The Conference on Complex Systems 2017 was inaugurated today (CCS17) in Cancun, Mexico. This is the first time that this conference is presented in a Latin American country.

This conference is organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico  (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), one of the most important universities in Mexico, in particular by the Center of Complexity Sciences (C3), the Physics Institute and Applied Mathematics and Systems Institute.

The co-organizers José Luis Mateos and Carlos Gershenson presented the opening ceremony, they are researchers of the Physics Institute and Applied Mathematics and Systems respectively.

The director of the Physics Institute, Manuel Torres, the general coordinator of the Center of Complexity Sciences, Alejandro Frank, Yamir Moreno, president of the Society of Complex Systems and Elías Micha, coordinator of Science, Technology and Innovation at the Presidency of the Republic were present at the opening ceremony too.

For Yamir Moreno, the fact that the conference is being held in Mexico “will help promote the scientific work that is being developed in Latin America”.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome you -added Manuel Torres- CCS17 being held in Mexico is very special because the Physics Institute is one of the first institutes in Latin America where complex systems were studied”.

Alejandro Frank mentioned that the C3 is dedicated to the resolution of complex problems, which is a sample of the academic innovation that exists in Mexico.

In addition, this conference serves to promote a rapprochement between the scientific community and the authorities. That is why Elias Micha stressed the importance of this conference in Mexico "because science and technology are essential for the development of any country."

Many of the issues that complexity scientists are trying to solve are frontier issues of major international relevance, such as urban mobility or climate change. This is why we are forced to tackle them from different perspectives.