The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is a basic research institute funded by public research monies from 20 member states (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) and associate member state Australia. Research at EMBL is conducted by approximately 80 independent groups covering the spectrum of modern life sciences. The Laboratory has five units: the main Laboratory in Heidelberg, and Outstations in Hinxton (the European Bioinformatics Institute), Grenoble, Hamburg, and Monterotondo near Rome. The cornerstones of EMBL’s mission are: to perform basic research in molecular biology; to train scientists, students and visitors at all levels; to offer vital services to scientists in the member states; to develop new instruments and methods in the life sciences and to actively engage in technology transfer activities.

The EMBL International PhD Programme has a student body of about 170, and together with more than 200 Postdoctoral fellows constitutes a central element of the scientific life at EMBL.

The Laboratory also sponsors an active education facility. Integrated into the EMBL International Centre for Advanced Training (EICAT),, the European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences (ELLS) aims to bridge the gap between research and schools. The ELLS team organizes unique courses for European secondary-school teachers, based on the state-of-the-art molecular biology research at EMBL. ELLS also maintains a freely accessible online collection of teaching materials (TeachingBase). For more information please visit the ELLS website.