Institute of Molecular Bology and Biotechnology

What Institute of Molecular Bology and Biotechnology does

The Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) is a non-profit life-sciences research institute based in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, operating under the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH). Founded in 1983, IMBB is structured around seven research divisions: Structural Biology, Biophysics and Nanobiotechnology; Neuroscience; Immunity; Evolution, Development and Cell Biology; Gene Regulation and Epigenetics; Plant and Plant-Microbe Biology; and Insects and Vector Borne Diseases. These divisions are supported by eighteen core facilities spanning genomics, proteomics, microscopy, bioinformatics, animal husbandry, and behavioral analysis, enabling multi-disciplinary work from single-molecule biophysics to whole-organism biology.

IMBB's research output spans high-impact publications (Nature, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, PNAS), proprietary methods such as NEXT-FRET for single-protein folding observation and a predictive chemoproteomic framework for activity-based profiling, and applied tools including TaqMan qPCR and droplet-digital PCR assays for insecticide-resistance diagnostics and CRISPR/Cas9 pipelines for functional validation in insects and arthropod pests. Collaborations extend across the University of Crete (joint faculty), EU-LIFE alliance partners, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (malaria vector research), UCLA and Ohio State (neuroscience and memory), and a portfolio of affiliated spin-offs and partners (Digenia, EDIMO, Biopix-T, Enzyquest, ReNeuroCell) handling technology transfer.

IMBB operates as a publicly funded research entity under Greek law as part of FORTH, generating no commercial product revenue. Its economic model is grant-funded: revenue derives from national research grants, European Union programs (including ESPA), institutional support from FORTH, and limited industry partnerships for technology transfer. End-users and collaborators include academic research institutions, public-health organizations engaged in mosquito and vector-borne disease control, and the agricultural sector for pest-resistance management; dissemination occurs through peer-reviewed publications, seminars, conferences, EU-LIFE community engagement, and a multi-platform social-media presence.

Name

Institute of Molecular Bology and Biotechnology

Legal name

FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY - HELLAS (FO.R.T.H.)

Website

https://imbb.forth.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IMBB-FORTH is a Greek non-profit life-sciences research institute in Heraklion, Crete, operating seven research divisions and eighteen core facilities that serve academic, public-health, and agricultural collaborators via EU- and nationally funded research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Heraklion

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Public Funding: IMBB operates as a publicly funded research institution under the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH). Revenue derives from national research grants, European Union research programs (ESPA funding mentioned), and institutional funding for scientific research activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IMBB conducts cutting-edge life sciences research across seven specialized divisions spanning structural biology, neuroscience, immunity, evolution/cell biology, gene regulation, plant biology, and vector-borne diseases. The institute delivers research services, access to eighteen state-of-the-art core scientific facilities (genomics, proteomics, microscopy, bioinformatics, protein purification, animal house), and develops proprietary methodologies such as NEXT-FRET for protein folding analysis and predictive chemoproteomic frameworks for insecticide resistance.

Product overview

IMBB-FORTH is a life science research institution offering comprehensive research services and scientific infrastructure. The institute operates seven specialized research divisions (Structural Biology/Biophysics/Nanobiotechnology, Neuroscience, Immunity, Evolution/Development/Cell Biology, Gene Regulation & Epigenetics, Plant & Plant-Microbe Biology, and Insects & Vector Borne diseases) supported by eighteen core facilities. Research outputs include publications in high-impact journals, advanced methodologies like NEXT-FRET for protein analysis, and molecular diagnostic approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life Sciences Research Services across Seven Divisions Cutting-edge life sciences research services across seven specialized divisions: Structural Biology/Biophysics/Nanobiotechnology, Neuroscience, Immunity, Evolution/Development/Cell Biology, Gene Regulation & Epigenetics, Plant & Plant-Microbe Biology, and Insects & Vector Borne Diseases. Designed for academic researchers, universities, and international collaborators.
• Scientific Infrastructure and Core Facilities Access

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple publications in high-impact journals including Nature, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, PNAS
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Crete (UoC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing academic partnership with University of Crete Medical School and other departments for collaborative research in molecular biology, neuroscience, and medicine. Joint seminar series and shared faculty members.
• EU-LIFEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of EU-LIFE alliance of independent life science research institutes. Participates in community meetings and EU-LIFE Connects Science Programme for networking and collaboration among European research institutions.
• LSTM (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMBB researchers collaborate with LSTM, UK on malaria mosquito research, including predictive chemoproteomic studies and insecticide resistance mechanisms in disease vectors.
• UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on brain mechanisms of memory linking, as evidenced by joint Nature Neuroscience publication on dendritic plasticity and memory.
• Ohio State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on neuroscience research regarding brain mechanisms of memory, contributing to joint publications in high-impact journals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG): CRG is a Barcelona-based life sciences research institute with similar multi-division structure (cell biology, gene regulation, bioinformatics, systems biology) and comparable headcount. Both are publicly funded European research centres competing for the same EU grant pools and talent pools.
• Babraham Institute: Babraham is a UK life sciences research institute with parallel divisions (epigenetics, immunology, signalling) and comparable headcount, also publicly funded and heavily reliant on competitive grants. Both organizations operate as core-facility-driven research hubs that translate basic science into commercial opportunities.
• Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP): IMP is a Vienna-based molecular biology research institute backed by Boehringer Ingelheim and operating with a comparable headcount and similar research focus on molecular and cellular biology. Both pursue basic research with industry transfer pathways.
• National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos' (NCSR Demokritos): NCSR Demokritos is a Greek public research centre, structurally and geographically comparable to FORTH/IMBB as a sister publicly-funded multi-disciplinary research institution in Greece competing for similar national and EU funding streams.
• Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH): FORTH is IMBB's parent organization and umbrella research foundation in Greece, operating multiple research institutes across computer science, applied mathematics, chemical engineering, and astrophysics alongside life sciences. The two are directly comparable as multi-disciplinary Greek public research foundations running state-funded research divisions.
• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG): MPI-CBG is a German Max Planck life sciences institute focused on molecular cell biology, genetics, and biophysics. Comparable in scale, mission, core-facility model, and publication cadence; differs in its larger endowment and broader international recruitment footprint.
• Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI): FMI is a Swiss biomedical research institute in Basel with comparable size, mission, and funding model (part of the Novartis Research Foundation). Both conduct multi-disciplinary molecular biology research with epigenetics, neurobiology, and quantitative biology programmes that mirror IMBB's divisions.

Broad incumbents

• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): EMBL is the pan-European flagship molecular biology research organization with broader scope and resources. Comparable in mission and structure (multi-disciplinary life sciences research, core facilities, training programmes, public funding base) though at materially larger scale.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: Sanger is a UK genomics and molecular biology institute at materially larger scale but with overlapping focus on genomics, gene regulation, cellular genetics, and infectious disease. Comparable as a publicly-funded life sciences research hub using similar core-facility-driven models.

Regional players

• Biomedical Sciences Research Center 'Alexander Fleming': Fleming is a Greek life sciences research institute located in Vari, with overlapping research areas (molecular biology, immunology, genomics, model organisms) and similar funding dependency on national and EU grants. Closest regional peer for talent and grant competition in the Greek research ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPeRZVC0qvjFt83jDtYTyqA
• Facebookfacebook.com/IMBB.ITE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imbb-forth
• Xx.com/IMBB_FORTH

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Molecular Bology and Biotechnology