On 1 January 2011, the three partial Institutes for Materials Research (IMF I-III), the Institute for Ceramics in Mechanical Engineering (IKM), the Institute for Reliability of Components and Systems (izbs) and the Institute of Materials Science I (IWK I) have joined forces to form  the Institute for Applied Materials (IAM).

The partial Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (IAM-WK) focuses on research, teaching and innovation in the field of material structure. Thus the process-, structure- and characteristic-relations are derived. The development of mechanical, thermal and combined methods for the influence of mechanical characteristics are advanced and methods for the characterization of microstructure, stress state and near surface conditions of metallic and polymeric materials, composites and components made from these materials are promoted. Furthermore, practices are developed for the testing of materials and components under different load conditions, especially at dynamic, cyclic and combined loading. With the help of the characterization methods mentioned above these practices are used for the mechanism-oriented assessment of the deformation and failure behaviour. These activities are completed by simulations for the description of work processes and mechanical loading on the basis of mechanism-oriented, micromechanical methods. Thus, the interaction between microstructure and mechanical characteristics as well as between surface and mechanical characteristics is described. The knowledge obtained by this allows for the maximum utilization of a material in a component and for the creation of materials understanding in the product development process.