Approximately 40 years ago, Europe was a different continent
to the one that we know today. It is research had become financially
dependent on support from the United States as it still struggled
to recover after the devastation of World War II. Then, in 1962,
the Cuban crisis errupted and scientists in Europe realised that
support from America was not an automatic event. It was necessary
for European science to take responsibility for its own future.
It happened that a number of scientists in Europe had already perceived
this requirement. A series of different initiatives had been discussed
and plotted during the late fifties that were designed to create
an important new laboratory in Europe. The central laboratory would
focus on the newly defined area of molecular biology. Although the
term was new, and indeed contested with some preferring to refer
to this concept as fundamental biology, it became a rallying call
for many who wished to break down some of the barriers between the
disciplines and departments in the university sector and to initiate
horizontal movement of scientists who wished to achieve a description
of biological phenomena at a mechanistic and ultimately molecular
level. The precision of chemistry, physics and mathematics would
be added to the descriptive aspects of botany and zoology. At one
level, this was merely an expansion of biochemistry, at another
it added a totally new philosophical dimension.
It was in this context that EMBO, the European Molecular Biology
Organization, came into being. The leaders of CERN, an international
laboratory based in Geneva that focussed on high energy physics,
saw that biology would be the new frontier, and that molecular biology
would be its flagship. EMBO was formally incorporated as an association
in 1964 but grew from discussions, often passionate, about how best
to achieve a change both in the way that biology was performed and
the way that Europe worked. From the start EMBO was a pan-European
organization, one that thought internationally rather than nationally
and one that removed barriers between disciplines rather than accentuated
them. The first EMBO Council established two committees; one was
to consider the roads that should be followed in order to create
a central European laboratory, the other was to identify mechanisms
that could build on the rather sparse strengths that were dispersed
throughout various institutes in Europe and create a network of
training and interaction that would foster and strengthen European
science in this important new area. The dispersed activities were
more easy to get started through funding from the Volkswagen Foundation.
The early successes that were achieved in actions such as the EMBO
workshops, EMBO practical courses and EMBO fellowships sent a clear
signal throughout Europe that this organization had much to contribute.
The EMBO Council, however, was mindful that it had two goals and
continued in its efforts to bring to fruition the dream of having
a central European laboratory. This took some time. As a first step,
the networked activities of EMBO succeeded in convincing governments,
including Denmark, that this was a unique opportunity for Europe
that deserved intergovernmental support. The European Molecular
Biology Conference was created in 1970 and one of its first agenda
items was to consider the proposal by the EMBO Council that a European
Molecular Biology Laboratory should be established. This goal was
achieved in 1974.
The role of Danish scientists during the early days of EMBO were
crucial. Ole Maaløe was a founding member of the EMBO Council 1963-1970
and member of the Fellowship Committee 1965-1968. Niels Kjeldgaard
was Secretary General from 1975-1980, served on the Fellowship Committee
1969-1974 and was a Council Member 1981-1986. From 1973-1978, Kjeld
Marcker served on the EMBO Council and Kaspar von Meyenburg (1985-1987),
and Diter von Wettstein (1977-1982) both served on the Course
Committee. Today he also audits our finances on behalf of the EMBO
members. The Danish involvement in EMBO, therefore, has been continuous
and important. Today this tradition has continued with Prof. Julio
Celis being the current, very active President of the EMBC and Dr.
Brian Clark being a member of the EMBO Council having previously
been a member of the Fellowship Committee from 1976 - 1979.
EMBO continues in its crucial role as a guarantor of quality in
research activities throughout Europe. At a practical level, the
programme that was initiated in 1964 of fellowships, courses and
workshops has been maintained, consolidated and expanded. These
programmes are of particular importance to the scientific community
at all stages in their careers. We would encourage more Danish participation
in all of these actions. Short-term fellowships are available throughout
the year and allow scientists to travel to another laboratory in
Europe to receive support for a three-month period. The decision
making process is rapid and scientists at all stages in their career
can benefit from these fellowships. The postdoctoral Long Term Fellowship
Scheme is more competitive but numerically one of the most significant
in Europe. There are two closing dates on February 15th and August
15th and of particular importance is the fact that the fellowships
can be held anywhere in the world. Furthermore, scientists can come
to Denmark from any place in the world if successful in their application
for an EMBO Long Term Fellowship.
Each year scientists throughout Europe organize EMBO practical
courses and workshops on topics that are relevant to the latest
developments in molecular biology. Some of these are, of course,
held in Denmark and this is to be encouraged. Danish scientists,
again at all stages in their career, can benefit from participating
in this well-established programme. The tradition in EMBO is that
administration is light and efficient and sensitive to the needs
of the scientific community. In this way, responses are obtained
rapidly and actions can be followed up with in days of the decision
to support a particular applicant having been made.
More recently EMBO has added to its activities a Young Investigator
Programme in which the brightest young researchers in Europe, who
have just started their own independent laboratory, are selected
in a competitive manner and then fostered as examples for researchers
throughout Europe. One of the first EMBO Young Investigators was
Poul Nissen at Aarhus University.
The initial concepts of EMBO were focussed particularly internally
in Europe. Today new opportunities and demands are placed on EMBO
and responding to these, an EMBO World Programme has been established.
In addition to raising the profile of European science throughout
the world through the organization of courses and lectures on all
continents, the EMBO World Programme now also has a fellowship component
that is designed to increase interactions between scientists throughout
the world and their European colleagues. In the near future it is
hoped to offer a screening service that will provide an assessment
based on local information, of the quality of scientists from the
emerging economies who apply for positions in Europe.
When EMBO was founded, the question of the publication of articles
was simple. There were few relevant journals and the European researchers
used the Journal of Molecular Biology as a favoured publication.
With time however, EMBO noticed the impact of European journals
was diminished and perceived that there was a necessity to increase
the visibility of European science and allow it to be appreciated.
Initially, in 1981, EMBO founded the EMBO Journal and in 2000 established
a new format journal called EMBOreports. Both have achieved great
success. In parallel, in recent years, EMBO has been very active
in developing electronic media and E-BioSci, which is currently
at a prototype stage, will deliver new possibilities to the scientific
community, it will allow them to have more ready access to the literature
and to use their searches as a discovery tool and an extension of
their research rather than simply as a way of finding a relevant
article.
Science has also changed since the ‘60’s in that it is now essential
that both the threats and promises of molecular biology and bioscience
research are understood by the general public. Over five years
ago EMBO established a Science and Society Committee and has a wide
range of activities directed towards encouraging scientists to engage
in discussions with the general public and to respond to the questions
which come from the non-scientific tax payers on whom ultimately
EMBO’s activities are dependent.
The range of EMBO’s activities are, in fact, more extensive than
those that have been highlighted. For information on all EMBO activities,
please visit the EMBO website, www.EMBO.org. For instance also,
they include a particular focus on the career problems associated
with the time that is required to establish a family (which is being
addressed by the Re-start Fellowship Programme), discussions on
the career structure for life scientists, assessment of the impact
of the new partnerships that are established between industry and
academia, reviewing of national scientific programmes, etc. etc.
However, the most ambitious target of EMBO currently has been to
work with others to deliver a European Research Council. EMBO believes
that it is timely, and necessary if Europe is to become a leading
knowledge-based economy, to invest in the generation of knowledge
in a way that has not been done heretofore. The European Research
Council, which would focus on basic research, was a particular focal
point of the Danish presidency of the EU. The impetus that Denmark
gave at that time could be crucial and EMBO appreciates very much
the efforts that were made in this context. As in all novel developments
it requires patience and planning to achieve a goal that is beneficial.
That was the case back in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s which gave rise to
the establishment of EMBO. It is still true today as we again identify
new instruments that are needed in order to make European science,
and through it, the European economies, stronger and more robust
in the future.
In summary therefore, the story of EMBO is one that shows a dynamic
reaction to changing circumstances, a consistent contribution by
leading scientists throughout Europe to an ideal which is both European
and quality -based, and a willingness to face the challenges that
a changing scientific, social and economic world present. It is
a resource at the service of the scientific community. Hopefully
Danish scientists at all stages of their careers will continue to
use and contribute to its development.
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