Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology

Research for Safety and Security

The Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology is a research facility of the Bundeswehr for medical biosecurity. Our mission is to develop procedures and measures to protect soldiers from diseases caused by biological warfare agents and other dangerous pathogens.

We conduct scientific research on a broad spectrum of highly infectious pathogens and biotoxins, all of which could potentially be misused as biological weapons. These pathogens are rarely found in nature and can cause serious, sometimes fatal diseases. They are easily transmitted from person to person and are often difficult to treat.

The ultimate goal of our research is to detect and diagnose these pathogens and biotoxins beyond doubt. We develop methods and techniques to both determine the cause and origin of a disease outbreak as well as to diagnose naturally occurring infections.

We also develop novel treatment procedures for patients exposed to highly infectious pathogens and biotoxins.

Since 2010, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, together with the Technical University of Munich, the Ludwig Maximilian University and the Helmholtz Centre, has formed the Munich partner site of the German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF).