Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science

What Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science does

The Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science (AICES) was a graduate school at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, established in 2006 as part of the German Excellence Initiative. It operated as a collaborative effort across 11 institutes drawn from multiple academic departments — including Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Philosophy, Business Sciences, Computer Science, and Medicine — making it an inherently interdisciplinary research and education unit. Its mission centered on training next-generation researchers in computational engineering science and bridging disciplinary gaps between mathematics, engineering, and computer science.

AICES was not a product or commercial enterprise; it did not develop or sell software, run commercial pricing models, or maintain a go-to-market function. Its core activity was graduate-level research training and doctoral education, supported by faculty affiliations across RWTH Aachen's Profilbereich Modeling & Simulation Sciences and connected to the broader JARA (Jülich Aachen Research Alliance) ecosystem. All operations were funded through public research grants — first via the German Excellence Initiative (2006) and then through the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a second funding phase starting in 2012.

The institute's DFG funding concluded in October 2019, marking the end of AICES as an independent graduate school. Its research mission was being absorbed into the School for Simulation and Data Science under JARA's Center for Simulation and Data Sciences (JARA CSD), a joint structure between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen. Operating status is therefore closed/transitioned as an independent entity, with no commercial revenue, customer base, or product portfolio to evaluate.

Name

Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science

Legal name

Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science

Website

https://aices.rwth-aachen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AICES was a publicly funded graduate school at RWTH Aachen University that provided interdisciplinary doctoral training and research in computational engineering science across 11 institutes; its DFG funding ended in October 2019.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Bruno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Funded by the German Excellence Initiative from 2006 and subsequently by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a second phase starting in 2012. Funding ended in October 2019.

Core offering

AICES runs an interdisciplinary PhD graduate program in Computational Engineering Science at RWTH Aachen University, combining structured coursework with research across 11 institutes in 4 academic departments. Its work spans multiscale modeling, optimization under uncertainty, and data-driven analysis methods. The institute was established and financed under the German Excellence Initiative and is being succeeded by the School for Simulation and Data Science within JARA CSD.

Product overview

AICES (Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science) was a graduate school established in 2006 under the German Excellence Initiative. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for two phases (2006-2012 and 2012-2019), AICES focused on computational engineering science research and education. Funding ended in October 2019, and the institute was being transferred to the School for Simulation and Data Science under JARA CSD (Center for Simulation and Data Sciences). AICES is not a product company; it is an academic research institution that provided graduate-level research and education programs in computational engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AICES PhD Graduate Program in Computational Engineering Science Structured interdisciplinary PhD training and research program in Computational Engineering Science at RWTH Aachen University, covering multiscale modeling, optimization under uncertainty, and data-driven analysis methods across civil engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
• AICES Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration Cross-departmental research collaboration consolidating computational engineering science expertise from 11 institutes across 4 RWTH Aachen faculties, with the institute being transferred into the School for Simulation and Data Science within JARA CSD.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RWTH Aachen UniversitycoreOthersAICES was established within and operated as an integral part of RWTH Aachen University, drawing on multiple faculties including Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Philosophy, Business Sciences, Computer Science, and Medicine.
• JARA (Jülich Aachen Research Alliance) - Center for Simulation and Data SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAICES is being transferred to the School for Simulation and Data Science under JARA's Center for Simulation and Data Sciences, representing a continuation of its research mission within a larger alliance between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences: German research institute focused on mathematical and computational methods applied to the sciences. Most direct peer to AICES: both are publicly funded German research centers bridging mathematics, computer science, and engineering disciplines with graduate training pipelines.
• Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems: Max Planck Institute focused on computational and mathematical methods for complex engineering and technical systems. Strongest peer match for AICES's specific focus on computational engineering science applied to physical/technical systems.
• JARA Center for Simulation and Data Sciences (CSD): Direct successor organization to AICES within the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance. Operates the School for Simulation and Data Science that absorbed AICES's research mission in 2019, making it the most directly comparable peer in mission and structure.
• Berlin Mathematical School: Graduate school in mathematics jointly run by Berlin's three universities, funded under the German Excellence Initiative. Most structurally comparable peer: same funding mechanism, same graduate-school mandate, same Excellence Initiative pedigree as AICES.
• Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS): Privately funded non-profit research institute doing computational research across the natural sciences. Comparable scale and mission to AICES — bridging mathematics, computer science, and scientific applications — though privately funded rather than via German Excellence Initiative.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing (SCAI): Applied research institute doing computational modeling, simulation, and algorithm development for engineering and scientific applications. Highly comparable to AICES's computational engineering science mandate, though more industry-facing and applied in orientation.
• Munich School of Engineering (TUM MSE): Interdisciplinary research and graduate school at the Technical University of Munich focused on engineering sciences. Comparable to AICES's interdisciplinary model spanning multiple engineering faculties and offering graduate research training.

Broad incumbents

• International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS): Network of graduate schools jointly run by Max Planck Institutes and German universities. Highly comparable structure to AICES — graduate research training, public funding, interdisciplinary science focus — though distributed across many institutions.
• Forschungszentrum Jülich: Large German Helmholtz research center and JARA co-founder alongside RWTH Aachen. Comparable as a publicly funded computational science powerhouse, though broader in scope (energy, info, matter) than AICES's focused computational engineering mandate.

Emerging players

• Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES) — UT Austin: International peer institution explicitly focused on computational engineering science research and graduate education. Directly mirrors AICES's name and mission, providing a strong international benchmark even though it operates outside Germany.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science