Biotechnology opens the window to develop ecologically friendly, sustainable and economically efficient strategies for our environment. Therefore it is necessary to understand principles in microbial ecology. Our aim is to analyse the structural and functional diversity of microbial communities, especially those which are associated with eukaryotes. We have a special focus on antagonistic microbes, which are an important functional group with a ubiquitous and cosmopolitan occurrence.

Environmental Enzymology is another focus of the institute. The mechanistic study of enzymatic processes in the environment such as the transformation of xenobiotics often leads to novel enzymes. Especially enzymes transforming polymeric materials in nature have potential for novel industrial applications. An important focus is the functionalisation of synthetic and biomaterials using hydrolases and oxidoreductases.

Furthermore, we are mainly interested to apply the knowledge to solve environmental problems or to develop ecologically friendly alternatives. For example, plant protection products on the basis of bacteria antagonistic to fungal plant pathogens are developed. Other projects deal with investigation and optimization of biodegradation processes, realization of pilot plants, and environmental analysis. In addition, we are interested in the characterization and application of enzymes and bioactive compounds resulting from biodiversity studies.