For SAP, as an enterprise software company, the development of next generation applications is a main emphasis. Therefore, SAP Research is continuously working on the improvement of existing applications, as well as on the development of new applications aimed at existing and/or new markets. Moreover, the research activities cover all sizes of target customers ranging from small business and midsize companies to large enterprises.

One of the most promising areas of innovation, for instance, is developing a next generation application for manufacturing. The current market for business solutions for the manufacturing industry is fragmented and dominated by small vendors. SAP towers above its competitors with a broad offering of manufacturing solutions. But the manufacturing market is in no way static. First, the amount of information content in products is increasing, ranging from embedded information technology to simple but critical traceability data frequently included in today's consumer products. Second, in the market, there are opportunities inherent in transforming industrial workers into information workers by empowering them with extended information and knowledge that enhances their ability to perform their jobs.

Another challenging research area is the topic of technologies for emerging economies. A research focus on appropriate technology for developing regions, its acceptance, and its effective utilization ensures an expert understanding of the growing technology needs of developing regions. This research focus is expected to afford billions of underprivileged people in these regions the opportunity to use technology to improve their quality of life – opening new markets for technology providers. The outcomes of research are also likely to impact the thinking and solutions developed by highly-skilled workers in the developed country's "Silicon Valleys," specifically in respect to solution relevance and simplification.