The EMBO Young Investigator Network (YIN) brings together some of the most promising independent group leaders in the life sciences at the point when support matters most: the first years of running their own laboratory. Today, the network has three strands:
- The Young Investigator Programme, supporting group leaders at institutions across Europe.
- The Installation Grants, supporting scientists who set up their labs in countries that are building research capacity.
- The Global Investigator Network, connecting researchers in EMBO’s Global Partners: Chile, India, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.
What sets the network apart is not any single benefit, but the combination it offers: membership of the YIN brings early recognition, access to a trusted circle of peers across disciplines and borders, and high-quality leadership training. Members also receive practical support that extends to their whole research group, from travel grants for PhD students to childcare support that lets parents attend conferences.
To stay relevant to the community, the Young Investigator Network regularly asks its members what works well and what could be improved. In autumn 2025, the network office invited 849 current and former Young Investigators, Installation Grantees and Global Investigators to take part in a survey. It received 280 responses, which are summarized below.
What the YIN community said
The results are a strong endorsement of the network: 91% of respondents said the network had fully met or exceeded their expectations, rising to 95% among Global Investigators. Only around 1% reported no tangible benefit from membership.
The selection was seen as fair and professional. Around 80% of Young Investigator and Installation Grantee respondents rated the fairness and transparency of the process as excellent or very good, as did 95% of Global Investigators. Annual meetings were rated highly for both scientific quality and networking by around 90% or more respondents in every cohort. Among those who had attended a retreat, 91% rated the relevance of the training to group leaders as excellent or very good, and 94% would recommend attending a retreat to others. The office drew near-unanimous praise for its responsiveness and helpfulness.
Among the benefits offered by the network, respondents valued most lab retreats, institute visits, meeting participation grants and support for organizing meetings. Benefits for lab members were rated essential or very important by most respondents in every cohort. For Global Investigators, the network serves as a vital bridge to the European research community, opening doors to conferences, collaborations and international recognition that strengthens tenure and grant applications at home.
Continuous improvement for a stronger community culture
Respondents also suggested areas for improvement, including simpler access to funds through fewer, more flexible applications, and earlier announcement of meetings. They also asked for more flexible training, as well as more EMBO community interactions and networking opportunities.
“We are delighted that our members value the network so highly, and grateful to everyone who took the time to share such thoughtful feedback,” says Gerlind Wallon, Head of the EMBO Young Investigator Network. “The survey shows that what matters most is the community itself: the trust, the exchange and the support members give one another. Our job now is to protect that culture while making our support even more flexible and easier to use.”
The network office is already reviewing the feedback and will share follow-up actions with the community. The aim is for the network to keep supporting new generations of group leaders through the formative years of their independent careers.
The full survey report is available here.
