Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Dear Scientists and World Travelers,
Already two years have passed since I took of-
fice as President of IFAC and I am once more
surprised how time flies! This also implies that
the World Congress taking place 12-17 July
2020 is coming closer and closer. Besides the
fact that - for the organizing team - this results
in even more work, commitment and time, this
also means that the excitement and the thrill
of anticipation grows exponentially: Only 11
more months until the World Congress 2020
in Berlin!! The IFAC World Congress marks
the biggest and most important meeting of its
kind, promising to be a unique experience for
everyone interested in automation, systems
and control, newest innovations and tools, sci-
entific discussions and inspiring presentations.
As well as for the inclined travelers interested
in culture, history, art, lifestyle, or more general
memories and experiences that last for a life-
time. I hope you are already as excited as I am
and you’re sedulously working on your paper
submission(s) as the deadline is 31 October.
If, surprisingly, you don’t have a suitable con-
tribution in form of a manuscript by Halloween,
then don’t worry, we’ve got another treat for
you. On top of the usual paper submission,
which will be published open access in Science
Direct via IFAC-PapersOnLine, there is a variety
of other opportunities to take an active role in
the World Congress. Late February, for exam-
ple, there is another deadline for ‘Late Break-
ing Results’ for your most recent ideas, which
will be presented at the congress if accepted
but will not be published in the congress pro-
ceedings or online. Furthermore, there will be
technical competitions as well as a video clip
contest. So, if you consider yourself an expert
in fault-tolerant control and fault isolation, race
car or drone control, for example, or you are
a creative mind with advanced video clipping
skills, then fame and glory might await you at
the World Congress. Another possibility to gain
a spot on the stage at the World Congress is
the IFAC Control Orchestra. The idea is to bring
together passionate musicians among the
World Congress participants, practice on site
during the IFAC World Congress and then per-
form live for all the Congress attendees during
the closing ceremony. If you’re interested but
you did not sign up yet, this is the link for you:
www.ifac2020.org/events.
Even though the World Congress lasts a total
of five days, it is actually a challenge for us to
fit all formats, ideas, competitions, social gath-
erings, presentations and special sessions into
this week. And I don’t want to withhold my per-
sonal highlight from you: There will be a floating
pool at the river ‘Spree’ at the banquet (which
is by the way also included in the student regis-
tration). With the current summer temperatures
in Germany, jumping in such a pool sounds just
like the perfect refreshment!
With the best wishes from sunny Stuttgart,
Frank Allgöwer
August 2019 From the IFAC President
Berlin is calling!