The Space Research Institute (IWF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences - besides their core competences in the exploration of Earth, geospace, planets, moons and small bodies of the Solar system - lately participates also in the search for primitive organic life in our Solar system, especially in the context of exploring planetary atmospheres and planetary as well as cometary surfaces.

Furthermore the IWF makes its vast experience in the production of space qualified instruments available to cooperating institutes and other institutions.