Computer science in Dortmund has a long tradition. Some highlights from the early times of computers:

• one of the first data processing units of Germany – a magnetic drum computer – was installed in Dortmund,
• one of the first full-transistor computers in the world was installed in Dortmund, and
• in 1957, Germany’s first consulting company for computer technology, the Mathematischer Beratungs- und Programmierdienst (mbp GmbH), was founded. It was the first software company in Germany.

Northern campus of the TU Dortmund

The notion of networking was transferred to reality in 1984, when the Technology Centre Dortmund was founded, the nucleus of today’s IT community in Dortmund. The Technology Centre Dortmund supports entrepreneurs in the field of IT and some other high-tech areas in a number of ways. Around the Technology Centre Dortmund the Technology Park emerged. Today, the Park houses 225 IT companies and 8,500 employees. With companies operating in the fields of software development, telecommunication, multimedia, and electronics, this is one of the most successful technology parks in Germany and even in Europe. As a consequence of this development, more than 4,000 additional, i.e., non-technology jobs have been created in the city. With the vicinity to the University and the Department of Computer Science, the Technology Park provides an excellent infrastructure and a nurturing climate for successful IT businesses.

Located in the Technology Park Dortmund are also a number of highly interesting research institutes, like the Informatik Centrum Dortmund e. V. (ICD), which was founded by members of the Department of Computer Science, and the Fraunhofer-Institute for Software- und Systems Engineering (ISST). Further scientific institutes also maintain close co-operation with the Department of Computer Science.

Students' village at northern campus and technologypark

With 770 IT companies and 11,900 employees in these companies in 2006 it is obvious that computer science has proved to be a cornerstone in the shaping of a prosperous future for the whole region. From the perspective of students and graduates of computer science, these companies offer attractive and sustainable jobs.

Computer Science and IT Technology are also cornerstones of the so-called Dortmund-Project. This institution - organised as a public-private partnership - is a unique joint-initiative of the City of Dortmund, the regional business institutions and the science institutions. The main focus of the Dortmund-Project is to promote Information Technology, Microtechnology (MST), and e-Logistics as leading industries of the City.