The Life & Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES) is a center for both basic research and higher education in Life Sciences and Biomedicine at the University of Bonn. The LIMES concept was developed in the year 2000 by M. Hoch (Biology) and M. Famulok (Chemistry). Central to the conception of LIMES is the development of competitive research strategies at the interface of biology, chemistry, and medicine. A particular area of expertise within LIMES is chemical biology, a topical area which we see as particularly important for developing future strategies for manipulation of neuronal networks. Within LIMES, a number of joint teaching programs with the Medical Faculty have been set up, including the undergraduate study program Molecular Biomedicine, and the joint Summer School program Life Sciences & Culture Bonn with Harvard University. A novel International Graduate School Life & Medical Sciences offers a combined M.Sc./Ph.D. program.