Name
German Life Sciences Association is the English name for VBIO (in German: “Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften und Biomedizin”).
Members
The VBIO is Germany’s largest association for life sciences and the common umbrella for
6,300 individual members
25 institutional members (professional societies) with approximately 25,000 members
70 cooperating members (companies, faculties and institutes)
Our members represent the entire spectrum of life sciences, from the molecular and cellular to the organismic and ecological level, also including the biomedical field.
Funding
VBIO is mainly funded by membership fees of its individual and institutional members.
Organization
The Association is led by the president who is elected for a period of two years. The president is supported by an executive committee. Additionally there is an advisory boardfor the executive committee. Sections, working groups and consultants work on honorary base to bring life science issues forward.
Two offices support and coordinate the activities of all bodies. The Munich office now primarily takes care of training and career, the Berlin office works on topics surrounding science and society.
All individual members are organised in a federal structure, i.e. each state of Germany has its own representation for the individual members (i.e. Landesverbände).
President, executive committee and advisory board are elected by the delegates assembly. The delegates assembly represents the highest body of VBIO and consists of representatives of the individual as well as of the institutional members.
