Mission

The Institutes of Informatics concentrate in their teaching and research on applied informatics, i.e. on topics and sub-disciplines of informatics that find applications in other domains, notably in business and industry.

Organisation

The three institutes,

• Institue of Applied Informatics (AINF)
• Institute of Informatics Systems  (ISYS) 
• Institute of Information Technology  (ITEC)

are collectively responsible for the degree programmes in informatics and the courses for the degree programme for informatics teacher training. In addition, the institutes provide the computer science and information systems related courses for the degree studies in applied business administration, information management, and technical mathematics.
Currently, Informatics comprises 8 chaired professors, 1.5 associate professors, and 40 further university-funded positions. 24 of those are scientific/academic position, 1 is dedicated to scientific/didactic issues, 7.5 technical, 7.5 secretarial. Approximately 20 externally funded posts strengthen primarily the field of applied research. The Informatics Institutes co-operate with other universities and extra-university institutions on a national and international level.

Teaching

Klagenfurt’s informatics graduates are prepared for a broad range of career opportunities, in particular in IT and organisation departments of companies of all sizes. Our students receive a theoretically grounded education in computer science, supplemented by fundamentals of the application domain they choose to specialise in. This application aspect of their education is particularly emphasised through

• special forms of instruction, 
• courses taught by specialist practitioners from the working world, 
• a practical semester (internship), in which projects are carried out in the workplace.

Dedicated courses in English for computer science help the students prepare for the increasingly international world. Further career-oriented aspects of their studies are provided in courses on communication and team leadership.
The main emphasis of both Baccalaureate (BA) and Master (MA) studies at Klagenfurt is on applied informatics. We aim to provide graduates with the skills necessary for developing high-quality computer-assisted problem solutions. This also entails qualifying them in the efficient and effective management of development and change processes. Such a goal requires, in addition to a solid foundation in the knowledge and skills of the core areas of computer science, a thorough understanding of social issues and of the business world. Information and software systems are in general developed in organisations and need to be embedded in a social system. Thus, the system of courses has to acquaint students with the spectrum of the methodological, social and individual skills necessary for the successful realisation, introduction, and effective use of information systems.
In their Doctoral studies, students are introduced to research. The research results leading towards their Ph.D. is published at international conferences or in reputable journals.
Informatics is still characterised by rapid and often turbulent development. The continual and continuous improvement of methods and tools, the rapid appearance of innovations, and periodic shifts in paradigms represent a major challenge to the qualification of the graduates. Thus a further goal of the course of studies must be to provide students with the capability firstly to be able to participate actively in the process of improvement and innovation, and secondly to independently and rapidly update their knowledge base. This demands not only a detailed understanding of the fundamental concepts, connections and insights within the subject, upon which methods and tools are based, but also a strengthening of individual competences such as self-determination and the intention to shape and structure one’s future. We are convinced that our combination of research, instruction and application creates ideal conditions for building up these skills.

Research spectrum

The scientists of the Informatics Institutes at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt concentrate on research into applied areas of informatics as well as on application-oriented aspects of theoretical computer science. The issues covered range from fundamental research to application-based research, with investigations of fundamental issues quite often stemming from more application-oriented projects.
The research work is usually undertaken in project teams – often in national or international co-operation with vendors and software producers and also with other universities and extra-university research institutions. We seek to extend and intensify these contacts on a platform of challenging research and development projects. The organisational backbone for the creation of project teams is provided by the research groups, which are led by the chaired professors. Details of the research topics pursued are to be found on the web pages of the individual institutes and research groups.

The international integration of the informatics departments of the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt into research activities is shown in a number of ways. In addition to co-operation in international projects, staff members also take on (among others) leading functions in scientific societies, as well as providing expertise reports for a variety of national and international research foundations, or working as chairpersons or members of program committees for scientific events or as members in editing committees of academic journals. Intensive involvement in development work in the countries of the former Eastern Europe is another facet of the international role played by Klagenfurt’s informatics groups.

The  “Colloquia Series” in which scientists of international reputation regularly give lectures on current topics is funded by the “Association of Friends of Informatics at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt”, which is maintained by the Carinthian business community.Follow the „Colloquium“ to find forthcomming (and past) events of this series.