Australia strengthens its research linkages with Europe

The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, met Professor Iain Mattaj, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Director General today to discuss Australia’s associate membership of EMBL. 

Australia is EMBL’s first associate member state, initially for seven years in a unique arrangement which commenced on 1 March 2008.

EMBL is supported by 20 European member states, has laboratories in Germany, France, Italy and the UK, and a staff of more than 1400 researchers from 60 nations.

It is a pre-eminent international research institution in molecular biology and the leading such institution in Europe. EMBL’s five laboratories perform research in areas such as developmental and cell biology, genomics, and structural and computational biology, and its scientists have direct access to leading-edge research facilities which include two synchrotrons, a neutron source and bioinformatics databases.

“EMBL laboratories are famous for their world-leading research teams and for providing these teams with the intellectual and organisation freedom necessary to make great discoveries,” Minister Carr said today.  “Associate membership will enable Australian researchers to collaborate much more closely with their EMBL colleagues.”

Australia’s associate membership will allow Australian research institutions to establish EMBL partner laboratories: laboratories which share EMBL’s staff recruitment and organisational practices but utilize their own strengths to address common research goals. 

"Several Australian research institutions are developing proposals to establish partner laboratories, and these are expected to facilitate an unprecedented level of cooperation between the Australian and European research communities," Senator Carr said.

"Associate membership will facilitate a faculty development program, which will allow Australian institutions to tap into research being conducted by up to two EMBL laboratory groups in Europe and then gain the expertise of the leaders of these groups for up to four years. "

Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council will fund one of these groups. 

The Australian Government has funded Australia’s associate membership through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy with additional funding from Monash University, the University of Western Australia, the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney and the CSIRO.

Further information on EMBL may be found at: www.embl.org. A photograph of Minister Carr and Professor Iain Mattaj, can be downloaded from the Minister's media centre: 

http://minister.innovation.gov.au/SenatortheHonKimCarr/Pages/mediacentresearch.aspx

Media contact: Patrick Pantano, Minister's Office, 0417 181 936