The Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), is a part of the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. and a member of the Leibniz Association. Based in Berlin’s district Mitte, the institute's research activities involve applied and

pure mathematics Pure mathematics is the study of mathematical concepts independently of any application outside mathematics. These concepts may originate in real-world concerns, and the results obtained may later turn out to be useful for practical applications, ...

. Since February 2011, the International Mathematical Union (IMU) Secretariat has been located in Berlin at WIAS.

History

The institute developed from the “Karl Weierstrass Institute for Mathematics” of the former GDR's Academy of Sciences at Berlin. Following a recommendation of the German Council of Science and Humanities, the institute was established on January 1, 1992. The institute is named after the Berlin mathematician Karl Weierstraß (1815-1897), who was well known for his profound processing of analysis.

Tasks

The main task of WIAS is the implementation of project-oriented research in

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathemati ...

, especially in applied

analysis Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (3 ...

and stochastics. The research activity is oriented on specific application situations and is confirmed by cooperations with scientific institutions and the economy. It includes the entire spectrum of the solution, from

mathematical model A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, ...

ing to mathematical-theoretical analysis of models, up to the development of

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

s and numerical simulation of technological processes. Research at WIAS focuses on the following application areas: * Nano- and Optoelectronics, * Optimization and

control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlli ...

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...

and economy, * Materials modeling, * Flow and transport, *

Conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

, storage and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics * Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of ...

, * Random phenomena in

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

and

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

. Within these application areas, questions are investigated, that play a central role in the development of key technologies (e. g. materials science,

manufacturing engineering Manufacturing engineering or production engineering is a branch of professional engineering that shares many common concepts and ideas with other fields of engineering such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, and industrial engineering. Manufa ...

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

), as well as applications in the economy (e. g.

finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...

s). Services are not part of the tasks.

Cooperation

WIAS cooperates closely with university and non-university institutions and is involved in numerous joint research projects, for which additional funds are raised within the framework of competition procedures (e. g. of the

German Research Foundation The German Research Foundation (german: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germ ...

or the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

.) Close relationships are maintained with the three Berlin universities, Humboldt University, Technical University and

Free University A free university is an organization offering uncredited, public classes without restrictions to who can teach or learn. They differ in structure. In 1980 in the United States, about half were associated with a traditional university, about a ...

, through cooperation contracts and six joint appeals based on these contracts. Together with the mathematical institutes of these universities and the

Zuse Institute Berlin The Zuse Institute Berlin (abbreviated ZIB, or ''Konrad-Zuse-Zentrum für Informationstechnik Berlin'') is a research institute for applied mathematics and computer science on the campus of Freie Universität Berlin in Dahlem, Berlin, Germa ...

WIAS operates the Berlin mathematical center of excellence, MATHEON. Within the Leibniz Association WIAS coordinates a network “Mathematical Modeling and Simulation”.

Infrastructure

The total budget of the institute was 12.9 million euros in 2015, of which the federal and state governments, within the framework of the basic funding, financed 9.5 million euros equally. Approximately 150 people work at WIAS.

References

External links

Official website

Website of Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.
{{Authority control Research institutes in Germany Non-profit organisations based in Berlin 1992 establishments in Germany Scientific organizations established in 1992 Education in Berlin