The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a European association of scientists created in 1964 with the purpose of promoting research in molecular biology in Europe. It is made up of more than 1,400 members, chosen for their scientific excellence in the field. Currently, more than 60 Spanish researchers are members of EMBO.
In 1969, some European countries formed the European Conference on Molecular Biology (EMBC) to provide EMBO with a stable source of funding. Currently the EMBC is composed of 27 member countries among which is Spain.
EMBO offers postdoctoral and short-term fellowships in foreign laboratories, as well as grants for the organization of courses, conferences and other scientific meetings.
The EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory) was created in 1974 with the aim of creating in Europe a public research center capable of achieving advances similar to those achieved in the USA. US in the area of molecular biology.
The main activities of the EMBL are: basic research in molecular biology, training and education of scientists and students, provision of quality services to the scientific community, development of cutting-edge technology and instrumentation, and technology transfer.
Spanish participation
Spain contributes financially to support the activities of the EMBL through annual quotas established according to national income, which gives Spanish researchers access to participate in all the activities organized by the EMBL, as well as to be part of its research teams in any of the existing headquarters.
There is an agreement between the EMBL and the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) to constitute a mixed unit, based in Catalonia, focused on advancing the understanding of complex biological systems. This association of institutions combines the experience of the EMBL in the area of computational biology with the knowledge of the CRG in specific areas of genomics and proteomics.
The CRG is a biomedical research center whose objective is to promote basic research of excellence in biomedicine and, especially, in the fields of genomics and proteomics.