Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research

Geschichte

The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research is an international center for advanced studies in theoretical biology. It supports the articulation, analysis, and integration of biological theories and the exploration of their wider scientific and cultural significance. The institute is located in Klosterneuburg, near Vienna, Austria. Until 2013, the institute was located in the family mansion of the Nobel Laureate Konrad Lorenz in Altenberg. Lorenz' work laid the foundation for an evolutionary approach to mind and cognition.The institute unites fellows, visiting scholars, students, and external faculty. Through a lecture and seminar series, the KLI also offers a platform for the critical public discussion of current themes in the biosciences. Since 2015, the scientific director of the KLI is Johannes Jäger.Founded in 1990, the KLI is funded by a private trust and receives additional support from the Province of Lower Austria. The institute has close ties with many of the higher education institutions in Vienna and Lower Austria as well as with a number of international institutions with similar aims.ActivitiesThe KLI supports theoretical research primarily in the areas of evolutionary developmental biology and evolutionary cognitive science. This is accomplished by providing fellowships to graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scientists for research projects they have proposed. In addition, the KLI organizes lecture series, organizes symposia, and hosts workshops at the Lorenz mansion. The KLI houses the Konrad Lorenz Archive and it provides an extensive internet database for literature in theoretical biology and related fields. Together with Springer Science+Business Media, it publishes the journal Biological Theory.