Nina Schmolka, a researcher at the Católica Biomedical Research Centre (CBR), is the only scientist in Portugal to be awarded an EMBO Installation Grant 2026 by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). She is among the ten researchers selected annually for this prestigious funding programme.

The grant will support the establishment of the Developmental Haematopoiesis Laboratory at CBR, focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate blood development in the embryo. This research aims to shed new light on early-onset childhood leukaemias and to improve the generation of haematopoietic stem cells for regenerative medicine.

Nina Schmolka will also join Católica Medical School as a lecturer. The EMBO Installation Grant provides up to five years of funding, along with access to international scientific networks and advanced research infrastructures.