Nektarios Tavernarakis, Professor of the Medical School of the University of Crete and Chair of the Foundation for Research and Technology- Hellas (FORTH), was unanimously elected President of the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC), for a four-year term starting in January 2025. He is the first Greek to hold this position, having been the country’s scientific representative at the EMBC since 2022. In this capacity, he contributed to Greece joining, in 2023, the Installation Grants program of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), which provides funding for young scientists, who wish to settle in the country.

The European Molecular Biology Conference is an independent inter-governmental organization based in Heidelberg, Germany. It comprises 31 Member States, which are represented by a government official and a scientific advisor. It was founded in 1969 by the European Molecular Biology Organization, which has been operating since 1964, with the mission of promoting excellence in molecular biology research, throughout Europe and beyond.

EMBC funds EMBO’s programs and provides an institutional framework for international collaborations in the life sciences, by securing funding, facilitating networking actions, and fostering research opportunities. Similar to EMBO, EMBC is committed to supporting high-quality research in Europe, with an emphasis on international scientific synergies. For this reason, both institutions cooperate with countries and organizations outside Europe, thus, strengthening collaboration within the global scientific community.

On the occasion of his election, Professor Nektarios Tavernarakis stated:

“Greece, as an active member of the EMBC since 1972, promotes biomedical research in Europe, while benefiting from the support and partnership opportunities that the organization offers to the Greek scientific community. Molecular biology is at the core of life sciences and directly affects our daily lives, as we have witnessed, for example, during the recent pandemic.

As president of the European Molecular Biology Conference, my aim is to contribute to the mission of the organization by promoting scientific excellence, strengthening international cooperation and placing life sciences high on the international research agenda, so that we can effectively address present and imminent global challenges.”