European Molecular Biology Organization
Formation | 1964 |
---|---|
Purpose | Promote life science research in Europe and beyond |
Headquarters | Heidelberg, Germany |
Membership | 1,800 members[1] |
Director | Fiona Watt[2] |
Key people |
|
Website | embo |
The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 1,800 life scientists.[1] Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds courses, workshops and conferences, publishes five scientific journals and supports individual scientists. The organization was founded in 1964[3][4] and is a founding member of the Initiative for Science in Europe. As of 2022[update] the Director of EMBO is Fiona Watt, a stem cell researcher, professor at King's College London and a group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.
Conferences and journals
EMBO funds or co-funds over 90 meetings involving more than 11,000 participants every year.[5]
EMBO publishes five
History
The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) was launched in July 1964 after a group of European biologists had discussed the idea earlier at a meeting in Ravello.[4][11] The initial goals of EMBO consisted of creating a central European laboratory for life sciences and increasing scientific interactions between researchers in Europe.[11] At the Ravello meeting, Max Perutz was elected as the first EMBO chairman and John Kendrew as secretary general.[11]
Initially, 140 biologists were elected EMBO members and in 1969, the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) was set up as a political body with 14 countries as initial members.
In 1982, the EMBO Journal was launched, in 1986, the EMBO Gold Medal, an annual award for young scientists, was established. The "Young Investigator Program" which awards grants to young professors was established in 2000 and four additional journals were launched in 2000 (EMBO Reports), 2005 (Molecular Systems Biology), 2008 (EMBO Molecular Medicine) and 2019 (Life Science Alliance). Life Science Alliance is co-published with Rockefeller University Press and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. In 2022, Fiona Watt was appointed sixth director of EMBO succeeding the previous EMBO Directors Raymond Appleyard, John Tooze, Frank Gannon, Hermann Bujard and Maria Leptin.
In 2011, EMBO established a Policy Programme which interacts with policymakers and provides analysis of concerns emerging from advances in scientific research.[4]
Closely affiliated organisations to EMBO include the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) which like EMBO, primarily operate in the European Research Area (ERA).
References
- ^ a b c Anon (2021). "EMBO Members and Young Investigators". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- ^ a b c Anon (2021). "Leadership and governance". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- PMID 25013879.
- ^ OCLC 892947326.
- ^ Anon (2020). "EMBO facts & figures 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- PMID 16453402.
- PMC 1083683.
- PMID 19444219.
- PMID 20049694.
- PMID 30506044.
- ^ a b c d Anon (2021). "History". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- S2CID 40080685.
- PMID 24408402.
- ^ Anon (2021). "EMBO Nobel Laureates". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- ^ Anon (2021). "The European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC)". Retrieved 2021-04-28.