NEWS FROM ThE EMBO cOMMUNITY Institute of Functional genomics, Lyon at a glance: ➔➔ Founded: 2007 ➔➔ Total number of researchers: 123 staff including 63 researchers, 27 doctoral students, 26 technical staff, and interns ➔➔ Research groups: 13 ➔➔ Scientific publications 2012: 33 ➔➔ Total expenditure 2012: 4.3 Million Euros ➔➔ Competitive funding (2012): 2 Million Euros ➔➔ igfl.ens-lyon.fr “The move to the new building is a signifi- cant milestone in the development of our young institute,” said Professor Vincent Laudet Director of The Institute of Functional Genomics and Professor of Biology at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon. “The design of the institute and the additional research space will allow us to fulfill our research strategy and promote the close interaction of scientists from different disciplines that we see as an essential component of the scientific culture we are striv- ing for.” ThREE FOcUS AREAS Institute of Functional Genomics, Lyon, moves to new building Researchers at The Institute of Functional Genomics in Lyon, France, moved into a new state-of- the-art building in October 2012. The new 4500-m2 research facility is located in the biotechnology district of the south of Lyon. fostered in this environment which will lead to promising new integrative approaches to the study of biology.” The Institute of Functional Genomics is jointly managed by the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the Université Claude Bernard Lyon. The institute is also affili- ated to the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. Research at The Institute of Functional Genomics examines how living organisms func- tion, develop and evolve, and how the genomes of organisms control these fundamental process- es and allow them to adapt to their environment. The strategy of The Institute of Functional Scientists at the institute also focus on what Genomics focuses on three research areas – happens when these processes go wrong. In developmental biology, evolutionary science, and integrated physiology. The institute is organized into independent research teams each led by a principal investigator who has the freedom to define their own research programme. Interaction between the teams from widely different scien- tific backgrounds is strongly encouraged. EMBO Member Jacques Samarut is the founding director of The Institute of Functional Genomics. He helped to establish the institute before Professor Laudet took the reins as director in 2008. Said Samarut: “The Institute of Functional Genomics has made great progress over the years and we are confident that collaborations will be humans, defects in molecular processes may lead to congenital abnormalities, metabolic disorders or cancer. Research groups at the institute are also interested in understanding how domestic species have adapted to the environment, and how environmental pollutants affect health. “We recently added five new research groups to our programme areas. Our research inter- ests continue to grow and we continue to look for talented scientists to establish new groups, particularly with expertise in bioinformatics and systems biology, to reinforce those axes that we view as essential for future developments in biol- ogy,” added Laudet. ©2013 EMBO EMBOencounters | Winter 2012|2013 | communications@embo.org 15 © Institute of Functional Genomics, Lyon © Institute of Functional Genomics, Lyon