EMBL aims to establish a new theory research programme which will promote theory-guided paths to discovering, understanding, and conceptualising the underlying principles of complex and dynamic biological systems at all scales, from molecules to organisms to ecosystems.

The new Theory@EMBL programme will be embedded in an exciting environment of cutting-edge experimental biological research at EMBL and aims to complement computational and modelling activities. The development of novel conceptual theoretical frameworks will be an integral part of EMBL’s future scientific research. It will build on EMBL’s strong culture of interdisciplinarity and collaboration, and will contribute to creating a diverse EMBL community of experimentalists and theoreticians. It will integrate theoretical approaches established in other fields,  such as physics, mathematics, and computer science,  to solve challenging biological problems.

Modern biology involves the design of experiments to systematically perturb and observe dynamical systems, and produces quantitative data at high resolution across many scales. Statistical data analysis and machine learning are already important pillars of the discipline. 

Research efforts in the Theory@EMBL programme will seek to combine critical analysis, innovative conceptual thinking, and mathematical or computational modelling across a range of biological questions and data types, driving the development of novel conceptual frameworks  for biology. The development of theoretical foundations will generate testable predictions for the design of future experiments and studies, and will eventually guide applications in biotechnology, engineering, and medicine.

Through its new theory research programme, EMBL will form a stimulating community of theoreticians from a range of disciplines, and build alliances with other institutes involved in theoretical research for biology. 

The core elements of the Theory programme are:

• A transversal Theory@EMBL theme, a pan-EMBL structure driven by the EMBL community that organises informal working group meetings and seminars, and provides expert input during the recruitment of group leaders in the theory area;

• A Theory visitor/sabbatical Programme to initiate and deepen collaborations between EMBL groups and researchers from other institutes; 

• New training opportunities, courses, workshops and conferences in theory-driven approaches for the next generation of life scientists. 

Read the Programme chapter

“​​​​Modern biology, with its recently acquired capabilities to quantitatively observe living systems across all scales and to perturb them in refined and controlled ways, is now well-positioned to fully benefit from and partner with theory-guided approaches.”