At the Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), natural and social scientists from several disciplines cooperate in investigating aspects of society-nature interaction. For example: social metabolism, land use, environmental information and indicator systems and sustainable development. The Institute of Social Ecology belongs to Klagenfurt University and is part of the Vienna node of the Faculty for Interdisciplinary Studies. It offers regular courses to students from various universities. It provides its own master and doctoral program in social and human ecology. In terms of staff and funding, though, the Institute is largely self-supporting, relying on the national and international market for contractual research. Only one fifth of its permanent staff of about twenty are regular university positions. At the same time, the Institute can utilize Klagenfurt University’s scientific, technical and administrative infrastructure, and collaborates with various universities on its site in Vienna.
