The FIM Institute was established in 1982/-83 by the Austrian Ministry of Science and was named, at the time, Research Institute for Microprocessor Technology. The institute's main research during that period was done in the area of microprocessors and their applications in embedded systems. In the early 90's the FIM Institute intensified its research in the area of software with a strong emphasis on Networks and Network Security, as well as Agent and Adaptive Systems. Approximately at that time, the Institute's name was changed to Institute for Information Processing and Microprocessor Technology, the abbreviation FIM, however, was kept. FIM has always been engaged in technology transfer, in cooperation with small and medium sized enterprises in particular. As a result, FIM has a long tradition in cooperative project work with industry participation.