Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung commits 7 million euros to support the EMBL Imaging Centre in Heidelberg

A well-established EMBL partner, Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung (BIS), is providing €7 million to continue the successful development of the EMBL Imaging Centre (IC). Since its inception, the highly committed staff have positioned the EMBL IC as an internationally leading institution for cutting-edge imaging technologies. This is already the second round of funding by BIS, enabling EMBL to maintain and recruit additional highly qualified staff members who will further develop imaging technology services at the EMBL IC and make them accessible to the international research community.

“We’re proud to support the EMBL Imaging Centre,” said Christoph Boehringer, chairman of BIS’s executive committee. “Its impressive progress since our initial funding reflects its far-reaching potential. With a clear long-term vision and a strong commitment to developing cutting-edge technologies and making them broadly accessible, it will drive scientific and technological progress for the benefit of the entire research community.”

In 2017, when the EMBL IC's construction was just being planned, BIS committed €5 million towards training and user support, which enabled the recruitment and funding for highly qualified staff for two electron and light microscopy service teams. Today, these staff provide training and support to international scientists who visit the EMBL IC to get hands-on experience and training on the latest imaging technologies.

From its inception, the EMBL IC has established itself as a leading international user centre for cutting-edge microscopy technologies, meeting previously unmet needs of the European scientific community. From mid-2021, when it opened its doors, until December 2024, its service teams have supported more than 290 projects and training sessions for scientists from 27 countries at over 120 scientific institutions, far exceeding the originally planned operational scope.

The EMBL IC has pioneered open access to groundbreaking new technologies such as MINFLUX and in situ cryo-electron tomography. At the same time, other emerging technologies, such as new correlative X-ray and cryo-electron microscopy imaging methods, label-free methods like Brillouin microscopy, and real-time super-resolution microscopy technologies, are expected to have a similarly significant impact on biomedical research once transferred to the service level.

“It’s an exciting time for the EMBL Imaging Centre, and this generous support from Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung will make it possible to continue raising the level of research and services we can do here,” said Peer Bork, Interim EMBL Director General. “It ensures that the EMBL IC can maximise its service and training capacities and lay the foundation for continuing to be the leading centre in Europe in the future – the first to establish groundbreaking, next-generation imaging technologies with significant potential for impact in the life sciences as accessible services.”

About Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung

Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung is an independent, non-profit foundation that is committed to promoting the medical, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931–1991), a member of the shareholder family of the Boehringer Ingelheim company. Through its funding programmes Exploration Grants, Plus 3, and Rise up!, the foundation supports excellent scientists during critical stages of their careers. It also endows awards for junior scientists in Germany. Additionally, it funds institutional projects in the life sciences, such as the AITHYRA institute in Vienna and a new research department (BioAI) at the Center for Systems Biology in Dresden, which both combine biomedicine and AI. Other supported institutions include the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, both in Germany.

European Molecular Biology Laboratory

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is Europe’s life sciences laboratory. We provide leadership and coordination for the life sciences across Europe, and our world-class fundamental research seeks collaborative and interdisciplinary solutions for some of society’s biggest challenges. We provide training for students and scientists, drive the development of new technology and methods in the life sciences, and offer state-of-the-art research infrastructure for a wide range of experimental and data services.

EMBL is an intergovernmental organisation with 29 member states, one associate member, and one prospective member. At our six sites in Barcelona, Grenoble, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Hinxton near Cambridge, and Rome, we seek to better understand life in its natural context, from molecules to ecosystems.