Several initiatives in the search for funding were made in 1964 after the first formal EMBO Council meeting. The most successful of these approaches in quantitative terms was to the Volkswagen Foundation which agreed a grant of DM.2,748,000 in December 1965 for three years 1966-68. This enabled the EMBO programme for fellowships and courses to prove its value. The negotiations and terms of the grant are well documented.

Although the VW grant was crucial, there were other smaller sums which came in betimes in 1964 and helped the infant EMBO to survive administratively and start its fellowship programme on a small scale. These usually resulted from the good offices of individual members of EMBO.

Folders F.42-49. Volkswagen Foundation.

Folder F.43. Mainly replies by EMBO Council to Perutz's circular giving estimates to put to VW Foundation; includes letter (photocopy) from H. Friedrich-Freksa with first suggestion of approach to VW, February - March 1964.

Folder F.44. March - September 1964. Includes note of meeting 22 March with VW representatives.

Folder F.45. March - September 1965. Includes a copy of the original grant application sent to VW June 1965.

Folder F.46. Continuing negotiations, amended application, October - November 1965.

Folder F.47. November - December 1965. Papers and correspondence for special meeting with VW to discuss terms of application, 3 December. Includes Wyman's memorandum on meeting and his annotated papers and copy of letter from VW 10 December confirming grant. This covered four heads of expenditure: 1. Administrative costs; 2. Fellowships; 3. Courses and workshops; 4. Costs relating to studies and planning work as a basis for a decision in principle on the setting-up of a central laboratory.

N.B. Wyman's memorandum refers to information from R. Kerschner of VW that "Volkswagen's interest in EMBO was originally aroused by a telephone call from Szilard just after the Ravello meeting. It was this which led to the original Volkswagen approach to us."

Folder F.48. Mainly arrangements for administering grant, 1966.

Folder F.49. 1969-1972. Later correspondence on final spending of VW grant. Included here is a copy of "EMBO Activities 1966-1968. A report to the Volkswagen Foundation on the utilisation of the grant."