Our reputation for delivering value attracts many different partners, from innovative small companies to globally recognized giants. Our corporate partners are significant to our success, providing over half of EBI's total funding -- a much greater percentage than that of most major research institutes.

In addition, EBI's technologies have provided the spring-board for creation of eight companies. Six of these companies still exist, a testament to the value of our technologies.

All these connections -- both academic and commercial, collegial and contractual -- help us achieve our goal of basic discovery research that leads to new technology and new business enterprise.

Our distinctive vision is both interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial

Why an interdisciplinary environment?
To spark ideas and yield significant results

EBI has a long history of interdisciplinary collaboration. Our founding scientists were specialists in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology. Their unusual ability to combine techniques and knowledge from different disciplines established EBI's reputation for meaningful discovery.

Globally, work that connects traditional disciplines has helped spawn the latest biomedical revolution. In many cases, the current approach to identifying novel compounds for treating disease is entirely interdisciplinary. From molecular target identification through drug design and delivery, each step of the process may involve a wide range of experts: molecular biologists, cell biologists, geneticists, organic chemists, computational chemists, biophysicists, immunologists, physiologists, engineers and others.

Such interdisciplinary efforts will continue to fuel biomedicine. EBI's commitment to a collaborative and systems-based model aligns the institute with the present and future of scientific investigation.

Why an entrepreneurial environment?
To apply technology to create new products, companies and jobs

At EBI, we use state-of-the-art science to pursue new basic knowledge and to broaden understanding of health and illness -- but we also want to see our ideas put to use. In other words, we want to see the information and solutions that we generate become new, useful biomedical products that improve people's lives.

EBI's early leaders recognized the potential of entrepreneurism coupled with science-- long before most academic environments embraced the concept. We at EBI believe it is a natural and logical evolution of what has always been the hallmark of academia -- ideas, innovation, creativity, generation of new knowledge -- to participate in the knowledge-based economy of today. Almost overnight, the academy has been transformed from an "ivory tower" isolated from economic progress to the center of many technological advances.