This research programme aims to study the evolution of non-human life forms in the past and to document the biodiversity changes and the biosphere and geosphere interactions in specifically selected pre-Quaternary sedimentary basins. Its mission is to integrate knowledge and experience in relation to the evolution of fossil biota, palaeoecosystem dynamics, palaeobiogeographic distribution and physical and chemical proxies applied in sedimentary basin analysis into a multidisciplinary investigation strategy.

This strategy will be performed on critical events in the History of Life, which generally relate to periods of enhanced environmental perturbation and evolutionary stress. Intrinsically, there is sufficient potential within the research pool to become one of the major players on the international stage in the fields of fossil vertebrate evolution, biostratigraphy, palaeoclimate reconstruction, mass extinction events and pre-Quaternary sea-level variations.