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Annual Report 2024

Innovation & Translation

To engage in technology transfer and industry relations

EMBL’s strengths in research, services, and training make it a perfect industry partner and a breeding ground for research that sows the seeds for technology transfer. EMBL’s tech transfer arm, EMBLEM, is pivotal to that success.

Novel training formats, among other new activities, helped further develop an EMBL innovation culture, empower the next generation of EMBL fellows, and diversify current instruments for training and knowledge exchange between EMBL and industry partners in 2024. Most notably, Umlaut.bio was an important EMBLEM spin-off in 2024. This pioneering biotech company is focused on developing ‘first-in-biology’ therapeutic molecules that modify tRNA to develop cancer and autoimmune therapeutics.

“The modular epigenetic editing toolkit could be used in the future to more precisely understand the importance of epigenomic changes in influencing gene activity during development and in human disease. On the other hand, the technology also unlocks the ability to program desired gene expression levels in a highly tunable manner. This is an exciting avenue for precision health applications and may prove useful in disease settings.”

– Jamie Hackett, EMBL Rome Group Leader

Translating EMBL science

Work carried out in Rome led to the development of a powerful epigenetic editing technology, which unlocks the ability to precisely program chromatin modifications – having an impact during development and in human disease. Expertise at EMBL Heidelberg in proteomics, transcriptomics, and microscopy assisted research that discovered how a common, FDA-approved, over-the-counter cough syrup ingredient has potential to treat fibrotic lung disease, leading to clinical trials for a previously untreatable condition.

“Through the Agri-Tech Partnership, we can transform real-life data into innovative solutions, driving significant advancements in agricultural research and global food security.”

– Siân Ellis, Global Regulatory Ecotoxicologist and Environmental Sustainability, Corteva Agriscience

Partnerships and training

An increased emphasis on entrepreneurial training included an event in Hamburg at Start-up Labs Bahrenfeld, organised by EMBL, EMBLEM, DESY, and HEREON. Additionally, in 2024, EMBL-EBI continued its work in an EMBL Agri-Tech Partnership addressing global food security challenges through optimised agricultural research and data-driven innovation.

EMBLEM in Numbers

Tech transfer in numbers

EMBL’s innovation and translation activities include industry collaborations, public-private partnerships, forums for knowledge exchange, invention disclosures, and creation of spin-off companies. EMBLEM, EMBL’s technology transfer arm, enables much of this, and in 2024, it helped develop and conclude collaborations between 53 industry partners and 36 EMBL scientists and supported the creation of EMBL’s newest spin-off, Umlaut.bio.

€20,972,000 income. 727 licences, collaboration and service agreements concluded
Graphic showing: 24 inventions disclosed. 10 priority patent applications filed. 13 patents granted

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