 Many have outstanding properties that are not otherwise found in nature.The design, growth, and exploration of such electron systems are at the focus of the Department of Solid State Quantum Electronics spearheaded by Klaus von Klitzing.Directed by Walter Metzner, Electronic properties of solids are analyzed and computed in the Department of Quantum Many-Body Theory with a main emphasis on systems where electronic correlations play a crucial role, such as cuprates, manganites and other transition metal oxides.