Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research

The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI) is an international center for advanced studies in the life and sustainability sciences. It is a "Home to Theory that Matters" that supports the articulation, analysis, and integration of theories in biology and the sustainability sciences, exploring their wider scientific, cultural, and social 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.^[1] 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.

Founded in 1990 by Rupert Riedl, followed by Gerd B. Müller (1998-2023) and Philipp Mitteröcker (since 2024) as presidents of the institute, 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.