We are experiencing the transition from national industrialised societies to a global information society. Information and communication technology permeate all areas of life; the boundaries of yesterday are losing their significance. The central challenges of our time demand innovations that will, however, replace the familiar. As a result, fewer and fewer people are finding employment in the traditional fields of industry, which is why many perceive change as a threat and want to preserve what they have achieved. However, this development opens up great opportunities and possibilities. New service areas and jobs are emerging. We have the expertise and the strength to shape the future. We want to use this to develop prospects and generate confidence: prosperity needs employment, employment needs innovation, innovation needs education. Our actions are guided by these guiding principles.

Intelligent technical systems for the markets of tomorrow

The symbiosis of computer science and engineering is at the centre of our research. This results in impulses for intelligent technical systems and corresponding services for the global markets of tomorrow. What we do should help to create new jobs, maintain prosperity and promote sustainable development.

Balance of basic and applied research

We want to be a leading research institute. To live up to this claim, we must be able to provide decisive impetus for practical applications, but also recognise the problems of tomorrow at an early stage and work to solve them. We attach equal importance to basic research, which provides new insights and opens up new opportunities, and applied research, which has newsworthy practical relevance. We work strategically with the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Design Technology IEM, which is led by professors from the Heinz Nixdorf Institute.

Commitment to promoting young talent

We are intensively involved in teaching and training our students and doctoral candidates with the aim of providing them with the skills they need to shape the future.

Measurable goals

The success of strategic action must be measurable; we set ourselves three main goals:

1. Research performance should be outstanding. We measure this by our third-party funding, the number of doctorates and habilitations and the number of publications in prestigious organisations.
2. Our work should lead to innovative products, services and service provision processes in the economy. Indicators are the number of co-operations with industry and the number of spin-offs.
3. Our graduates should find suitable employment in industry or in a scientific environment.

In doing so, we are following the intention of Heinz Nixdorf, the initiator of our institute.