I always enjoy Frank Gannon’s editorials in EMBO Reports, so it is a pleasure to see the latest issue’s table of contents alert in my inbox. This month (EMBO R. 10, 103; 2009), Dr Gannon discusses ‘convergence’, the latest business buzzword, but hardly a new concept to scientists, he writes.

“Research is, and should always be, ahead of its time, and convergence research is no exception. The potential of convergence in the development of new products and in public outreach is enormous and will provide valuable, diverse career options for those scientists and engineers who are ready to expand their skills and knowledge into new domains. The old days of a single skill career are now behind us and we have to prepare for this new and complex environment.”

Enoy the rest of the article at EMBO Reports.

This Editorial introduces the EMBO Reports Science & Society Series on Convergence Research, which features viewpoints from authors who attended the ‘Doing Society and Genomics—Convergence and Competence Building’ workshop organized by Peter Stegmaier for the Centre for Society and Genomics at Radboud University (Nijmegen, the Netherlands) in September 2008. The journal editors hope that this series will help to introduce readers to the new multi- and transdisciplinary developments among the life sciences, social sciences and the humanities. The first article, ‘Genomics in school’, by Roald Verhoeff, Dirk Jan Boerwinkel and Arend Jan Waarlo, is free to access online. (EMBO R. 10, 120-124; 2009.)