It is our pleasure to welcome all of you to the 9th IFAC Symposium on Nonlinear Control Systems (NOLCOS 2013) organized by LAAS-CNRS, Toulouse, France. This edition follows a successful series of symposia previously held in Bologna (I) 2010, Pretoria (ZA) 2007, Stuttgart (DE) 2004, Saint-Petersburg (RUS) 2001, Enschede (NL) 1998, Lake Tahoe (USA) 1995, Bordeaux (F) 1992, and Capri (I) 1988.

 

Following the NOLCOS tradition, the Symposium addresses significant challenges in various fields of nonlinear control by focusing on the latest developments in theory and applications of nonlinear control systems, as well as related areas of research and engineering. The Symposium represents a remarkable opportunity to gather together senior and young researchers sharing the passion for the study of nonlinear phenomena. The organization of the scientific program and of the social activities of NOLCOS 2013 has been specifically arranged in order to facilitate this interaction, to create new opportunities of collaboration, and to stimulate cross-fertilization among different nonlinear control areas.

 

With more than 200 papers received from more than 37 contributing countries, NOLCOS reaffirms itself as one of the most distinguished IFAC events and testifies to the importance of nonlinear control in the international scientific community. About 850 reviewers have been involved in the technical assessment of the submitted papers. As a result, about 500 reviews have been received, which led to the acceptance of 138 papers constituting the final program of NOLCOS 2013. The scientific program spans three days, with three plenary talks, six semi-plenary talks, and three sessions in parallel with regular and invited talks. As a further distinguished feature of this edition of NOLCOS, three tutorial workshops take place the day before the Symposium.

 

A noteworthy automatic control tradition characterizes the industrial area surrounding Toulouse, with world-renowned industries, in particular the aerospace industries. The scientific program and the social events of NOLCOS 2013 testifies of this history, culture and industrial tradition that we hope you experience during the Symposium.

 

We hope you enjoy NOLCOS 2013 and have an unforgettable stay in Toulouse.