The IT University aims at doing research that makes a significant contribution to Denmark’s ability to create value with IT.

Today, research from the IT University impacts how containers are stewed on container vessels round the globe, ethical considerations behind the development of computer games, work processes and it tools at hospitals, software development in small and large software companies, assistive technologies, use of mobile technologies and many other areas.
 
To have impact, the university’s research must be excellent by international standards and it must address challenges  that are relevant for the practical application and development of IT. As an example, research in the ethics of computer games addresses both an important concern about the long term influence on (young) computer games and the results from this research has received considerable internatiol recognition. Another example is research in trustworthy computing, e.g. critical applications like electronic elections and payment. This approach is formulated as the following principle:

"It is the goal of the IT University to do excellent research with respect to both its contribution of fundamental insight and its application to real-world problems."

The keyword is the word "and", i.e. researchers are motivated by research topics that are both relevant for stakeholders outside academia and make it possible to contribute with new academic insight.

Like most other human endeavors, research is becoming increasingly complex. Today, an excellent research group is expected to provide not only first-rate publications, but also graduate highly qualified PhDs, cooperate with external partners, disseminate research, appear in the media, stimulate innovation, and start new companies. This list of expectations to research is constantly growing. Therefore, a growing trend in modern research is to form groups often spanning more than one organisation. Hence, in addition to all the above, it becomes a requirement to be able to form and manage a research group. To live up to these diverse challenges, the IT University is emphasizing research leadership and project management. Leadership ensuring that the complex mixture of challenges are met and that research from the IT University is considered valuable to society.