Festive Opening for Molecular Biology Institute

After a construction time of only 15 months, the Institute of Molecular Biology GmbH (IMB) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Germany, is now open and ready to start work, marking an impressive demonstration of successful cooperation between the public sector and a private foundation. The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation will be funding research operations at IMB to the tune of €100 million over a period of ten years, while the state of Rhineland-Palatinate provided €45.5 million for construction of the institute. "The generous support of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has provided Rhineland-Palatinate with a new showpiece in the form of the Institute of Molecular Biology. We have demonstrated that we can turn innovative ideas into reality within a very short time. I hope that the IMB will be equally successful," said Minister-President of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Kurt Beck.

Minister of Science Doris Ahnen is convinced of the sustainability of the new research centre: "The IMB was not only established in record time but also promises to become a global beacon for basic research - a hub between biology and medicine. I am convinced that the institute will provide major advances in life science research - here in our country and also within the context of international research." Professor Christof Niehrs, Founding Director of the IMB, has ambitious goals: "The IMB provides the most modern technologies and facilities that will enable our scientists to
conduct research at an international world-class level. Linking the institute to Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz  allows us to create synergies with other fields."Research at the Institute of Molecular Biology will concentrate on three fields: molecular developmental biology, Epigenetics, and DNA repair research which will be led by Professor Niehrs, In addition to his own group, he has already managed to attract three other groups to the Institute of Molecular Biology. With the aid of high-resolution microscopy, Professor Christoph Cremer is striving to shed light on the nano-structure of cells. Dr George Reid’s main field is gene expression and he is focusing on discovering when specific genes are active in an organism or in a cell. Dr Stefan Legewie uses bioinformatics to look at how genes cooperate in regulatory
networks. Otto Boehringer, Chairman of the Board of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, emphasised the dedication of all persons involved: "We are delighted that our idea of donating €100 million for independent top-level research, an idea originally conceived on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Boehringer Ingelheim, has come to  fruition within such a short time. I am impressed by the performance of all participants and cordially thank you for your  dedication to this remarkable project. The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation and the founding family have close bonds with this region and will continue to provide sustainable support of excellent science and research in future."
"The establishment of the Institute of Molecular Biology provides the Mainz research hub with an internationally  prominent centre for life sciences," stated the President of JGU, Professor Georg Krausch. "The function of the IMB will  be to provide a bridge between molecular biology and medicine, and extend and strengthen local know-how by  creating scientific synergies between the various disciplines. This new institute strengthens the research infrastructure  of the university and offers the scientists at this centre of excellence unusually attractive work  opportunities."