diff --git a/org.fortiss.tooling.kernel/trunk/src/org/fortiss/tooling/kernel/utils/EcoreUtils.java b/org.fortiss.tooling.kernel/trunk/src/org/fortiss/tooling/kernel/utils/EcoreUtils.java
index c67f1677de2750ce34658c51dbb070edcb12e4e2..5e75b9dba7c4083a47caa55355a7bebbefaeba7b 100644
--- a/org.fortiss.tooling.kernel/trunk/src/org/fortiss/tooling/kernel/utils/EcoreUtils.java
+++ b/org.fortiss.tooling.kernel/trunk/src/org/fortiss/tooling/kernel/utils/EcoreUtils.java
@@ -72,4 +72,25 @@ public class EcoreUtils {
 				result.add((T) sourceElement);
 		return ECollections.unmodifiableEList(result);
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * From a given EList with source objects of type S pick the first object
+	 * with type T, whereby T is a sub-type of S.
+	 * 
+	 * @param targetClass
+	 *            - a class representing type T
+	 * @param sourceList
+	 *            - an EList with objects of type S
+	 * @return an object of type T or null if none exists
+	 */
+	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+	public static <S, T extends S> T pickFirstInstanceOf(Class<T> targetClass,
+			EList<S> sourceList) {
+		if (sourceList == null)
+			return null;
+		for (S sourceElement : sourceList)
+			if (targetClass.isAssignableFrom(sourceElement.getClass()))
+				return (T) sourceElement;
+		return null;
+	}
 }