The new Programme expands EMBL’s research purview to further advance our understanding of the molecular basis of life in context.

EMBL’s research aims to understand the basis of life, gaining a molecular understanding of organisms in the context of different environments. From exploring the molecular components inside a cell to studying whole populations and ecosystems, EMBL scientists will explore these different scales through eight research themes that foster collaborative, multidisciplinary research: Molecular Building Blocks, Cellular and Multicellular Dynamics, Microbial Ecosystems, Infection Biology, Human Ecosystems, Planetary Biology, Data Sciences, and Theory@EMBL. These new themes build upon EMBL’s existing strengths and expertise, such as structural biology, bioinformatics and computational biology, microbiology, tissue and organ biology, neurobiology, developmental biology, genome biology, cell biology, and molecular medicine.

In order to firmly establish and propel the new research themes, EMBL has introduced a series of new functional structures called transversal themes. Transversal themes will become a formalised, funded structure overlaid on current EMBL units which will deepen the interdisciplinary science at EMBL. The transversal themes align with the new directions outlined within the EMBL Programme and include Planetary Biology, Human Ecosystems, Infection Biology, Microbial Ecosystems, Data Sciences and Theory.