Method for calibrating a technical system, particularly an internal combustion engine, a transmission, a hybrid drive, an air conditioning of a vehicle, an electronically controllable suspension, or a vehicle steering system, which is controlled by a number k of control variables (u k ) of the technical system and, in dependence of the control variables (u k ) of the technical system, an operating point results in the form of a number m of state variables (v m ) of the technical system, wherein, during the calibration, the control variables (u k ) of the technical system are determined in an operating point by optimization while observing specified auxiliary conditions (h, g), said control variables (u k ) being optimal with regard to at least one output variable (y) of the technical system, wherein it is checked with an auxiliary condition (g) of the optimization whether new control variables (u) of the technical system calculated during the optimization lie within a data envelope D around a number of existing data points ( x n ) of the technical system, characterized in that a d-dimensional calibration space K, which comprises the calibration variables k v required for the calibration in the form of required control variables of the technical system and required state variables of the technical system, is divided into a first sub-calibration space K sub with a dimension d sub < d and at least one further sub-calibration space K sub2 , in that - subsets with a number e, preferably e = 2, of calibration variables k v are determined through combinatorial variations and from the resulting e-dimensional relationships B v of calibration variables k v and by means of the existing data points ( x n ) of the technical system, an e-dimensional data envelope D v is calculated for each e-dimensional relationship B v , - the volume content F v of the data envelope D v is checked for each e-dimensional data envelope D v , - the d sub calibration variables k v , which are assigned to the e-dimensional data envelopes D v with the smallest volume contents F v , are selected for the first sub-calibration space K sub , - the remaining d - d sub calibration variables k v are assigned to the at least one further sub-calibration space K sub2 or are divided into several further sub-calibration spaces K sub2 , and - a d sub -dimensional data envelope D sub is calculated using the available data points ( x n ) of the technical system at least for the first sub-calibration space K sub and is checked during the calibration as an auxiliary condition g. - subsets with a number e, preferably e = 2, of calibration variables k v are determined through combinatorial variations and from the resulting e-dimensional relationships B v of calibration variables k v and by means of the existing data points ( x n ) of the technical system, an e-dimensional data envelope D v is calculated for each e-dimensional relationship B v , - the volume content F v of the data envelope D v is checked for each e-dimensional data envelope D v , - the d sub calibration variables k v , which are assigned to the e-dimensional data envelopes D v with the smallest volume contents F v , are selected for the first sub-calibration space K sub , - the remaining d - d sub calibration variables k v are assigned to the at least one further sub-calibration space K sub2 or are divided into several further sub-calibration spaces K sub2 , and - a d sub -dimensional data envelope D sub is calculated using the available data points ( x n ) of the technical system at least for the first sub-calibration space K sub and is checked during the calibration as an auxiliary condition g. <EOS>