The Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (short IWR) is a scientific research institute of the University of Heidelberg, Germany. It centralizes scientific activity and promotes research and work in scientific computing.
Founded in 1987 by the University of Heidelberg and the state of Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...

, IWR participates in joint project and cooperations with industry in Germany as well as abroad. As a research institute with about 380 staff, IWR is considered one of the world's largest research centers for scientific computing.

Objectives

• Mathematical Modeling and Computational Simulation of Complex Systems in Science and Technology
• Development and Use of Computer Methods and Software for Applications in Industry and Economy
• Visualization, Computer Graphics, Image Processing
• Education in Scientific Computing

Graduate School

Since November 2007 the training and education of Ph.D. students at IWR is supported by the Heidelberg Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences (HGS MathComp). As part of the German Universities Excellence Initiative

German Universities Excellence Initiative

The Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation aims to promote cutting-edge research and to create outstanding conditions for young scientists at universities, to deepen cooperation between disciplines and institutions, to...

, HGS MathComp is a supported institution partially established and located at IWR, in order to realize innovative concepts for a structured education of Ph.D. students in interdisciplinary research projects.

History

The initial concept of the IWR was proposed in 1985 and accepted by the University
Senate two years later. After securing the necessary finances, the first parallel computer was purchased in 1989. The Graduiertenkolleg
"Modellierung und Wissenschaftliches Rechnen in Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften" (Modelling and Scientific Computing in Mathematics and the Sciences) was established in 1992 and evaluated by the German Research Foundation

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...

 (DFG) in 1994 and 1998. Since 1994, the IWR has grown in size and resources and will continue to do so.

Since 2005, the board of directors of IWR consists of professor Hans Georg Bock

Hans Georg Bock

Hans Georg Bock is a German university professor for mathematics and scientific computing.He is managing director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing of the University of Heidelberg since 2005,...

 (Managing Director), professor Willi Jäger

Willi Jäger

Willi Jäger is a German mathematician.He completed his PhD in 1966 under the direction of Erhard Heinz.In 1987 he was founding member of the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing....

, and professor Bernd Jähne.