Future through Research

The ITT is an applied research and teaching institute with a problem oriented and stakeholder centered research strategy. Its research follows a holistic approach, which jointly considers biophysical, environmental, economic and social issues. In its research structure, the ITT integrates different disciplines and methods in adequate platforms for the analysis and development of natural resources management solutions. The main regional focuses are the countries of the Tropics and Subtropics. The ITT research program is in-line with the major challenges identified by leading research and international cooperation agencies e.g. BMBF, BMZ, BMU, GIZ, EU, World Bank, and other more. It responds to international public debates on important real-life themes like: The Water, Food and Energy Nexus and the Rio + 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the International Decade for Action: Water for Life, or the Millennium Development Goals, to just mention a few.  ITT‘s research and teaching is organized in seven chairs in an interdisciplinary environment working on three core research lines.

Research Chairs:

• Environment and Resource Economics | Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlüter
• Water Supply and Sewage Technology | Prof. Dr. Michael Sturm
• Renewabel Energy Systems | Prof. Dr. Ramchandra Bhandari
• Regional Management | Prof. Dr. Johannes Hamhaber
• Resources Management and Environmental System Science | Prof. Dr. Jackson Roehrig
• Integrated Land and Water Resources Management | Prof. Dr. Lars Ribbe

Research Lines:

• Coping with Climate Change Variability and Environmental Risks
• Improving Resources Use Efficiency
• Maintaining Ecosystem Functions and Services

The ITT works at the watershed and local scales of analysis. The research strategy is based on integrating these different scales by linking top-down and bottom-up research and development approaches, enhancing the effectiveness and success probability of the proposed natural resource management interventions.