EMBL is Europe's intergovernmental life sciences laboratory, established in 1974 and supported by more than 30 member states. Headquartered in Heidelberg with sites across Barcelona, Grenoble, Hamburg, Hinxton, and Rome, the organisation employs approximately 1,600 staff from many nations across more than 110 independent research groups and service teams.
The organisation conducts fundamental research in molecular biology whilst maintaining extensive biological data resources through EMBL-EBI (European Bioinformatics Institute), which supports scientific discovery across Europe and globally. EMBL provides vital scientific services to researchers across the continent, encompassing bioinformatics, data resources, and technical support infrastructure.
Beyond research, EMBL operates one of Europe's most prestigious PhD training programmes, currently enrolling around 200 early-career scientists, and delivers world-class scientific courses, conferences, and workshops for community engagement. The organisation also undertakes technology transfer and contributes to science policy development, positioning itself as a comprehensive research and training institution rather than a narrowly focused laboratory.
