"The EMBO Fellowship Programme supports international mobility and exchange in all areas of the life sciences. Renowned for its commitment to scientific excellence, the programme has funded thousands of talented early career scientists since its establishment in the 1960s. EMBO Long-Term Fellowships support advanced research and training by awarding funds to postdoctoral scientists for research visits between European countries or when justified worldwide. Since 2002, the number of applications for EMBO Fellowships has more than doubled, creating a situation in which the number of excellent proposals exceed the available funds. In 2007 and 2010, EMBO successfully applied for co-funding, which made it possible to award a significantly higher number of fellowships. In order to be able to meet the continued high demand for postdoctoral training in the life sciences EMBO applied to the 2012 COFUND call. Continued co-funding of the EMBO Long-Term Fellowship Programme will not only allow selected fellows to enjoy the benefits and high prestige of an EMBO Fellowship – co-funded by a Marie Curie Action – but will also promote the further development of the European Research Area."