Of all the components of dead plants, wood is the hardest to break down. How come fungi know how to do this? What issues did they need to solve to achieve this? The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) tries to find answers to these questions. The research has yielded surprising discoveries. These could be useful for sustainable forest and nature management, sustainable agriculture and even the development of new medicines.

‘Outstanding research’, an ‘impressive societal impact’ and ‘highly viable’. This is how the independent international assessment committee sees the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). Such an evaluation visit takes place once every six years to assess quality, relevance and viability of research. The evaluation report and its responses have now been finalised and published.