNR Group Leader, Bari, Italy (former EMBL Postdoc)

“EMBL showed me that if you fill a sandbox with some really cool toys, mix in some super smart kids from all over the world, remove most of the supervision and just let them play and imagine, magic will happen. Change any of that and the magic disappears.”

— Kelly McNagny, Professor of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (former EMBL Postdoc and Visiting Scientist)

“There are very few people doing cryo-electron microscopy in the field. When you think of fieldwork equipment, you think of binoculars, not of sample preparation for high-end cryo-EM. The power of this technology is opening up new questions that biologists anywhere can now address. During the TREC expedition, EMBL mobile labs will enable this and more.”

– Anna Steyer, Cryo-Electron Tomography Specialist, Mattei Team at EMBL Heidelberg

“We are pleased to collaborate with EMBL, which represents some of the most cutting-edge life sciences research in Europe. Together we can boost our shared vision of utilising life science innovation to create an impact for people and society.”

– Markus Herrgård, BioInnovation Institute Foundation (BII)’s Chief Technology Officer