In line with the tradition of technical universities, the Institute of Management and Economics is aligned quantitatively, with an analytically-optimizing and an experimental component.

The emphasis of optimization is placed on resource-constrained project planning, plant utilization planning of the process industry, workforce planning, and the development of innovative approaches to the optimization of supply chains. Experimental economics is another focus area. Since 2002, the Institute has conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the realistic effects of theoretical questions. The continuous development of the Institute has yielded a third focus area: knowledge- and values-based leadership.

In order to foster the traditionally strong interdisciplinary collaboration with the engineering and scientific departments, the Institute of Management and Economics is contributing to the establishment of the “Energy Research Centre of Lower Saxony (EfZN)” and the Simulation Science Center at TU Clausthal.