Info
EMBL is an intergovernmental research organization with 28 member states. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany. Six sites across Europe: Heidelberg, Barcelona, Grenoble, Hamburg, Hinxton (EMBL-EBI), and Rome. Parent organization of EMBL-EBI, which in turn houses PDBe, EMDB, EMPIAR, AlphaFold DB, BioImage Archive, and is home to the ELIXIR Hub.
Why EMBL matters for the landscape
EMBL is the institutional umbrella under which many of the key European structural biology data resources operate. Understanding EMBL’s governance helps explain the co-location and tight integration of PDBe, EMDB, EMPIAR, AlphaFold DB, ELIXIR, and 3D-Beacons at the Hinxton campus, and SASBDB/ATSAS at Hamburg.
Key sites relevant to this landscape
| Site | Location | Key resources |
|---|---|---|
| EMBL-EBI | Hinxton, UK | PDBe, EMDB, EMPIAR, AlphaFold DB, BioImage Archive, 3D-Beacons, Mol*, ELIXIR Hub |
| EMBL Hamburg | Hamburg, Germany | SASBDB, ATSAS suite, BioSAXS beamlines at PETRA III/DESY |
| EMBL Grenoble | Grenoble, France | Structural biology partnerships with ESRF and ILL |
| EMBL Heidelberg | Heidelberg, Germany | Headquarters; cryo-EM service platform |
Governance
- EMBL Council (member state representatives)
- Director General: Edith Heard (since 2019)
- ELIXIR is an EMBL Special Project with ring-fenced budget
- Instruct-ERIC lists EMBL as a member
Funding
- Member state contributions (primary)
- Wellcome Trust (significant for EBI resources)
- EU Horizon Europe grants
- Google DeepMind (AlphaFold DB)
Key People in this landscape
| Name | Role | EMBL Site |
|---|---|---|
| Sameer Velankar | PDBe Team Leader | EMBL-EBI |
| Kyle Morris | EMDB Team Leader | EMBL-EBI |
| Ewan Birney | EMBL-EBI Director | EMBL-EBI |
| Dmitri Svergun | SAXS group head | EMBL Hamburg |
| Tim Hubbard | ELIXIR Director | EMBL-EBI |
Key Reference
EMBL website: https://www.embl.org