International Experts Honor INFORM Founder for His Life’s Work
Oct 13, 2026
The International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS), the global umbrella organization for operations research (OR), will induct the Aachen-based scientist and INFORM founder into its Hall of Fame. By doing so, IFORS is recognizing a lifetime of work that has closely linked scientific research and practical application. Zimmermann’s idea to use OR's mathematical methods to optimize complex business decisions through software led to the creation of INFORM in 1969, and his vision continues to shape the company to this day.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Jürgen Zimmermann has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS). The longtime professor, chairholder at RWTH Aachen University, and founder of the Aachen-based software company had been informed of the decision prior to his death on May 14, 2026. The official induction ceremony took place on July 14, 2026, as part of the IFORS World Conference in Vienna.
The IFORS Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made a significant and lasting impact on operations research through their research, applications, teaching, and development and international dissemination of the discipline. Zimmermann achieved this over the course of more than five decades. From 1967 to 1999, he taught operations research at RWTH Aachen University. During this time, he published more than 260 scientific papers and 40 books and further developed mathematical methods for decision-making under complex conditions. He played a pivotal role in fostering international collaboration within his field. In 1975, he became the inaugural president of EURO, the European umbrella organization for operations research. From 1980 to 1983, he served as vice president of the global IFORS.
From Mathematical Research to Business Practice
Zimmermann believed that research findings should improve practical applications. This conviction motivated him to found INFORM. He articulated his goal as follows: "I wanted to prove that operations research can help companies make better decisions."
Operations research maps complex planning and decision-making problems onto mathematical models. In doing so, relevant constraints, such as delivery dates, available machinery, transportation capacities, and costs, can be considered simultaneously. Algorithms then use this information to determine the course of action that best fulfills a given objective under these conditions.
In 1969, Zimmermann founded INFORM in Aachen to apply this approach to business practices. At a time when artificial intelligence was virtually unknown, Zimmermann and his company succeeded in integrating OR methods into IT systems for industrial applications. Zimmermann remained closely associated with INFORM until his death, serving on the company’s scientific advisory board. Today, INFORM employs over 1,000 people and serves more than 2,000 customers worldwide. Operations research and mathematical optimization continue to form the technological core of its software.
"By inducting him into the Hall of Fame, IFORS recognizes that Prof. Zimmermann always combined scientific curiosity with the need to develop solutions for real-world problems," says Dr. Andreas Meyer, co-CEO of INFORM GmbH. "This pioneering spirit continues to shape our company to this day. We see it as our mission to identify new technological possibilities early on, carefully evaluate them, and make them usable in practice.”
The IFORS Hall of Fame was established in 2003. Since resuming the honors in 2023, a maximum of three new members have been inducted every three years. Zimmermann’s induction honors his scientific achievements and his long-term contributions to operations research, including its application and international collaboration.