Where Are EMBL's Research Sites and What Does Each One Focus On?
EMBL operates six sites across Europe, with its headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany. Each site has a distinct research focus, so the right one for you depends on whether your interest is in tissue development, structural biology, bioinformatics, or another area. The organisation was founded in 1974 and is supported by more than 30 countries.
The six EMBL sites
EMBL describes itself as "Europe's life sciences laboratory," with laboratories at six locations. The sites are:
| Site | Country | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|
| Heidelberg | Germany | Headquarters; cell biology, biophysics, developmental biology, chemistry |
| Barcelona | Spain | How tissues and organs develop and function in health and disease |
| Grenoble | France | Structural biology (site shared with other research infrastructure) |
| Hamburg | Germany | Structural biology (site shared with other research infrastructure) |
| Rome | Italy | Epigenetics and neurobiology |
| Cambridge | United Kingdom | Bioinformatics (European Bioinformatics Institute, EMBL-EBI) |
The Barcelona site's own description states: "At EMBL Barcelona we study how tissues and organs develop and function in health and disease."
How the sites divide their work
EMBL's mission covers molecular biology research, training young scientists, and developing new technologies. The six sites split this mission by specialisation rather than duplicating effort:
- Heidelberg anchors the organisation as headquarters and hosts a broad range of core research groups.
- Barcelona concentrates on tissue and organ development and function.
- Grenoble and Hamburg both focus on structural biology, using different facilities at each location.
- Rome covers epigenetics and neurobiology.
- Cambridge hosts EMBL-EBI, the bioinformatics hub that manages major biological data resources.
Choosing a site based on your interest
If you are deciding which site is relevant to you, match your subject area to the focus list above:
- Tissue or organ development, developmental biology → Barcelona
- Structural biology → Grenoble or Hamburg
- Epigenetics or neurobiology → Rome
- Bioinformatics or biological data → Cambridge
- Broad molecular biology, or you are unsure → Heidelberg
Finding events, visits, and contact information
EMBL's website lists events across all six sites and highlights the most visited areas of EMBL.org. If you want to attend an event, arrange a visit, or contact a specific site, start from the Sites section of the EMBL website, which links each location to its own pages.