LEIBNIZ:HKI
Leibniz-HKI is a German non-profit research institute in Jena that investigates microbial natural products and infection biology of human-pathogenic fungi, combining ~25 research units, a microbial strain repository (JMRC), a national fungal infection reference center, and translational anti-infectives development for the scientific and clinical community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersJena, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What LEIBNIZ:HKI does
LEIBNIZ:HKI (Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie e. V. – Hans-Knöll-Institut) is a German non-profit research institute founded in 1992 and headquartered in Jena, operating under the Leibniz Association. It investigates microbial natural products and the infection biology of human-pathogenic fungi, spanning the full chain from molecule discovery to clinical application. The institute is organized into roughly 25 research units covering areas such as adaptive pathogenicity strategies, applied systems biology, archaeogenetics, biomolecular chemistry, deep microbiome metabolomics, drug delivery, microbial immunology, pharmaceutical microbiology, RNA biology of fungal infections, robotic-assisted anti-infective discovery, and translational infection medicine.
Its core research outputs are Natural Product Research (identification and ecological analysis of microbial compounds with clinical potential), Infection Biology (molecular mechanisms of fungal infections and novel diagnostic/therapeutic strategies), and Translational Research (biotechnological process development and applied infection therapy). Supporting service offerings include the Jena Microbial Resource Collection (JMRC) for strain deposits and antimicrobial testing, the National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZ-Myk) with a secondary Würzburg site, the International Leibniz Research School for graduate training, and a Bio Pilot Plant for scaling microbial production.
The institute has 101-250 employees and draws scientists from 50 nations. As a registered association (e.V.), it does not operate on a commercial pricing model; funding flows through government grants, Leibniz Association core funding, third-party projects, and foundation support (notably the Werner Siemens Foundation). Distribution of outputs occurs via academic publication, conferences (e.g., hosting IbSB 2026), a formal technology transfer and intellectual property office, and service provision through JMRC and NRZ-Myk. Leadership is shared between Prof. Dr. Axel Brakhage (Director) and Elke Jäcksch (Co-Director), with Brakhage additionally acting as head of the Transfer Group Antiinfectives.
LEIBNIZ:HKI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LEIBNIZ:HKI
- Legal name
- Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie e. V. – Hans-Knöll-Institut (Leibniz-HKI)
- Website
- https://leibniz-hki.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Leibniz-HKI is a German non-profit research institute in Jena that investigates microbial natural products and infection biology of human-pathogenic fungi, combining ~25 research units, a microbial strain repository (JMRC), a national fungal infection reference center, and translational anti-infectives development for the scientific and clinical community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LEIBNIZ:HKI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Microbiology Research Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Medical Laboratories (621511)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories (HLAFAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST) (HLAHAAAC), Infectious Disease & Antimicrobials Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAG), General Infectious Disease (HLAKAGAA)
Keywords
Where LEIBNIZ:HKI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jena
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
LEIBNIZ:HKI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
LEIBNIZ:HKI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Leibniz-HKI is a non-profit research institute that combines microbial natural product research with infection biology, with a particular focus on human-pathogenic fungi. It identifies novel compounds from microorganisms, studies the molecular mechanisms of fungal infections, and translates findings into new diagnostic methods and anti-infective therapies. Beyond research, it operates service platforms including the Jena Microbial Resource Collection (JMRC), the National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZ-Myk), a Bio Pilot Plant, and a graduate research school.
Product overview
Leibniz-HKI is a research institute that combines microbial natural product research with infection biology, particularly of human-pathogenic fungi. The institution operates as a unified research platform consisting of approximately 25 research units covering areas such as adaptive pathogenicity strategies, applied systems biology, biomolecular chemistry, drug delivery, and translational infection medicine. The core offerings include Natural Product Research (identifying novel microbial compounds and investigating their clinical potential), Infection Biology (studying fungal infection mechanisms), and Translational Research (developing biotechnological processes and improving infection therapies). Supporting services include the Jena Microbial Resource Collection (microbial strain repository and antimicrobial testing), the National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections (diagnostic reference services), International Leibniz Research School (graduate training), and a Bio Pilot Plant (biotechnology scaling). The institute's 25 research units work collaboratively to advance understanding of natural product-mediated microbial communication and molecular infection mechanisms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection (JMRC) A microbial strain repository and service offering strain deposits, strain requests, sample exchange, and antimicrobial activity testing for pure compounds or extracts submitted by external researchers, with resistance testing for urgent cases.
- National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZ-Myk) National reference center providing diagnostic services for invasive fungal infections, including isolate testing and clinical sample analysis, collaborating with the Würzburg location for clinical samples.
- Bio Pilot Plant Biotechnological facility for scaling up microbial production processes and developing biotechnological applications.
- International Leibniz Research School Graduate training program offering doctoral and research education opportunities in the institute's research areas.
Companies that use LEIBNIZ:HKI
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
LEIBNIZ:HKI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
LEIBNIZ:HKI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Werner Siemens FoundationcoreThe Werner Siemens Foundation has chosen the Leibniz-HKI as the venue for the meeting of its Foundation Board and the Siemens Family Advisory Board. The foundation supports research activities at the institute.
- Weltoffenes Thüringen InitiativecoreLeibniz-HKI joined the Weltoffenes Thüringen initiative which stands for a democratic, diverse, peaceful and respectful Thuringia. Nearly 8,000 institutions are involved in this initiative.
- Leibniz AssociationcoreLeibniz-HKI is part of the Leibniz Association (Leibniz Gemeinschaft), a network of scientific institutions in Germany. The association supports and connects research institutions focused on various scientific domains.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LEIBNIZ:HKI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Eurofins Scientific: Global laboratory services company with substantial microbiology and clinical-diagnostics operations. Overlaps with Leibniz-HKI's diagnostic and antimicrobial testing services but operates commercially at far greater scale.
- Charles River Laboratories: Global contract research organization offering microbiology, anti-infective discovery, and laboratory services. Overlapping capability in microbial testing and infectious-disease R&D services, but as a commercial CRO rather than non-profit.
- Broad Institute: Major US biomedical research institute with significant infectious-disease and microbiome programs. Comparable research scope in microbial biology but operates at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
Direct peers
- Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV): Sister Leibniz institute studying viral infections, with identical public-research funding model, association status, and reference-center functions. Comparable structural setup and ecosystem.
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology: UK research centre focused on fungal pathogenesis, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Directly comparable in medical mycology focus and translational orientation.
- Friedrich Loeffler Institut: German federal research institute for animal health with national reference laboratory functions covering infectious diseases. Comparable structure combining research with national reference center mandates.
- Institut Pasteur: Paris-based non-profit research institute combining microbiology, infectious-disease research, and reference-diagnostic services. Closely comparable mission, hybrid research/service model, and international scientific footprint.
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research: Germany's largest academic research center dedicated to infectious disease, with comparable translational pipelines and similar headcount scale. Highly comparable in scope, public funding model, and infection-biology mandate.
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute: Dutch research institute hosting one of the world's largest fungal culture collections, with parallel focus on fungal biology, taxonomy, and culture supply. Directly comparable in mycology expertise and microbial resource services.
- Max Planck Institute for Biology: Successor to the former Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, focused on molecular infection biology of microbial pathogens. Directly comparable in core research areas, scale, and German public-research funding structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LEIBNIZ:HKI social profiles
Digital presenceLEIBNIZ:HKI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LEIBNIZ:HKI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
LEIBNIZ:HKI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LEIBNIZ:HKI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LEIBNIZ:HKI
What does LEIBNIZ:HKI do?
Leibniz-HKI is a non-profit research institute that combines microbial natural product research with infection biology, with a particular focus on human-pathogenic fungi. It identifies novel compounds from microorganisms, studies the molecular mechanisms of fungal infections, and translates findings into new diagnostic methods and anti-infective therapies. Beyond research, it operates service platforms including the Jena Microbial Resource Collection (JMRC), the National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZ-Myk), a Bio Pilot Plant, and a graduate research school.
Is LEIBNIZ:HKI a public or private company?
LEIBNIZ:HKI is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was LEIBNIZ:HKI founded?
LEIBNIZ:HKI was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is LEIBNIZ:HKI based?
LEIBNIZ:HKI is headquartered in Jena, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are LEIBNIZ:HKI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Eurofins Scientific, Charles River Laboratories and Broad Institute. Direct peers are Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV), MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, Friedrich Loeffler Institut, Institut Pasteur, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute and Max Planck Institute for Biology.
Does LEIBNIZ:HKI have an API?
No public API is recorded for LEIBNIZ:HKI.
What industry is LEIBNIZ:HKI in?
LEIBNIZ:HKI's product category is Microbiology Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFAMAD, Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories, with a secondary code of HLAHAAAC, Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8071.