History and Development

The LIMES Institute was founded in 2006 as part of the Mathematics and Natural Science Faculty of the University of Bonn. The initial concept for the LIMES institute was established in 2000, by two newly recruited professors, Michael Hoch (Biology) and Michael Famulok (Chemistry). Their vision was to create a framework for interdisciplinary and internationally competitive research at the interface of biology, chemistry, and medicine at the University of Bonn. They presented their concept to the University of Bonn Rectorate (Rector, Prof. Klaus Borchard; Chancellor, Dr. Reinhardt Lutz), who gave their support. 

The core objectives of the "LIMES-concept" were:

1. To establish interdisciplinary DFG (German Research Funding) collaborative research initiatives at the interface of biology, chemistry and medicine.
2. To establish new biomedical education and training programs for the promotion of talented young scientists.
3. To establish a new LIMES Institute building to house internationally competitive biomedical research and teaching programs.

In recent years, the three objectives have been systematically implemented through the concerted efforts of the LIMES steering group (Hoch, Famulok and Prof. Waldemar Kolanus, who was recruited in 2002) and colleagues from the Faculty of Mathematics & Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine. External funding networks have been successfully obtained, study programs have been implemented, and in 2010 the first LIMES building was unveiled.