Bioinformatics integrates two disciplines which lie at the centre of technical progress - computer science and molecular biology - to form a new, strongly application-orientated branch of computer science. Our research and development has the task of supporting biologists, geneticists and other specialists from the life sciences with intelligent and specialised software systems for the analysis of molecular-biological data and for the simulation of biological processes. Bioinformatics helps in-silico to find the causes of diseases, to design efficient laboratory test methods and to conceive, develop and test new medicines faster and more inexpensively. In the research project BIOMIS (Bio and medical information systems) specialised laboratory applications are developed for different ranges of application (e.g.: protein interaction data bases, sequence analysis tools, expert systems for quality assurance in test laboratories).

Computers and information technologies supplement our human possibilities in many areas of application. It is already foreseeable that within the coming years computers will become more and more seamlessly integrated into our environment while at the same time our interaction with the computer itself will be revolutionised. From the simple desktop applications we know today, systems will be developed which permit several users to communicate simultaneously with one another, as the computer (for them no longer visible) serves in a supporting role providing central communication.

More and more day-to-day activities (parking an automobile, the operation of household and entertainment electronics devices, etc.) as well as professional applications (e.g. in manufacturing or in automotive applications) are aided by embedded systems. Mobility ("anytime and anywhere") as well as the guarantee of security and the private sphere are all conditions for user acceptance of such technologies. Numerous innovative, basic technologies form the building blocks for the blueprints of application-adapted systems. Optimised processes for combined hardware/software system designs make possible the efficient development of specific infrastructures, upon which the most modern applications can be implemented.

Applied research in the field of medical technology is the driving force behind the devel-opment of innovative medical-technical devices and technically assisted living. A constant improvement in the quality and efficiency of treatments in medicine, rehabilitation and health care requires the permanent improvement and development of new technological procedures for medical and biological applications. Interdisciplinary thinking and the inte-gration of the newest findings in medicine, as well as the natural and engineering sciences form the basis for both current and future research and development projects.

The field of social services is at dynamic stage of development. How fundamentally the basic social framework is changing can be seen today in the upheaval of family structures, in the shifting population structure due to increased life expectancy and low birth rates, as well as in the consequences of migration. Social services face the challenge of developing innovative concepts and a differentiated range of services, while at the same time economic and political development sets limits on the quantitative development of the welfare state. For this reason efficiency and profitability are demanded of facilities in social services and health care.

The main area of research in “production optimisation” deals with a more efficient organisation of production processes. It considers the possibilities for inventory reduction, the shortening of cycle times, as well as the increase of delivery reliabilty. Within the field of production planning and control, existing systems and newly developed concepts are examined, evaluated and compared.

Logistics optimises the processes, and e-business offers innovative concepts for the optimisation of information flows. The bundling of these two fields in the area of research "logistics and business networks" makes possible the development of more integrated models for the design and control of supply chains.

This focal point targets the development of practical automation solutions involving com-plex key technologies on the most modern and comprehensive laboratory equipment available in the fields of electrotechnology, control and process control technology, drive engineering, measurement and automated control engineering, as well as discrete and continuous simulation technology. This research deals with areas such as the automation of sensitive or distributed real-time systems in power plants, buildings and production plants, in addition to other complex processes such as traffic control and logistics. For automation purposes the scope of this research also makes use of cutting-edge sensor technology and when necessary, intelligent actuator-sensor combinations are developed in house.

This research deals predominantly with projects in the areas of optical measuring technol-ogy, industrial image processing and x-ray computer tomography, as well as acoustic and vibration technology. The most frequently measured variables are distance, evenness, 3D geometries, temperature, surface finish, strength and acceleration, as well as material de-fects, such as cracks. Test superstructures and stands are also commonly developed. Our laboratories make use of several UV/VIS/NIR spectrometers, a shearography measuring station, an IR camera, several laser interferometers, a vibrometer, acoustic intensity probes, laser stripe and triangulation sensors, PSD devices, equipment for modal analysis, and an industrial x-ray computer tomograph, among others.

This main focus of research orientates itself strongly on the needs of the Upper Austrian industry. The improvement of the characteristics of tool steels and of modern steels for lightweight construction forms the core of the R&D efforts with regard to metals. Here, heat and surface treatment technology stand in the foreground. With regard to plastics technol-ogy, the processes of extrusion and injection moulding take centre stage. Here, the investigation of screw extrusion systems represents one of our main areas of interests. In the testing of materials, x-ray computer tomography (CT) plays a central role, enabling 3D structures to be inspected nondestructively. Further emphases include metallography, deformation-quenching dilatometry, ultrasonic inspection and eddy-current testing. 

This R&D emphasis comprises the combination of ‘green’ forms of energy and environ-mental topics, from efficient power production by means of fuel and solar cells, energy-efficient building construction to the analysis of foodstuffs, the decomposition of pollutants using photocatalysis and the environmental-technical improvement of dust filters. Our laboratories make use the most modern equipment, including a hydrogen fuel-cell and so-lar test bed, thermal imaging camera for the analysis of the energy efficiency of buildings, biology and chemistry laboratories, photocatalysis and fermentation laboratory.