The OFFIS - Institute for Computing Science was opened on 29 January 1992.

Anyone studying at the University of Oldenburg today is unlikely to come into contact with clunky CRT monitors like the one in the photo. But in the 1990s, IT was still a young subject - and the researchers at OFFIS were right in the middle of it. The first Chairs of the association behind OFFIS were three Computing Science graduates from the university: Prof Dr Volker Claus, Prof Dr Wolfgang Kowalk and Prof Dr Hans-Jürgen Appelrath. Initially located on Westerstraße, OFFIS moved to the site of the former meat processing factory (Alte Fleiwa) in the Haareneschviertel in 1994. Today, it is an important part of the Alte Fleiwa innovation quarter.

OFFIS has long played an important role in Computing Science research both in Germany and internationally. Its work focuses on the areas of energy, society, health and production. It is also a centre of excellence for selected application areas of Computing Science. OFFIS researchers are working on smart city concepts, intelligent energy networks and the improved utilisation of health data, for example. With around 250 employees, OFFIS is the university's largest affiliated institute. Like all affiliated institutes, it plays an important role in research cooperation and is mainly active outside of basic research. A list of the University of Oldenburg's affiliated institutes can be found here.