FIR (FIR at RWTH Aachen)

FIR is a research institute at RWTH Aachen University, based in Aachen, Germany. Its work sits at the intersection of information technology, manufacturing engineering and business, where it develops practical methods and approaches that help companies carry out digital transformation. The institute's output is applied rather than purely theoretical: research is directed at real operational problems in industry, with the aim of bridging the gap between academic findings and the needs of practitioners.

Technical domains covered by the institute include digital transformation, Industry 4.0, process intelligence, digital innovation, artificial intelligence and the circular economy, alongside IT, manufacturing engineering and business process optimisation. Work is aimed at companies in manufacturing and healthcare, among other sectors. The principal product is a set of digital transformation methods and approaches designed to help firms modernise their operations, translating research results into tools that can be used outside the university.

FIR operates as an academic institution affiliated with RWTH Aachen University and is structured around collaboration between students, researchers and industry partners. Interdisciplinary work across IT, manufacturing and business is a defining feature of how the institute is organised, and its research programme is explicitly oriented towards applied, practice-oriented outcomes.