The Institute of Outdoor Sports and Environmental Science was founded in 1999 with the objective of providing innovative and catalysing research and teaching in the field of outdoor sports and environmental science.

The academic staff is concerned with the movement possibilities in nature and landscapes and the required spatial developments. The focus is on the complex interactions between everyday, touristic and performance-oriented sports practice, society and the occupied space. Interdisciplinarity and holism are a fundamental component in thinking and acting at the Institute of Outdoor Sports and Environmental Science .

The Institute sees itself as a platform for scientists to promote the collaborative development of projects, applications and research networks. Using different publications and event formats, the Institute makes the scientific work and the research results for political actors, society, sports associations and companies accessible.

The staff ensures that complex perspectives that make it possible to explore both ecological and sociological, economic and technological dimensions of sport in nature and landscapes.