26 November 2024 – From 25 October to 1 November 2024, EMBO hosted a meeting of its communities on occasion of its sixtieth anniversary. 400 participants, among them 119 EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows, 120 EMBO Members and Associate Members, and 90 members of the EMBO Young Investigator Network, enjoyed getting together in Heidelberg, Germany, and celebrating six decades of excellence in life sciences.

The event began with the EMBO Fellows’ Meeting from 25 to 29 October. EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows from 17 countries came together to present their research and engage in training and networking activities. The programme featured an opening keynote lecture by EMBO Member Edward Lemke, member of the Fellowship Committee; sessions on research integrity and sustainability, mentoring and scientific publishing; and interactive soft skills training delivered by EMBO Solutions. Breaks and evening events provided many opportunities to connect and start collaborations.

EMBO Members and Associate Members, and members of the EMBO Young Investigator Network attended from 29 October, and the EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows stayed for this day of the meeting, which continued until 1 November. The first plenary session offered global perspectives from EMBO Associate Members James Liao and Gou Young Koh, EMBO Member George Davey Smith and EMBO Young Investigator Hind Medyouf. The day came to a close with a reception and a lively poster session with presentations by the fellows. Throughout the meeting, 88 newly elected EMBO Members and Associate Members gave short presentations about their research and received their membership certificates. The programme also included presentations by 43 EMBO Young Investigators and 14 Global Investigators.

A highlight of the meeting was the EMBO Forum – The future of a career in the life sciences on 30 October. It was chaired by EMBO Director Fiona Watt and started with the premiere of the EMBO anniversary movie. Then EMBO Members Katalin Karikó, 2023 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine and adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, PA, US; Maria Leptin, president of the European Research Council and former EMBO Director; and Ottoline Leyser, chief executive of UK Research and Innovation, gave thought-provoking keynote lectures. They were joined by James Liao, EMBO Global Investigator Yasunori Saheki and EMBO Young Investigator Elias Barriga for the subsequent panel discussion. The multifaceted conversation explored the many opportunities and challenges of a career in the life sciences. The forum concluded with an inspiring lecture by Martin Farley, who received the EMBO Lab Sustainability Award.

Francesco Cassata, professor of contemporary history at the University of Genoa, Italy, gave his keynote lecture on 31 October. He discussed the complex history of EMBO and EMBC, which he analyses in his research. He also reminded the audience that an anniversary is not only a time to celebrate, but also “a creative moment to rethink the past and redefine the organization’s identity”. EMBO will live up to this and continue to explore new ideas for the next 60 years.