Founded in October 2015, the IQD is a new interdisciplinary research and teaching institute bridging management and engineering by focusing at the intersection of Quality, Innovation and the Circular Economy.
You may find detailed information about the history, vision and research publications of the IQD, as well as an overview of our lectures via the menu bar at the top of this page.
A quick overview of our most important contact information is provided in the box to the right. Please visit our team site for more detailed contact information of our staff members.
For visitors from abroad we recommend to follow our travel guide which can be downloaded here:

Head of the Institute
Address
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz
Altenberger Straße 69
4040 Linz
Location
Science Park 3, 5. Floor, Room 521-2
Office times
Mo-Th:
07.30 am - 16.30 pm
Fr: 07.30 am - 12.00 pm
Phone number:
+43 732 2468 5521
Participation of the Institute for Integrated Quality Design (IQD) at the Cradle to Cradle Congress 2025
From 12 to 14 March 2025, the Institute for Integrated Quality Design (IQD) took part in the 9th International Cradle to Cradle Congress at TU Berlin. With around 80 top-class speakers and around 1,000 participants, the congress offered a platform for interdisciplinary exchange between business, science, politics and civil society to promote sustainable and circular innovations.
Professor Erik Hansen Named 2024 Highly Ranked Scholar by ScholarGPS
We are proud to announce that Professor Erik Hansen has been recognized as a 2024 Highly Ranked Scholar™ by ScholarGPS, placing him in the top 0.05% of scholars worldwide. This prestigious distinction highlights Professor Hansen's outstanding scholarly contributions, including the exceptional impact and quality of his research in the field of sustainability.
According to the latest ScholarGPS rankings, Professor Hansen is ranked #39 globally in the field of Sustainability based on his lifetime achievements. This honor reflects both his prolific publication record and his influence in advancing sustainability and circular economy research.
This recognition not only celebrates Professor Hansen’s individual accomplishments but also underscores the strength of Johannes Kepler University Linz in global academic scholarship. Congratulations to Professor Hansen on this remarkable achievement!

Professor Erik Hansen - winner of the Upper Austrian Achievement Award 2017
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Integrated Quality Design Project
Students analyse the meaning of the concepts Smart Products, Materials Circularity, Products-as-a-Service, or Beyond Obsolescence, and how these trends affect corporate product development. Based on this, they develop a guideline of a new service ("Innovation Audit") on the respective innovation trend for our corporate partner Quality Austria.
