The KU Leuven Plant Institute brings together 30 research groups specifically focusing on plants with diverse and complementary research lines. With its in-house expertise, the KU Leuven Plant Institute has the goal to develop innovative solutions for the global challenges related to climate change and food security.
Expertise in our institute ranges from molecular and (single) cell biology (including gene technology), developmental biology and physiology, over plant interactions with their biotic (living) and abiotic environment, to biodiversity conservation, agricultural production, and ecosystem survey (including remote sensing, drone imaging and satellite imaging).
This expertise allows us to conduct state-of-the-art research ‘from molecules to ecosystems’, focusing on diverse types of temperate as well as (sub)tropical wild and crop plant species and ecosystems with relevance for both the Global North and South. This includes both fundamental as well as translational and applied plant science, “from test tube to field”. Our expertise is supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, from controlled growth facilities to natural ecosystems.
A key objective of the KU Leuven Plant Institute is to engage the broader public with the scientific method to find solutions for the major societal challenges related to climate change and sustainable food supply. Our institute sees a key role for citizen science in this objective and is therefore already participating in projects such as 'My Garden Lab'.
