Business Fields Applied Ecology

Research and development for our clients

With its Applied Ecology division located at Schmallenberg the Fraunhofer IME is the Fraunhofer Institute explicitly dedicated to ecological issues and thematically routed in agricultural production.

The overall aim of the division is to determine, assess and finally minimize the risk of synthetic and natural substances for ecosystems, and for humans via contamination of food, feed and consumer products.

Our activities focus on the characterization and assessment of the environmental friendliness of substances and products, such as plant protection products, biocides, human and veterinary medicinal products, industrial chemicals (REACH) and, e.g., nanomaterials. Based on our chemical-analytical competence, our activities also include project work aiming to ensure food safety and quality.

We carry out a large part of our contract research projects for clients from industry and medium sized enterprises. With projects performed for governmental agencies, consultancy services and expert memberships in regulatory boards the institute also takes considerable influence on environmental policy.

The research, development and service activities of the Applied Ecology Division in Schmallenberg are pooled in five business areas address clients from manufacturers of plant protection products, the chemical industry (including manufacturers of biocides and pharmaceutical products), food and feed manufacturing and processing industries, and governmental agencies.

The individual projects are carried out in interdisciplinary cooperation of our specialists from the different departments structured according to our core competencies.

Business Fields Applied Ecology

The research, development and service activities  are pooled in five business areas:

 

Environmental Risk Assessment of Chemicals

 

 

 

Retrospective Evaluation of Substance Concentrations and Media Quality

 

Environmental Risk Assessment of Agrochemicals

 

Evaluation of Food Safety and Consumer Risk Assessment

 

Sustainable Agricultural Production of Substances

From the Institut

Here you will find information about the Fraunhofer Institute in Schmallenberg.

SETAC Europe 2023 33rd Annual Meeting Dublin

The SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting is held in Dublin, Ireland from 30 April - 4 May 2023 and hosts scientists from Europe and overseas. Biologists and chemists from Fraunhofer IME are contributing to the meeting with several presentations and posters presenting their scientific network research.

Please find here selected posters and presentrations.

iMulch-Projekt investigated fate and impact of plastics in soils

Read the press release of the project consortium on the successful conclusion

The iMulch Leitmarkt.NRW project was successfully completed with the participation of the Fraunhofer IME in Schmallenberg. In the study, Dr Dieter Hennecke and his team investigated the fate of microplastics from various agricultural mulch films in arable soils.

PRESS RELEASE

Newsletter November 2022

We are pleased to publish our Newsletter November 2022. We present the following current research projects - focused on molecular analytical methods - from Fraunhofer IME in Schmallenberg:

  • TrendDNA: a time travel into Biodiversity
  • Toxicogenomic method to monitor adverse effects in water samples from wastewater treatment plants
  • Understanding soil microbiomes: where are we? Identification of missing test systems and endpoints
  • Portrait: Dr. Bernd Göckener

NEWSLETTER

 

Meet Fraunhofer IME at ACHEMA 2022

August 22 - 26, 2022 | Messe Frankfurt | hall 6.0, booth A52

Fraunhofer IME is represented at this year's world's leading trade fair for the process industry "ACHEMA" in Frankfurt. Together with the partner institutes of the Fraunhofer Alliance for the Lead Market Chemistry, six scientists will present our topics around "Regulatory Research - Testing and environmental risk assessment of chemicals, mixtures (e.g. UVCB), products and polymer". We are happy to provide interested visitors and business partners with a free one-day ticket.

More Information

Fraunhofer IME at SETAC Europe 2022 Annual Meeting

The SETAC Europe 32st Annual Meeting "Towards a reduced pollution society" is held in Copenhagen, Denmark from 15th - 19th May 2022 and hosts scientists from Europe and overseas. Biologists and chemists from Fraunhofer IME are contributing to the meeting with several presentations and posters presenting their scientific network research.

Please find here selected presentrations.

Applied Ecology - Newsletter November 2021

The European chemicals regulation REACH requires the (further) development of guidelines for special issues. Read about our work:

 

·         Bioaccumulation assessment of nanomaterials

·         Experimental characterization of NER for persistence Assessment

·         Endocrine disruptors as a threat to fish populations

·         Portrait: Dr. Karsten Schlich

 

Newsletter 2021

Reviewing OECD Test Guidelines: pre-evaluation of the general significance of an update need

© Romolo Tavani | stock.adobe.com

An online survey had been conducted in the course of May - July 2021 to collect potential update needs and suggestions. The German Environment Agency contracted Fraunhofer ITEM, Fraunhofer IME and Ramboll for the survey. The joint efforts of all of you led to a total number of over 500 individual suggestions. We would like to express our sincerest thanks to you for this impressive feedback. In order to work towards a prioritization of the update needs, we would like to share the reported suggestions with you asking you for a pre-evaluation of the general significance of an update need.

More Information

Reviewing OECD Test Guidelines with the participation of Fraunhofer IME

© Romolo Tavani | stock.adobe.com

The Fraunhofer Institutes ITEM and IME and Ramboll were commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency to develop a survey to test the OECD Test Guidelines. OECD Test Guidelines display an important tool to evaluate the impacts of chemicals on the environment.

More Information

Fraunhofer IME at SETAC Europe 2021 Annual Meeting

The SETAC Europe 31st Annual Meeting “We're presenting!” is held as a virtual conference from 3rd - 6th May 2021 and hosts scientists from Europe and overseas. Biologists and chemists from Fraunhofer IME are contributing to the meeting with several presentations and posters presenting their scientific network research.

Please find here selected presentrations.

Fraunhofer IME at NanoTox 2021

10th International Conference on Nanotoxicology

This year's NanoTox will take place in virtual format from 20 to 22 April 2021. Scientists from the Fraunhofer IME are also involved in the international expert conference on nanotechnology and its risk assessment for humans and the environment.

You will find further information on NanoTox 2021 under the events.

Fraunhofer IME: Workshop »Food web on ice«

© Fraunhofer IME

In a project funded by the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) and carried out by Fraunhofer IME, an advanced concept is applied to investigate the accumulation of substances in an exemplary freshwater food web.
The general aim is to support the regulatory risk assessment of bioaccumulating chemicals. For this purpose, organisms were sampled from different trophic levels of Lake Templin, a part of the Havel River near Berlin.

Read more...

 

Applied Ecology Newsletter - November 2020

Research facility for aquaculture studies.
© Kunststoffe Spranger GmbH | Photo: Ronny Schubert

In addition to our Annual Report this first issue of the Applied Ecology Newsletter presents interesting topics of our ongoing research. In each issue we also introduce one scientific employee to "give our institute a face".

This time headline:
SAFETY FOR CONSUMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Innovative research facility for aquaculture studies

 

Applied Ecology NEWS NOV 2020

Applied Ecology Newsletter - November 2019

© Fraunhofer IME | Photo: Pantermedia, Gerald Kiefer, apattadis@gmail.com

In addition to our Annual Report this first issue of the Applied Ecology Newsletter presents interesting topics of our ongoing research. In each issue we also introduce one scientific employee to "give our institute a face".

This time headline:
MONITORING FISH POPULATIONS WITH THE HELP OF eDNA
Novel genomic tools address problems of traditional biomonitoring

 

Applied Ecology NEWS NOV 2019

60 years Fraunhofer at the location Schmallenberg

Worldwide active and regionally enrooted - a story of success was celebrated.

160 invited guests from Science, Industry and Politics celebrated the 60-year anniversary of the Fraunhofer location Schmallenberg-Grafschaft
© Fraunhofer IME
160 invited guests from Science, Industry and Politics celebrated the 60-year anniversary of the Fraunhofer location Schmallenberg-Grafschaft

Shortly before completion of the new center of the instute, Fraunhofer IME celebrated the 60-year anniversary of the Fraunhofer location Schmallenberg-Grafschaft with 160 invited guests from science, industry and politics on October 29, 2019. Beside a view on the relevance of the scientific work in Schmallenberg in the past and presence, an outlook of themes for the future was given. The realisation is enabled by investions of about 30 Mio € by the Federal Republic Germany (D), the Federal State North-Rhine Westfalia (NRW) and own resources. The emerging new laboratory building could be viewed by the guests.

Further photos

Fraunhofer IME at HSK-Firmenlauf

© Fraunhofer IME

On September 11, 2019, 16 participants represented the location Schmallenberg of Fraunhofer IME at the HSK-Firmenlauf running event in Meschede. Wearing Fraunhofer running shirts specially created for this occasion, they accomplished the 5 km course through the city center of Meschede. Though our fastest finishers made it within 20 minutes, the focus of the event was on fun and fitness. Despite the rainy weather, the event was a great success and we are already planning participating in future running events.

PhD student of Fraunhofer IME receives award at SETAC GLB

© SETAC

For his presentation „Screening insecticides for molecular fingerprints in zebrafish embryos as an aquatic non-target model - a kick off study“ Hannes Reinwald was awarded the young academics award 2019 at this year’s SETAC GLB conference in Landau. His contribution received the first place for the best presentation. Hannes Reinwald performs his PhD studies on the identification of molecular signatures of pesticides in aquatic non-target organisms in the Attract group Eco’n’OMICs at Fraunhofer IME in Schmallenberg.

Applied Ecology Newsletter - Special Issue "Nano" June 2019

© Fraunhofer IME | Photo: Panthermedia.net

In addition to our Annual Report this special issue of the Applied Ecology Newsletter presents interesting topics of our ongoing research in the field of nano particles. In each issue we also introduce one scientific employee to "give our institute a face".

This time headline:
GROUPING INSTEAD OF TESTING – THIS IS HOW IT WORKS
Grouping nanomaterials – a tool for reducing the amount of ecotoxicological testing

 

Applied Ecology NEWS Special Issue "Nano" JUN 2019

Fraunhofer IME scientists at SETAC Europe, Helsinki

Helsinki, 26 - 30 May 2019

The SETAC Europe 29th Annual Meeting “One Environment. One Health. Sustainable Societies.” is held in Helsinki (Finland) from 26-30 May 2019 and hosts scientists from Europe and overseas. Biologists and chemists from Fraunhofer IME are contributing to the meeting as session chairs and with 40 oral presentations and posters presenting their scientific network research.

Please find here selected presentrations.

Applied Ecology Newsletter - November 2018

© Fraunhofer IME | Photo: MEV-Verlag

In addition to our Annual Report this first issue of the Applied Ecology Newsletter presents interesting topics of our ongoing research. In each issue we also introduce one scientific employee to "give our institute a face".

This time headline:
FROM FEED TO EGG
Better estimation of overall burdens of humans, animals and the environmment by perfluoroalkyland polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

 

Applied Ecology NEWS NOV 2018

Workshop »Bioaccumulation of manufactured nanomaterials in freshwater bivalves«

23 October, Dessau-Rosslau, Germany

© Fraunhofer IME

The objectives of the workshop is to identify the capability of the new developed test system for the environmental assessment of manufactured nanomaterials and the indication of potential necessary adjustments by taking into account the experience of scientists, regulators and international authorities.

Please find here the flyer.

 

 

Fraunhofer IME scientists at SETAC Europe, Rome

Rome, 13 - 17 May 2018

The SETAC Europe 28th Annual Meeting “Responible and Innovative Research for Environmental Quality” was held in Rome (Italy) from 13-17 May 2018 and hosted scientists from Europe and overseas. Biologists and chemists from Fraunhofer IME were contributing to the meeting with over 30 oral presentations and posters.

Please find here selected presentrations.

Applied Ecology Newsletter - November 2017

In addition to our Annual Report this issue of the Applied Ecology Newsletter presents interesting topics of our ongoing research. In each issue we also introduce one scientific employee to "give our institute a face".

 

This time headline:
SMALL RUNNING WATER IDENTIFIES EFFECTS OF PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS
New test system to detect chronic effects of pesticides on organisms living in running waters

Applied Ecology NEWS NOV 2017

 

See also

Flyer Chronic Testing of Lotic Invertebrates