Activities
Activities
Educational Concept and Planning
ITCER provides infrastructure for workshops and seminars led by international and regional experts, as well as project-based environmental research and training. Current formats emphasise field-based work, biodiversity documentation, and research-linked participation. Financial support is provided based on need and available resources.
Programme
ITCER’s academic program includes:
- Project-linked Training Formats: Small-scale participation by graduates, postgraduates, and researchers in seminars, documentation work, and ongoing project activities.
- Seminars: One- to three-day sessions covering key environmental topics, field methods, biodiversity documentation, and related scientific themes.
- Outreach Presentations: Dialogue and exchange formats with local communities and partners, continuing since 2024.
Envisaged Training Areas
Training will cover biodiversity, soil and water conservation, plant pathology, environmental data management, image-based documentation, and related field and laboratory workflows.
Apply for an Event
Application details for seminars, visits, and project-related activities will be announced soon. Please check ‘Events’ for upcoming activities.
Ongoing Research Projects
Research includes:
- Monitoring Macrobiome Biodiversity on Site – A preliminary survey of vascular plants, animals, fungi, and other macroorganisms using geo-tagged photo observations (and DNA barcoding).
- Monitoring Macrobiome Biodiversity in Siaya County – A county-wide survey of vascular plants, animals, fungi, and other macroorganisms using geo-tagged photo observations (and DNA barcoding).
- Grassland Biomes, Metabolomes, and Biomass Production – Exploring the functional diversity of soil fungi, plant diversity, and productivity under different land use regimes.
Publications:
Short-term dynamics of the mycobiome in species of the genera Umbilicaria and Dermatocarpon in a saxicolous lichen community – Karthik, S., Gkoutselis, G.M., Steingruber, T., Harjes, J., Rambold, G. Acta Botanica Hungarica (2025). Read more
Microplastic impacts archaeal abundance, microbial communities and their network connectivity in a Sub-saharan soil environment – Rohrbach, S., Gkoutselis, G.M., Hink, L., Weig, A., Rambold, G., Horn, M.A. FEMS Microbiology Ecology (2025). Read more
GBIF Germany Activities 2025. GBIF Europe and Central Asia nodes meeting 2025 – Weibulat, T., Triebel, D. GBIF ECA 2025, Waterford, Ireland. Zenodo (2025). Read more
Plastiphily is linked to generic virulence traits of important human pathogenic fungi – Gkoutselis, G.M., Rohrbach, S., Harjes, J., Brachmann, A., Horn, M.A., Rambold, G. Communications Earth & Environment (2024). Read more
Management and publication of scientific data on traditional mycological and lichenological knowledge in Africa – Kinge, T.R., Jefwa, J.M., Houdanon, R.D., Milenge, H.K., Abdel-Azeem, A.M., Gryzenhout, M., Triebel, D., Weibulat, T., Rambold, G. Lichenologist (2023). Read more
Chemical properties of key metabolites determine the global distribution of lichens – Schweiger, A., Ullmann, M., Nürk, N.M., Triebel, D., Schobert, R., Rambold, G. Ecology Letters (2021). Read more
Newsletters:
ITCER Newsletter – October 2025. Read more
ITCER Newsletter – June 2026. Read more
Resources
Visit our Resources page for access to macrobiome images, online training software, and other deliverables.