TALLINN - Estonia's Minister of Education and Research Mailis Reps and Edith Heard, director general of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), have signed an agreement on Estonia becoming a prospect member state of the EMBL from June 2019.

The prospect membership grants Estonian researchers for three years the same opportunities in the organization as are enjoyed by researchers from the full member states. Estonia has to decide about whether or not to become a full member of the organization in 2021.

The membership will grant Estonia better possibilities to benefit from joint research and access facilities and services that are absent in Estonia, such as genomics, bioinformatics and transplant medicine. Full members also have better access to research facilities and doctoral and post-doctoral programs.

Membership paves the road for Estonia's small and medium enterprises for cooperation and allows to create a network with leading industries. Estonia is the most interested in personal medicine and possibilities for businesses in said field.

Last week, an Estonian delegation participated in a meeting of the EMBL council for the first time. Indrek Reimand, deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia, introduced Estonia's research and development related activities to the members of the organization.

Seminars on the possibilities made available by the membership will be held in Tallinn and Tartu in the fall.

The EMBL is a leading molecular biology research institution established 45 years ago which has its main research facility in Heidelberg, Germany. Currently, the EMBL has 27 member states.