Abstract
Building-up and running a university-based research group is a multi-faceted undertaking. The visualization working group at TU Wien (vis-group) has been internationally active over more than 25 years. The group has been acting in a competitive scientific setting where sometimes contradicting multiple objectives require trade-offs and optimizations. Research-wise the group has been performing basic and applied research in visualization and visual computing. Teaching-wise the group has been involved in undergraduate and graduate lecturing in (medical) visualization and computer graphics. To be scientifically competitive requires to constantly expose the group and its members to a strong international competition at the highest level. This necessitates to shield the members against the ensuing pressures and demands and provide (emotional) support and encouragement. Internally, the vis-group has developed a unique professional and social interaction culture: work and celebrate, hard and together. This has crystallized into a nested, recursive, and triangular organization model, which concretizes what it takes to make a research group successful. The key elements are the creative and competent vis-group members who collaboratively strive for (scientific) excellence in a socially enjoyable environment. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Zhejiang University and Zhejiang University Press Co. Ltd.