Our mission is to investigate and advance scientific understanding of freshwater ecosystems, and to disseminate this knowledge through scholarly publication and education. Limnology is the comprehensive science of the biological properties of inland waters in their physical-chemical environment. We use aquatic model organisms, reaching from bacteria to fish species, to investigate patterns and processes of general ecological and evolutionary relevance. We are especially interested in understanding the proximate and ultimate factors responsible for the distribution, interactions, and specific adaptations of freshwater organisms. Our emphasis is on process oriented basic research, but our research results are also used for consulting and in the search for solutions in the management and protection of inland waters. We provide training for national and international graduate students and post-doctoral fellows within various research projects and the International Post-Graduate Training Programmes in Limnology (IPGL). The institute's building is located at Mondsee, close to Salzburg. It was opened in 1981 and is currently under reconstruction. The Institute is member of the International Society for Limnology - Societas Internationalis Limnologiae, Austria (SIL).