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The Fund Committee was first appointed by council on May 8th 1965, in order to manage funds the organization were to receive from the Volkswagen Foundation in December of that year . The Purpose of the Fund Committee was to handle all classes of Fellowship appointments: short-term, long-term, and senior, as well as engaging in financial supervision of the EMBO program.

The purpose of short-term fellowships was to facilitate collaboration between different scientific institutions through the provision of funds for travel and subsistence, and to make these funding decisions within a very short timeframe. In the beginning, one of the most popular uses of these grants was to allow scientists from smaller institutions to have access to complex scientific equipment at larger ones, and the program was incredibly popular from the very beginning. These fellowships lasted up to 3 months.

Long-term fellowships were modeled after the American post-doctoral fellowships of the time, enabling young researchers to carry out in-depth research immediately following their PHDs in leading hubs of scientific activity, widening their experience, building relationships with other scientists, and improving the quality of their work. EMBO was keen to ensure the highest caliber of candidates and endeavored where possible to have a member of the committee interview the applicants. These fellowships lasted up to 2 years.

Senior Appointments (also known as visiting professorships and senior fellowships) were initially designed to fund scientists of a professorial rank to travel to other laboratories in to foster collaboration. In 1966, council expanded this idea to include scientists of any rank or experience who worked with new skills and techniques, or those at the forefront of novel research.

In 1997 the first EMBO Fellows meeting took place, giving Fellows the opportunity to network with their peers and EMBO staff, sharing their work and their experiences.

In 1999 a network of EMBO Fellows was created, with the intention of increasing participation in EMBO activities amongst fellows, especially in the nascent Science and Society Program.

The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) was established in 1964 as a non-profit scientific organization to promote and support biochemistry, molecular biology, and related disciplines in Europe. It is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the region, bringing together national biochemical societies across Europe and neighbouring areas. FEBS organizes annual congresses, advanced courses, fellowships, and publications—including The FEBS Journal—to foster scientific exchange, training, and collaboration.


The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of European states, formally established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1993. It traces its origins to earlier forms of European cooperation, including the European Coal and Steel Community (1951) and the European Economic Community (1957). The EU aims to promote peace, stability, and prosperity through shared institutions, a single market, and common policies in areas such as trade, agriculture, research, and the environment. It has progressively expanded in membership and competences, and today comprises 27 member states (following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in 2020). The EU operates through a system of supranational institutions—including the European Commission, European Parliament, and European Council—and has its own legal framework, currency (the euro, adopted by 20 members), and external relations.

The EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) is a biennial, pan-European meeting dedicated to scientific research, innovation, and dialogue between science and society. It was launched in 2004 in Stockholm under the auspices of EuroScience, a grassroots association of researchers founded in 1997. ESOF brings together scientists, policymakers, industry representatives, and the public for discussions on cutting-edge research, science policy, and societal challenges. Each edition is hosted by a different European city, serving as the “European City of Science,” and features a programme of scientific sessions, public engagement events, and policy debates. ESOF has become one of Europe’s largest interdisciplinary science forums, complementing EU research initiatives by fostering international collaboration, science communication, and public trust in science.

The European Science Foundation was established in 1974 as an association of major national funding agencies and research organisations across Europe. Its mission was to promote high-quality science in a European context by coordinating research activities, funding collaborative programmes, and facilitating scientific networking across disciplines. Headquartered in Strasbourg, France, ESF played a significant role in shaping European research policy, supporting mobility and cooperation, and fostering new areas of scientific inquiry. From the 1980s through the early 2000s, it sponsored research programmes, exploratory workshops, and networking activities across the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. With the rise of the European Union’s Framework Programmes and the creation of the European Research Council, ESF’s role gradually shifted. In the 2010s it restructured, winding down many of its scientific programmes and transitioning to a service-based organisation supporting peer review, evaluation, and research management.

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) was founded in 1964 as a professional society for life scientists with the goal of strengthening molecular biology research in Europe and fostering international collaboration. Its creation was inspired by a growing recognition in the postwar period that Europe needed stronger infrastructure and cooperation to remain competitive in biological sciences, particularly compared with the United States.

In its early years, EMBO focused on supporting scientific exchange and training, notably through fellowships that enabled young researchers to work abroad and acquire new expertise, as well as its core membership. EMBO also began organising scientific meetings, workshops, and courses that encouraged collaboration and the dissemination of knowledge across national boundaries.

As one way of meeting its goals, EMBO considered the creation of a central laboratory, and along with the EMBC created the EMBL in 1974.

Over time, EMBO expanded its activities to include scientific publishing (launching The EMBO Journal in 1982, followed by other high-impact journals), policy advocacy for life sciences, and the development of programs that supported career progression, such as the EMBO Young Investigator Programme (1999) and EMBO Global Investigator Network (2019).

Today, EMBO represents over 2,000 elected members and associate members worldwide. It continues to play a vital role in promoting excellence in the life sciences through funding, training, networking, publishing, and policy engagement, with an enduring emphasis on international cooperation and scientific quality.

In December 1965 EMBO secured a grant from the Volkswagen Foundation to fund their activities for 3 years. EMBO was keen that it’s financial support from the VW foundation

not be permanent, as it wished for its long term funding to come from all participating nations, rather than organisations belonging to just one in order to ensure its independence.
EMBO, alongside its Swiss partners, organized two “temporary” conferences attended by governmental representatives to establish a consensus for an inter-governmental organization. The two focus points of these meetings were the long-term management of EMBO’s programs, and the question of establishing a European Laboratory.
Through these two conferences the constitution of the European Molecular Biology Conference was established, and in 1970, 14 governments officially established the EMBC, which to the present day supports EMBO’s General Programme. Over the years this programme has expanded through the EMBC creating “special projects” to allow new activities to be performed under EMBO’s remit. It’s through this system that EMBL was born, as well as newer EMBO programmes like its Global Activities and Young Investigator Programme.

In December 1965 EMBO secured a grant from the Volkswagen Foundation to fund their activities for 3 years. EMBO was keen that it’s financial support from the VW foundation not be permanent, as it wished for its long term funding to come from all participating nations, rather than organisations belonging to just one in order to ensure its independence.

EMBO, alongside its Swiss partners, organized two “temporary” conferences attended by governmental representatives to establish a consensus for an inter-governmental organization. The two focus points of these meetings were the long-term management of EMBO’s programs, and the question of establishing a European Laboratory.

Through these two conferences the constitution of the European Molecular Biology Conference was established, and in 1970, 14 governments officially established the EMBC, which to the present day supports EMBO’s General Programme. Over the years this programme has expanded through the EMBC creating “special projects” to allow new activities to be performed. It was through this process that the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) was created.