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Contents Will Come Baden-Württemberg Ministry of (OIPA) Several Times a Year 1 EMBL July 1999 &cetera Newsletter of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory published by the Office of Information and Public Affairs News about services, staff, EMBL's PhD officially recognized science and society by Baden-Württemberg his is the first edition of a newsletter This will be a valuable resource if it The EMBL International PhD Pro- Tthat will be published by the EMBL receives interesting contributions. Ideally, gramme has received a letter from the Office of Information and Public Affairs a significant part of its contents will come Baden-Württemberg Ministry of (OIPA) several times a year. Its production from the staff. For the next issue, we are Science, Research, and the Arts is motivated by the need for an efficient soliciting the following types of contribu- announcing that the State is prepared to way to spread the word on issues relevant tions: treat a PhD degree granted by the to the entire Laboratory. Over the last Laboratory in the same way that other quarter of a century, EMBL has grown • news from each Outstation and from international PhDs are accepted. The from an easily-purveyable number of sci- Monterotondo; ministry has now recommended that entists busy at a single Laboratory to a • news from EMBO and the EMBC; the degree be recognized nation-wide, a large community spread over five sites in • announcements from services and the decision which must be made by a four countries, and at last count the num- computer group; national commission called the ber of our scientific Alumni has reached Kultusministerkonferenz. • announcements of upcoming talks or 1,500. There are now nearly a thousand people working at the five EMBL sites. A seminars of special interest; newsletter can be of great value in raising • letters or essays relating to themes awareness of what is going on in EMBL as from science and society events; a whole, particularly in improving com- • publications that have been accepted; munication between the main Laboratory • major awards or grants; Contents and the Outstations; it can provide an • anything else of interest to the broader important means of keeping our Alumni community. linked to the life of the Laboratory, and it EMBL Council in Rome 2 will provide a forum for voicing issues For the moment, there will be no spe- Monterotondo campus opening 3 which don’t fit easily into EMBL’s other cific publication schedule. An electronic New faces at the Szilard Library 4 publications. In particular, this will be a version of the newsletter, updated as items EMBL kindergarten 6 place where science and society issues can are added, will be available on the WWW Science & Society 7 be explored in depth, in the form of letters soon. Submissions and suggestions should or essays. It will also be a venue for pub- be sent to ILOAT announces decision 7 lishing announcements from the adminis- People @ EMBL 8 tration and staff association. [email protected] 25th Anniversary EMBL Alumni Meeting October 21-23, 1999 Speakers: Michael Ashburner, Patrick Baeuerle, All former predocs, postdocs, at the Main Laboratory in Heidelberg Suzanne Eaton, Anne Ephrussi, scientists, group leaders, sabbatical Jean Gruenberg, Juan Carlos Izpisua- visitors, Programme Coordinators, Belmonte, Fotis C. Kafatos, and Directors General welcome! Werner Kühlbrandt, Andrea Musacchio, Kai Simons, Irmi Sinning, Hermann Steller, David Tollervey, Isabel Vernos EMBL &cetera EMBL Council descends on Rome he EMBL Council of Member States thrust is mainly financial) are critical nationals employed as Monterotondo staff; Theld its summer 1999 meeting in swel- because they will define the scientific ori- until a solution has been found, it will only tering Rome, hosted by the Italian National entation and the budget within which be possible to hire Italians for positions as Research Council (CNR), with one of the EMBL must operate over the next half- fellows there. items on the agenda a visit to the new decade. Fotis' presentation of the broad Research Programme in Mouse Biology in themes was greeted enthusiastically by the On the first of July, delegates toured the Monterotondo. A high point of the meeting delegates. Monterotondo campus, including the was the announcement that the Host Site attractive new EMBL laboratories. They Agreement had been signed with Italy. The Council also voted to approve rec- were pleased by the scientific presenta- Two items of interest at the meeting prop- ommendations from the Finance tions from Walter Witke, Ulrich Kalinke er were the Director General’s presentation Committee regarding a 1999 salary adjust- and José de la Pompa, and by an overview of an outline of the next five-year Scientific ment. Laboratory employees will receive of the Monterotondo Programme activities Programme, which will have to be the following increases based on country: and ambitions by Coordinator Klaus approved by the Member States at the end for France, an adjustment of 1.5%; for Rajewsky. In a spirited presentation, Germany, 1.7%; for Italy, 2.6%, and for the of 2000, and a salary adjustment which will Glauco Tocchini-Valentini, Director of the U.K., 4.2%. The increases have already mean a pay raise for Laboratory employ- CNR’s Institute of Cell Biology, expressed been implemented in the July payroll. ees across all five sites. Italy’s appreciation for the EMBL The Scientific Programme is being The summer meetings of Council are Programme as an important step in the developed with the help of input from the now usually held at locations permitting internationalization of the Italian scientific Group and Team Leaders' retreat at the the delegates to be acquainted with environment. He described the CNR's beginning of this year and two consulta- EMBL’s Units outside Heidelberg. This efforts to date in supporting and integrat- tions between senior faculty of the meeting introduced Council to EMBL’s ing the work of all of the units that have Laboratory and external experts, including new Research Programme in Mouse taken up residence on the campus. members of EMBL’s Scientific Advisory Biology in Monterotondo. At the outset of At a reception held on the grounds of a Committee. The outline featured a plan to the meeting, Fotis was happy to announce “combine organizational stability with that the Host Site Agreement had been Foreign Ministry villa next to the Tiber, in programmatic ferment.” The current Units signed with the Italian government on the the balmy Roman evening, the EMBL staff (Programmes and Outstations) are to be previous day. Delays had been necessary from Monterotondo, the Council delegates maintained while a number of interdisci- to ensure that the agreement with Italy and the contigent of EMBL personnel from plinary initiatives will be developed, con- matched those of the other sites as closely Heidelberg had the opportunity to mix tributing to an overall theme of functional as possible. The negotiations had resolved with Italian dignitaries and celebrate this genomics. The finished plan and the the issues in a satisfactory manner, with “debut” of the new EMBL Unit in Italy accompanying "Indicative Scheme" (whose the exception of the tax status of Italian together. Italy’s President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (at right) attended The Adriano Buzzati-Traverso campus ceremonies inaugurating the new campus in Monterotondo, Italy Monterotondo campus opens its doors molecular biology to Italy, the center is Europe, including the CNRS (France), intended to serve as a focal point for the MRC (England), the Karolinska European science and technology. Institute (Sweden) and the The inauguration was attended by the Goulbenkian Institute (Portugal). President of the Italian Republic. • A unit from the Jackson Laboratories, Representatives from all of the units which performs a similar function in attended. EMBL was represented by Fotis the United States and will lend techni- C. Kafatos and Chairman of Council, Julio cal expertise and conduct training. Celis; EMBO was represented by Executive Director, Frank Gannon. The keynote • The ENI, an international company speeches were given by Antonio Ruberti, mainly involved in the oil market. former Minister of Research and • The International Centre for Genetic Technological Development for the Engineering and Biotechnology European Union, Lucio Bianco, President (ICGEB), a research organization with of the CNR, and Fotis C. Kafatos, Director headquarters in Trieste and New Delhi, General of EMBL. will join the campus in the year 2000. In addition to the EMBL Research The ICGEB works within the context of Programme, the campus hosts: the UN in the field of molecular biology • The CNR Institute of Cell Biology, oper- and biotechnology, with an emphasis ating national research activities, which on sustained scientific and technologi- n March 8, 1999, the "Adriano is developing collaborative projects cal development and technology trans- OBuzzati-Traverso" International with EMBL on topics in biochemistry fer in Third World countries. Scientific Campus, site of the new EMBL and molecular and cellular genetics. Research Programme in Mouse Biology, • The European Mouse Mutant Archive One of EMBL’s priorities in the future was officially opened by the Italian author- (EMMA), funded by the CNR and the will be the expansion of its Research ities in Monterotondo, Italy. The campus European Union. EMMA will store Programme, which will emphasize themes was created by the Italian National mouse strains, mostly as cryo-pre- relevant to molecular medicine and which Research
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