Alexander von Gabain, a microbiologist from the Max Perutz Laboratories in Vienna, takes over as head of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) today, replacing founding chairman Martin Schuurmans.

Von Gabain, a co-founder of the Austrian biotech company Intercell, plans to get the EIT more involved in biomedical science — so far the institute’s three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) are focused on climate change, sustainable energy and information technology.

Our colleagues at Nature Medicine interviewed von Gabain this month — you can read it here (subscription required).