The performance of the Universität Karlsruhe in research and teaching sets standards up to the present day. It belongs nationally and internationally to the strongest research universities, as confirmed by an inquiry of the Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Community). The first German faculties for chemical engineering and for computer science were created in Karlsruhe in 1969 and 1972 respectively. They count among the best in Europe. The Rechenzentrum – Computing Center – is one of the largest and most innovative at German universities. In 2001, the Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Community) established one of their first research centers in Karlsruhe – the Centrum für Funktionelle Nanostrukturen, which counts among the largest nano-technological research institutions Europe-wide.
Traditional focal points of the Universität Karlsruhe are engineering, architecture and economics. Research focal points of the Universität Karlsruhe are, among others, Information and Communication Technology, Human Centered Computing, Energy Technology and Environmental Research, Catastrophe Research, Automation and Assembly Technology, Nano-technology, Material Research, Atomic and Astro-particle Research, Microstructure Technology and Traffic Science.
