The University of Innsbruck was founded in 1669 and is the biggest and most important research and education institution in western Austria, currently comprising more than 28,000 students and more than 4,500 staff and faculty members. Fusion-relevant research began in the 1960s in the department for plasma physics at the Institute for Theoretical Physics. Nowadays, research on fusion-relevant topics is consolidated at the Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, with a focus on understanding and control of complex physical interactions. The research areas range from basic experimental and theoretical research to applications, and cover molecular physics, bio physics, nano physics, physical chemistry, environmental physics as well as aspects of astro physics, plasma physics and biology.