A time of transitions and continued discovery
After the deep tragedy of Peer Bork’s passing, it feels profoundly difficult to take stock of and recognise the many milestones and accomplishments EMBL saw in 2025 without him here to celebrate alongside us. Peer embodied the organisation’s curiosity and inclusive culture across all our missions, and I know he would have been proud to see the progress made by EMBL.
Peer was a wonderful man and an outstanding scientist. Always working at the frontier of science, he saw possibilities far before others – pushing new technologies, reconsidering analytical approaches to expand what questions we could now answer, and repeatedly, pushing our ignorance further back to reveal often surprising insights about the living world around us.
We had intended to write this foreword together, and I know he would be just as exuberant about the distance EMBL travelled in the past 12 months as I am. So, in his memory, let me momentarily reflect on these successes, many of which occurred during the nine months that Peer was EMBL’s Interim Director General.
In 2025, EMBL showcased a wide spectrum of scientific leadership, from fundamental molecular mechanisms to AI-driven medicine and global research coordination. Here are just a few highlights:
- Scientists in Grenoble revealed new structural and functional insights into the minor spliceosome complex. Scientists from Heidelberg uncovered how metabolism actively controls embryonic developmental timing. In Barcelona, scientists identified how the malaria parasite finds its way to the brain. And in Rome, researchers demonstrated how fathers’ preconception environment influences embryonic development.
- AI figured prominently in many findings, including the development of MAGIC, an AI-assisted ‘laser tag’ tool that helps us understand cancer origins, as well as a new AI model that can potentially forecast disease risk decades in advance.
- EMBL scientific services often set the gold standard across the world. In Hamburg, the beamline enabled new research, such as that on novel light-sensing proteins called cryorhodopsins. Hamburg continued to provide unique services in synchrotron-based X-ray imaging services, a modality we expect to see develop in Grenoble.
- In data services, our renewed partnership with Google DeepMind will ensure open access to the invaluable AlphaFold database of protein predictions. Furthering this commitment to accessible data services, a new EMBL-commissioned report about global data partnerships provided recommendations to ensure access, especially where offerings are limited.
- EMBL’s world-class training opportunities continued to foster a global community of scientists while advancing capabilities at every career stage. In particular, this year, we witnessed a growing momentum in our sabbatical programme – further testament to EMBL’s commitment to knowledge exchange.
- Within our Innovation & Translation mission, we saw several researchers take their work to the next level via startups. Specifically, a BioInnovation Institution grant enabled an innovative placenta-on-chip project to go from lab bench to spin-out and make an impact on all women. This collaboration bridges a gap between cutting-edge research and practical solutions to improve drug safety during pregnancy.
EMBL’s role in strategically helping to guide European life sciences continues to grow. We had several activities where we are leading the way to leveraging AI mindfully, so we can maximise its potential. EMBL will dig even deeper in this area, thanks to a very generous donation from the Hector Foundation. It will support key initiatives at EMBL, such as recruiting interdisciplinary talent, expanding AI infrastructure, and advancing training programmes, so we are extremely grateful for this forward-thinking gift.
Peer and I talked about the momentum we felt this past year. And as the trajectory seems to be rising, it’s bittersweet when colleagues move on. Our Director General for the past six years, Edith Heard, who led us through a pandemic and serious European economic challenges, now leads the Francis Crick Institute. My close friend and colleague Rolf Apweiler officially retired from EMBL-EBI, and Matthias Wilmanns, the former head of EMBL Hamburg, retired this year.
The good news is that there is an ebb and flow that brings new members to the EMBL family: Michael Milne joined us this year as our Chief Operating Officer, and naturally, we have been looking forward to the start of Tony Hyman’s mandate as EMBL’s new Director General.
At this point, we are more than three-quarters of the way through the programme, Molecules to Ecosystems, out of which we began many collaborative projects. Moving forward in 2026, we feel Peer’s absence as we actively finalise the next programme that will keep us at the frontier where he so often did his own research.
I will miss him greatly for many reasons – not the least of which was seeing what he would do next. We have lost a remarkable, energetic mind in this collective endeavour. But even without Peer, his impacts will continue to push us forward.
Ewan Birney
Interim EMBL Director General (Jan 2026–March 2026), Executive Director (March 2025–Jan 2026)
A message from incoming EMBL Director General Anthony Hyman
Reading this report, I am struck by the range of work across EMBL and the momentum built over the past year.
The year 2025 was one of both progress and loss. The death of Peer Bork is felt deeply across EMBL, and his influence is evident in many of the directions reflected here.
As I return to EMBL, I do so at a time when biology is changing rapidly, shaped by advances in imaging, data, and artificial intelligence. This report shows why EMBL continues to play a leading role in shaping biological science in Europe. I look forward to working with colleagues across EMBL as we take the next steps.
In 2026, we will launch a new scientific programme, building on this work and shaping the next phase of EMBL.
Anthony Hyman, EMBL Director General, March 2026