The European Multifunctional Materials Institute EMMI has the legal form of a Belgian non-profit organisation (AISBL, Association International Sans But Lucratif). EMMI's legal and organisational structure is defined in its Statutes and Internal Regulation.

EMMI has a classical management structure with an Executive Board, headed by an Executive Director, responsible for day-to-day operations; and a Governing Board which takes all important and strategic decisions. The Governing Board consists of the Full Members, which are European universities and research organisations.

Industry companies can join EMMI as Adherent Members. They have no voting rights in the Governing Board, but they can become members in the EMMI Industry Support Group (Advisory Board). EMMI also has a Research Board and an Education Board.

EMMI is a 'Virtual Institute' in the sense that it has, apart from the annual membership fees and service fees, no own assets. The resources for its research and education activities as well as for management are provided by the Members and Partners.