Three renowned Saarland IT experts have again strongly impressed specialized journalists. In August 2011, the Computerwoche magazine listed them again among the 100 most significant persons of the German IT branch. Only 12 of these `100 top minds in IT` belong to science, and three of them alone come from Saarland. Concerning Professors August-Wilhelm Scheer and Michael Backes, their work at the Saarland University is emphasized. In case of Professor Wahlster, it is mainly his commitment for the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) , a university spin-off, that is pointed out.

Who are the leading heads in the information and telecommunication branch? Collecting the data, the key magazine Computerwoche took account of the following criteria:

• Which weight does the person´s voice have in the branch and beyond (society, politics, science) ?
• Can the person be called a visionary?
• How does the person behave in public, but also against customers, employees, and business partners ?
• Which concrete merits does the person have?
• How should the person´s economic success be evaluated ?
• How should the future role of this person in his/her environment be evaluated ?

For Computerwoche, Professor August-Wilhelm Scheer is the second most important personality in the IT sector in Germany after Hasso Plattner, the founder of SAP. The magazine calls the specialist for information systems and founder of IDS Scheer and other IT companies a scientist with practical orientation. The 70-year-old has trained over 20 professors at the Saarland University, and supported the creation of more than 20 research companies. `In doing so, he has always in his professional career been more interested in the big picture than in his own well-being `, so the editors. `Scheer explained, argued,  defended and marketed until even the last skeptic agreed `. A few weeks ago, Scheer has resigned from his office as president of the branch organization BITKOM. However, for Computerwoche, this does not mean retirement. His objective of a florishing and innovative IT industry in Germany, so the magazine, will remain.

Informatics Professor Michael Backes is listed at position 33. The 33-year-old was placed on the ranking for the second time. He is occupied with modern cryptography, and, in this context, deals e.g. with the question how the security of the new RFID technology can be assured. Moreover, he is a specialist for information security. This also comprises unusual attacks and the question how screens can be spied on. The young professor is a fellow at the Max Planck Society in Saarbrücken and, since, this year, also the director of the Center for IT-Security, Privacy and Accountability (CISPA). Michael Backes is a Saarlander, and studied Informatics and Mathematics in Saarbrücken from 1998 - 2001. One year later, already, he received a doctor´s degree. In 2005, at the age of 28, Michael Backes became Professor at the Saarland University. Asked by Computerwoche if Germany was an attractive place for scientists, he answered : `On the one hand, I enjoy the liberty of studying topics I am personally interested in. On the other hand, the close interaction of research and education is intriguing as young people are trained which will then stay in the research sector or be active in private industry.

Finally, Professor Wolfgang Wahlster is listed on rank 40. The 58-year-old is considered to be one of the most outstanding scientists in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Linguistics. In 1988, he was named Scientific Director of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Saarbrücken. Meanwhile, the Center is one of the major institutions of this kind worldwide. 800 scientists are doing research work at the DFKI - in Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, Bremen and Berlin. `The vicinity to private industry`, so Computerwoche, `matters to Professor Wahlster because only jointly, the best ideas can be converted into marketable innovations `. To believe the magazine, the DFKI raised third-party funds of roughly 36 million EUR in 2010 alone. The institute does not depend on basic financing by the State. Wahlster was awarded with numerous honorary doctorates and prizes such as the German Future Prize or the Federal Cross of Merit. The scientist was appointed member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm which awards the Nobel Prizes every year.