ISOE is one of the leading independent institutes for sustainability research. For more than 30 years, we have been developing scientific bases and future oriented concepts for politics, civil society and the economy – regionally, nationally and internationally. The research conducted at ISOE contributes towards the understanding of social-ecological systems; it helps evaluate crisis situations and build transformational process to ensure the sustainable development of such systems.

The research revolves around the following areas: water, energy, nutrition and mobility. It looks at how these topics are linked, how they are influenced by global developments (such as urbanisation, climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and demographic change), and, for example, what all this means for the sustainable reorganisation of supply infrastructures. An analytical perspective peculiar to ISOE is how lifestyles impact on sustainable consumption, or how changing behavioural patterns reduce the risk of harmful substances entering the environment. In other words, ISOE endeavours to come up with solutions to the challenges facing society today and tomorrow. Our clients and sponsors include national and international public institutions and corporations.