EMBL's approach to biological research is unique. With six European sites specialising in diverse areas of biology, the strength of the laboratory is in its interdisciplinary collaborations. From genes to whole organisms, from chemistry to computational biology, EMBL's diverse research programme is pushing the limits of biological knowledge, with our researchers developing innovative techniques and technologies as part of the process.
Renewed every five years, the Programme guides EMBL to push boundaries in research, services, training and technology.
EMBL works with various partners in the biological sciences to unravel the mysteries of life.
EMBL’s interdisciplinary structure is ideally suited to tackle the challenge of studying and understanding biological systems in their full complexity.
Researchers at EMBL-EBI make sense of vast, complex biological datasets produced using new and emerging technologies in molecular biology.
Scientists in this Unit use multidisciplinary approaches to investigate the molecular and biophysical mechanisms that enable cells to function.
Scientists in the Developmental Biology Unit seek to understand the fundamental principles that govern multicellular development.
The Directors' Research Unit covers thematically distinct research groups, headed by EMBL and EMBO leadership.
At EMBL Rome, scientists explore the connections between genome, environment, and neural function.
The Genome Biology Unit uses and develops cutting-edge methods to study how the information in our genome is regulated, processed, and utilised, and how its alteration leads to disease.
Scientists in this Unit use integrated structural and computational techniques to study biology at scales from molecular structures to organismal communities.
At its sites in Hamburg and Grenoble, EMBL provides its researchers and hundreds of external users each year with access to world-leading sources of X-ray and neutron radiation, enabling them to study the structures of biological molecules.
Scientists at EMBL Barcelona use advanced technologies to observe, manipulate, and model how changes in genes percolate through cells, tissues, and organs, in health and disease.
Research news from EMBL’s six sites
With 27 member states, laboratories at six locations across Europe and thousands of scientists and engineers working together, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a powerhouse of biological expertise. The intergovernmental organisation, headquartered in Heidelberg, was founded in 1974 with the mission of promoting molecular biology research in Europe, training young scientists, and developing new technologies.
EMBL currently employs 1800 people in Barcelona, Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Hinxton near Cambridge (UK), and Rome.
Publishing hundreds of research articles and hosting dozens of conferences every year, EMBL is pouring out biological insights, and training Europe’s future scientific talent.
