LEIBNIZ:HKI

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.

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

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 industry

PRIMARYHLAFAMAD

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Clinical Laboratories

SECONDARYHLAHAAAC

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Medical Devices & Diagnostics/In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) & Laboratory Diagnostics

SECONDARYHLAIAAAG

Infectious Disease & Antimicrobials Pharmaceuticals

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Pharmaceuticals/Branded (Innovator) Pharmaceuticals

SECONDARYHLAKAGAA

General Infectious Disease

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Infectious Disease

Keywords

• Natural product research
• Infection biology
• Antimicrobial testing services
• Microbial resource collection
• Fungal diagnostics research

Headquarters

HQ city

Jena

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Werner Siemens FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026The 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 InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Leibniz-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 AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeibniz-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

Broad 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

• Xx.com/leibnizhki
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@leibnizhki
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leibniz-institute-for-natural-product-research---hans-kn-ll-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LEIBNIZ:HKI