The ELSO congress has established itself as the largest gathering of cell biologists this side of the Atlantic. Last month ELSO organized the seventh such meeting — for the first time, this was in conjunction with the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). After decreasing attendance over the last years, the ELSO meeting seems to have reached a healthy steady state of around 1,500 participants and has successfully established itself as the European counterpart of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) annual meeting.

ELSO was founded in 1999 and one of its roles has been to provide a lobbying platform for the life sciences in Europe. However, according to its founder Kai Simons, funding and staffing remained too modest for it to be effective. The fusion with EMBO will provide dedicated staff to fulfil many of ELSO's functions; no doubt EMBO will continue its usual sterling job of conference organization and public outreach, in particular, liaising with the press and educational institutions. However, EMBO is a research organization funded by its member states — it is not an independent coalition of scientists. As such, it will not find it easy to fulfil the role of a lobbyist. At a time when European research funding and policies are increasingly defined by Brussels, and when the European Research Council is coming into its own, there is an urgent need for a strong, independent and united voice for molecular and cell biologists. The European Science Foundation (ESF) should present strong and independent scientific advice, analogous to the US National Academies; however, it remains to be seen whether its new CEO Marja Makarow will develop this role to build on the strength of ESF as a facilitator of trans-European research. Furthermore, the purview of ESF is broad, representing the natural and medical sciences, as well as the humanities. As such, ESLO was set up to provide an important function in complementing ESF, much like the important role ASCB has alongside the National Academies.

It is also a time when individual European countries are developing rather diverse responses to challenges thrown up by the biosciences, including the ethics of embryonic stem cell research, the safety of genetically modified foods, plants and livestock, and the balance of basic and applied research. National societies will certainly remain important in representing scientists at the national level, but they would be more effective with support from a pan-European organization. A united European voice would undoubtedly have greater influence with Brussels. The hope is that EMBO will find a way to shoulder this crucial role of the outgoing ELSO.