By pursuing an interdisciplinary approach, the IDC aims to address the challenges presented by the industrial and demographic changes currently taking place throughout the world. The long-term survival of high-technology regions on the global market requires the exploitation of existing know-how, the development of a higher degree of automation and improvements in the intelligent, efficient and flexible integration of production systems, resources and facilities. An industrial society with an ageing population must seek both to transform its production and labour market structures and to develop integrated systems for the provision of services and commodities. Beginning with an analysis of regional potential, current research activities aim to develop a range of approaches to tackle these complex problems.