EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) makes life sciences data freely available to researchers worldwide.
Below, you’ll find answers to the most common questions about who we are, what we do, and how you can use our resources.
EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL‑EBI) manages the world’s most comprehensive suite of freely available biological data resources and tools. These are essential for research, discovery and the development of innovative solutions to global challenges such as improving human health, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.
We are one of the six sites of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Europe’s life sciences laboratory. EMBL integrates fundamental research, advanced scientific services, and excellence in training to tackle complex biological and societal challenges.
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge, UK, in one of the world’s largest concentrations of scientific and technical expertise in genomics.
EMBL-EBI’s vision is to enable life science discoveries by making biological data accessible and reusable for everyone. We:
We help researchers, clinicians, educators and industry partners worldwide turn big data into biological insights.
You can find out more about EMBL-EBI missions on our About Us page.
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that combines biology, computer science, mathematics, and statistics to analyse and interpret large-scale biological data. Today, data analysis is a core part of almost all areas of life science, meaning that many biologists, clinicians, and life science researchers rely on bioinformatics methods and resources in their work.
Bioinformatics enables scientists to manage, compare, and understand complex datasets such as genomes, protein structures, gene expression profiles, chemical biology data, and imaging results.
At EMBL-EBI, bioinformaticians develop databases, software tools, and algorithms that make these data accessible and meaningful for life science research and development.
Increasingly, bioinformatics is leading to impact through real-world applications such as biosecurity, agri-technology, precision medicine, and more.
The EMBL-EBI Senior Management Team is responsible for setting the institute’s strategic direction, overseeing its scientific, technical, and operational priorities, and ensuring EMBL-EBI delivers on its mission.
They are:
You can see the current members of the Senior Management Team on our Leadership page.
EMBL-EBI is located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge, UK, in one of the world’s largest concentrations of scientific and technical expertise in genomics. The campus is about 15 km South of Cambridge and 60 km North of London.
Although we are based on the Wellcome Genome Campus, EMBL-EBI is an independent organisation and one of six sites of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). We operate independently of Wellcome, which is one of our key funders and campus partners.
EMBL-EBI is primarily funded by EMBL’s member states. We also receive additional support from other funding sources including:
This mixed funding model maximises the long-term resilience of our data resources and computational biology research programmes, and maximises their accessibility and impact.
See our full list of funders: www.ebi.ac.uk/about/funding/.
Yes. All EMBL‑EBI databases and tools are freely available for academic, clinical and commercial users under our terms of use. We simply ask that you cite us correctly when using our resources. Recommended citations are provided on each resource’s landing page.
EMBL-EBI serves a global community of scientists, clinicians, students, industry experts and more.
Our data resources support researchers and professionals applying bioinformatics for impact across diverse fields, such as:
In 2024, EMBL-EBI data resources received an average of 123 million web requests per day from 43 million unique IP hosts across 126 countries.
EMBL-EBI data resources are cited in over 100,000 scientific papers every year.
EMBL-EBI hosts over 35 open-access data resources that support research across many areas of the life sciences. These include:
For the complete list, visit our data resources and tools page.
EMBL-EBI provides dedicated submission services for almost every type of molecular data. Each data type has its own repository, ensuring your data is stored, curated and shared in the most appropriate way.
Our data submission wizard helps you find the right archive for your data in a few simple steps.
If you’re still unsure where to submit, fill out our support and feedback form and the right team will answer your query.
EMBL-EBI data resources contain reference data for all species, including humans.
However, the European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA) is the only EMBL-EBI data resource dedicated to permanently archiving and sharing controlled access data – data that can only be used under strict privacy and security regulations. The EGA specialises in managing personally identifiable genetic, phenotypic, and clinical data generated for the purposes of biomedical research projects or in the context of research-focused healthcare systems.
The EGA contains data collected from individuals whose consent agreements authorise data release for research use by bona fide researchers. The EGA ensures strict security measures to control access to the data while adhering to data protection regulations.
The EGA is jointly managed by EMBL-EBI and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona.
Genetic data generated in a healthcare context are subject to more stringent information governance than research data, and usually must comply with national legislation relevant to where the data were generated. The Federated EGA, which launched in 2022, provides a global network of national nodes and connected resources that enable transnational discovery of and access to human data for research, while respecting jurisdictional data protection regulations. Where data cannot be submitted to EGA due to national restrictions, deposition into a Federated EGA node can be an alternative option.
EMBL-EBI is committed to ensuring that the biological data we host remains accessible, reliable and secure for decades to come. We achieve this by:
Find out more on our long-term data preservation page and our funding page.
Most EMBL-EBI resources provide specific citation instructions on their websites. In many cases, this means citing the resource’s most recent key publication.
Where applicable, you can also include:
Read EMBL-EBI’s Terms of use to find out more.
Unless otherwise stated, EMBL-EBI data and software are made available under open licences that enable reuse.
Always check the licensing and citation information on the relevant resource page before reusing data or code.
Read more in EMBL-EBI’s Terms of use.
Many EMBL-EBI data resources provide options for automated or large-scale data access. RESTful APIs allow users to query and retrieve data programmatically.
Our Job Dispatcher tools also enable users to run sequence analysis tools programmatically and retrieve results via API.
Access methods for bulk data downloads differ between EMBL-EBI resources so please refer to the access documentation on the relevant resource page for the recommended approach.
To find out more visit our Job Dispatcher documentation and find more information on getting started with programmatic access.
EMBL-EBI leads computational biology research to develop new methods, algorithms, and models for interpreting large biological datasets.
Our research topics include genome analysis, structural biology, alignment algorithms, systems biology, cancer genomics, and more.
Visit our research page to explore group pages, projects, and study opportunities.
EMBL-EBI provides a wide range of bioinformatics training to help scientists and life science professionals at all career stages build their skills. Our training offering include:
We cover topics from introductory bioinformatics to advanced data analysis techniques. Explore our training website to find the right course for you.
Yes. EMBL-EBI makes its training materials openly available under a CC-BY licence unless specified otherwise, allowing educators to adapt and reuse them with attribution.
Find out more about using EMBL-EBI training materials.
Yes. Many EMBL-EBI live training courses offer financial assistance to help participants attend. The types of support vary by course but may include:
Each course page provides details of the support available and explains how to apply during the course application process.
EMBL-EBI vacancies including staff roles and postdoctoral fellowships are advertised on the EMBL current job vacancies page.
To apply for a PhD position at EMBL-EBI, applicants must apply through the EMBL International PhD Programme.
There you can:
Each listing includes eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and instructions for how to apply. You can also sign up for job alerts to stay informed about new opportunities.
EMBL-EBI offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support staff well-being, mobility, and career growth. Benefits include:
Working on the Wellcome Genome Campus also has many benefits including:
Find our full list of benefits on our employee benefits page.
EMBL-EBI works closely with companies across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agriculture, and healthcare sectors to exchange knowledge and help them leverage open bioinformatics data and tools.
If your company is interested in collaborating with EMBL-EBI, the Industry Partnerships are here to help make those first contacts.
EMBL-EBI’s Industry Programme is subscription-based and aimed at global companies that make significant use of the data and resources provided by EMBL-EBI as a core part of their research and development. Our Industry Programme provides:
To learn more or express interest, visit the Industry Partnership website or contact our Industry Partnerships team.
ELIXIR is a European life sciences infrastructure, which brings together scientists from over 240 research institutes spread over more than 20 countries. It helps scientists find, share and analyse biological data by creating a coordinated, sustainable ecosystem for managing life science data.
EMBL-EBI is an ELIXIR Node and contributes many major data resources to the ELIXIR network. It also hosts the ELIXIR hub, which is a secretariat function including the executive management and administrative staff who:
To get help with any of our data services or suggest feedback, fill out our support and feedback form.
Looking for someone or a specific team? Take a look at our people and groups page.
To speak to our reception team call +44(0)1223 494 444.