Prof. Dr. Christian Brecher, RWTH Aachen

”Having been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for years and also its head, I was delighted to actively follow the development and strategic direction of IMMS. Due to its long-standing research and development, the institute has acquired extensive know-how with comprehensive competencies and expertise in microelectronics, mechatronics, system design and measurement technology. These four fields are joined in two research programs for microelectronics and mechatronics in an almost unique combination with numerous synergy effects, creating a unique position for the institute. The synergistic combination of different fields of research is constantly gaining importance.

’Integrativity‘ is the key competence for mastering tomorrow's challenges and describes the holistic, inter-professional and interdisciplinary understanding of complex problems. Due to their heterogeneous structures, the systems of tomorrow will only be possible to design in integrated ways. For example, a sensor-actuator system involves mechanics, magnetics, fluidics and microelectronics. With the goal of the optimal system in mind, these systems cannot be designed in separate domains and put together later on. As the individual systems are increasingly being connected to form larger networks, aspects of higherlevel communications are gaining importance as well.

Mastering such integrated, cross-domain design processes is one of the long-term strategic goals of IMMS. To accomplish this, the institute as an interdisciplinary team cooperates with strong partners, such as the Ilmenau University of Technology. Companies of a wide variety of industries, many of them from Thuringia, find a suitable partner in IMMS to sustainably close the gap between novel scientific insights and the development of innovative products.“