IST Austria offers an attractive environment for excellent scientists from all over the world. It is an institute dedicated to basic research of the highest quality. It chooses its scientific fields on the basis of the availability of outstanding researchers. It will only enter into fields in which it can be second to none in the world. Its scientists are encouraged to pursue their own goals and their own ideas, independent of governmental and economical interests.

In fields that require specific expensive experimental facilities and infrastructure, IST Austria either provides its scientists with instrumentation that is second to none in the world or it will not enter into the field.

IST Austria will try to perform research activities in different fields of science, while maintaining a critical mass in certain areas. This dual purpose can be achieved by introducing complementary research topics from different disciplines, with novel direct interconnections among them.

IST Austria will foster both theoretical and experimental research, with an emphasis on close and meaningful collaborations between the two "camps" in a given research area.