Created in 1974, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) has achieved renown for outstanding research, training and methodology development. It has also provided crucial services to European molecular biology. Its headquarters are in Heidelberg and it is funded by 15 member states. The combination of the Visitors Programme, Outstations and International PhD Programme provides access to resources rarely available in national laboratories. EMBL was conceived as a magnet to hold quality scientists in Europe or to attract them back after an education elsewhere, and has been signally successful in this. Its open international style sets a standard for the way that research is done in molecular biology in Europe.