EMBO – European Molecular Biology Organization and EMBC – European Molecular Biology Conference

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is an organization that brings together more than 1,800 top researchers and promotes excellence in the life sciences not only in Europe but worldwide.

The European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) was established in 1969, following the model of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), as a permanent intergovernmental organization. It emerged as a consequence of the creation of EMBO in 1964, enabling this organization to obtain the political support necessary to pursue its long-term projects.

Funding opportunities and participation in EMBO and EMBC

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) offer the following in the field of life sciences:

• Courses, workshops, and lectures
• Publications (EMBO Press)
• Studentships , teaching, and research Studentships

European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

The main objectives of the organization are:

• Support talented researchers at all stages of their careers;
• Encourage the exchange of scientific information;
• Help build a research environment where scientists can do their best work.

EMBO helps young scientists advance their research, promote their international reputation, and ensure their mobility. EMBO courses, workshops, lectures, and EMBO Press publications disseminate the latest research and provide training in techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps shape science policy by seeking input from the community and closely monitoring trends in science.

EMBO supports talented researchers, selected through impartial evaluation processes, to enable them to conduct top-level science. The broad scientific scope across the entire range of life science research, together with the wide geographical reach of more than 1,800 members and associate members—some of the best researchers in Europe and around the world—positions EMBO ideally to serve the life science community.

History of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC)

The European Molecular Biology Organization was founded in 1964 by a pioneering group of molecular biologists, including Nobel laureates Max Perutz, John Kendrew, François Jacob, and Sydney Brenner. The organization was created with the purpose of achieving two distinct but related goals:

1. The launch of a program to fund and promote training and Studentships area;
2. The establishment of a central molecular biology laboratory.

Funding and support for the first of these objectives was found among European countries and led to the establishment of the European Molecular Biology Conference in 1969.

In turn, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) was created in 1974 as a "Special Project" of the EMBC with the support of a subset of member countries of this organization.

Today, EMBL is an independent entity operating autonomously as an intergovernmental organization. EMBO, EMBL, and member countries work closely together to create synergies for the advancement of this scientific field in Europe.

European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC)

Fourteen governments initially joined the EMBC, providing the organization with stable funding and scientific independence.

The EMBC currently consists of 32 member countries, most of which are in the European Union, but also includes some neighboring countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Through its General Program, EMBC provides a framework for European cooperation in the field of molecular biology and related areas of research.

The General Program focuses primarily on awarding Studentships , teaching, and research Studentships and establishing programs for courses and workshops in the life sciences.

The financial contributions of each member country support the General Program, the implementation of which is entrusted to EMBO. Both EMBC and EMBO are driven by a common commitment to high-quality research at the European level. Their joint activities are characterized by quality and the encouragement of cooperation within the scientific community.