Mycosporin-like amino acids (MAAs) are natural products and are produced or absorbed from food by a variety of organisms, including microorganisms, algae and invertebrates that live primarily in the sea. MAAs are produced in particular when exposed to high levels of solar radiation and are characterized by the extremely strong absorption and thus attenuation of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In the marine organisms mentioned, they act as natural sun protection, although their function is not limited to this. In general, knowledge about the properties of these unique natural substances is still very fragmentary, even if the already known effect profile has aroused the interest of pharmaceutical and biomedical research. However, more detailed investigations have been hampered, not least by the limited availability of MAAs. In the UVISION project, we want to investigate, among other things, the natural chemical diversity of marine MAAs with regard to their potential to protect sensitive tissues such as the human cornea from UV-related damage. The interdisciplinary project team, which includes researchers from the Medical University of Innsbruck, the University of Innsbruck, the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis and the University of Rostock, benefits from unique expertise in various areas: marine biology and phycology, pharmacognosy and phytochemistry, medical biochemistry and toxicology and chemical synthesis. The goals are to expand knowledge about the chemical diversity of MAAs in previously unexplored marine sources, to decipher the active profile of these potent natural UV filters with the help of human cell lines and to create a guide for their chemical synthesis and purification.