The First 100 Days
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SPRING 2010 encounters Newsletter of the European Molecular Biology Organization ◗ I have now been in offi ce as the new director of EMBO activities like The EMBO Meeting. Turning the for three months. As expected, knowing EMBO from my journals into something completely different, previous involvement in committees and Council, I fi nd the with the risk of losing the income, is there- organization is going strong. Successful, long-established fore not an attractive option. We would like programmes, such as EMBO Fellowships and Courses & to offer ways of open-access and web-based Workshops, and newer ones, like Young Investigators, are all publication of scientifi c results, but mecha- running smoothly and delivering their services to the com- nisms for guaranteeing quality need to be munity. My predecessor, Hermann Bujard, negotiated an in- found, and the economics of such models crease to the budget for the next fi ve years, which, though need to be worked out. Together with the smaller than we had hoped, is a success given the current Head of EMBO Scientifi c Publications, Bernd economic situation and the cuts that have to be faced in Pulverer, and a newly established Scientifi c some national science budgets. So, I could happily sit back Publications Advisory Board (page 7), we and watch with pleasure as the organization does its work. will be discussing our options. I have no I do watch and also participate with pleasure, but science doubt EMBO will continue to come up with does not stand still, and nor can science politics and admin- interesting innovations, as it has in the past, istration stand still, so I do not plan to sit back comfortably. There are three areas where I feel EMBO should develop new activities and consolidate exist- The fi rst 100 days ing ones. We should look at what the scientifi c community needs in scientifi c publishing; we should extend the scientifi c spectrum of our commu- for example with the ‘transparent reviewing’ nity; and we should strengthen existing, and establish new, process, introduced to The EMBO Journal by HIGHLIGHTS contacts beyond the borders of Europe. Pernille Rørth. Scientists are irritated by many aspects of the way in Today, molecular biology is part of a Expect excellence which the culture of scientifi c publishing has developed in wide range of biological disciplines, perhaps by C. Otter the past decade: authors complain about the often excessive even of all of the life sciences. It does not Ingrid Grummt wins demands by referees for additional experiments, referees make sense to restrict membership of EMBO 2010 EMBO/FEBS 3 Women in Science Award about the burden of reviewing (for which nobody receives to the classical fi elds of core molecular biol- any true credit), and everyone – employers, scientists, even ogy, structural biology and cell and devel- the publishers – complains about the dominating role of opmental biology, from which the majority See you in Barcelona! the impact factor. Our careers and those of our postdocs of EMBO Members are drawn. We there- 10 good reasons to attend The EMBO Meeting 2010 5 and students are determined to a large extent by what we fore would like to strengthen our member- publish, and many of us feel that the way in which our ship outside these fi elds, and include more scientifi c output is judged and measured is not satisfactory. members working in areas such as evolu- The evolution of Since the role of EMBO is to serve the community of tion, neurobiology, basic medical research, scientifi c publishing by B. Pulverer scientists, but we also publish four journals, I feel that we and ecology. Since members can not only New directions and initiatives 7 cannot ignore these complaints and must think about how be recruited unless they are proposed, we for the EMBO publications we can contribute to developing new models for the publica- depend on the existing members to iden- tion of scientifi c data. This is not an easy task, as there are tify excellent candidates in these fi elds and Communicating science many different demands, and some of them contradict each propose them for election. The nomination by C. Otter other. The journals generate an income, which supplements form includes a fi eld in which the proposer Interview with evolutionary 9 our core funding received from the EMBC, the intergovern- can highlight special reasons for a candi- biologist Greger Larson mental body of EMBO. This is used to fi nance programmes date, and this should certainly be used to such as Young Investigators, and it allows us to pilot new fl ag candidates from under-represented ➞ ➞ European Molecular Biology Organization | Meyerhofstr. 1 | 69117 Heidelberg | Germany | T +49 6221 8891 0 | [email protected] www.embo.org 2 The fi rst 100 days (continued from page 1) ➞ ➞ disciplines. At the same time, we will I therefore welcome the introduction of to monitor closely to assess the effi cacy of seek other means of interacting with and EMBO Global Exchange which has precisely the new measures that were introduced last including new communities. this aim. This initiative promotes lecture series year (see EMBOencounters, Issue 11). Another We all know that science is not a local of EMBO Members and Young Investigators area in which I intend to become active is the activity, and that our scientifi c interactions and running workshops in partner countries, interaction of EMBO with society and policy are global. While EMBO is fi nanced by the 27 and conversely, inviting leading scientists makers. I will write about these themes in the EMBC Member States to promote molecular from partner countries for lecture tours in future, and, as with all our activities, welcome biology in Europe, and the funds are mostly Europe. The aim is for the scientifi c communi- input from the community.● spent within Europe, this does not mean that ties in the countries to get to know each other our activities should be insular and restricted and their way of operating, and to dissemi- to Europe. Top-level performance of molecu- nate knowledge about the science being done lar biology within Europe absolutely requires in the countries. Ideally, this will eventually interactions beyond the borders of Europe. lead to an intensifi ed exchange especially of Maria Leptin We already bring our colleagues from other younger scientists. In the fi rst instance, the [email protected] continents to Europe through EMBO Courses target areas for this programme are India, & Workshops, and our annual conference The China, Taiwan and Africa, but others will be EMBO Meeting, but I feel we must establish included, and options for fruitful interactions closer ties with other nations on a broader outside this programme also exist. basis. This involves not only bringing scien- I am aware of some of the issues that tists from other nations to Europe, but also concern the EMBO membership. Issues such our showing a presence outside Europe. as the election procedures, we will continue EMBC Delegates meet in Rome Approve funding for EMBO activities for 2010 to 2014 held in Heidelberg, 40 delegates and advisers 2010. Claudio Sunkel (Portugal) was re-elect- from the member states met in Rome on 23 ed Vice-President for a third year and Leszek November 2009 and were joined by EMBO Kaczmarek (Poland) was elected Vice- management and representatives from EMBO President for the fi rst time. Krešimir Pavelić Council. (Croatia) was re-appointed EMBC Secretary During the meeting, a small increase over General. existing funding was approved by the member Outgoing president, Peter Weisbeek (Nether- states for EMBO to deliver the EMBC General lands), closed the meeting.● Programme over the coming fi ve-year period from 2010 to 2014. http://embc.embo.org The scientifi c presentation at the November meeting was given by the Chair of EMBO Council and Nobel laureate Tim Hunt, titled Models, molecules and man: basic research and the conquest of disease. In support of EMBC Offi cers 2010 an application from Bulgaria to become a President member state of EMBC, Professor Diana Toivo Maimets EE Petkova from the Institute of Biophysics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences gave an over- Vice Presidents Toivo Maimets, EMBC President view of Bulgarian science. She listed access Claudio Sunkel PT ◗ In two sessions per year, the European Mo- to mobility, training and enhanced coop- Leszek Kaczmarek PL lecular Biology Conference (EMBC) – the eration with European scientists as benefi ts Secretary General intergovernmental funding body of EMBO for researchers from her country from the Krešimir Pavelic´ HR – meets to review EMBO programmes and proposed membership. activities. Contributions from the 27 EMBC Toivo Maimets from the Institute of Chair of Strategic Working Party Member States provide the majority of EMBO Molecular and Cell Biology, Estonia, was Toivo Maimets EE fi nances. Following on from the June meeting elected as EMBC President, effective January 3 life that if we could understand how transcrip- and encourage them to keep their eyes on Expect tion of these important genes is controlled in their goals. I think that integrating career and a normal cell, then we could understand what personal goals makes people happier and excellence was deregulated in cells that were unhealthy.’ more productive in the long run,’ she says. In 1979, Ingrid’s husband was offered a For young women starting their scientifi c by Charlotte Otter professorship at the University of Würzburg. careers, Ingrid has this to say: ‘Choose your Funded by a Heisenberg Fellowship, Ingrid lab carefully. Expose yourself to excellence ◗ The 2010 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science joined him a year later.