Abstract
The article traces the historical-organizational development of Eurac Research, both from a functionalist and an intentionalist point of view. This means that no inevitability of the development process is assumed, but rather the specific conditions of its path dependencies are examined, and the respective profiles of the fields of work and research are reconstructed. Particular attention is paid to Eurac Research’s resilience strategies and problem-solving competence as a central part of its “seat in life” within regional political and social conditions. The central starting point of this approach is the categorical distinction between academy and university, whereby the deeper perception of this difference of research vs. teaching is of crucial importance for the not always favorable South Tyrolean perception of science and the fractured scientific landscape of the European region of Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. The prehistory of the building itself and its exemplary transformation under the sign of civilization and democratization will also be considered, as the buildings of Eurac Research, now a campus-like topography, have a lasting influence on the everyday practice of the staff.