It is a great privilege and pleasure to extend a warm welcome to the control scientists, engineers, and students to attend the 23rd IFAC World Congress in Busan, Republic of Korea. This highly anticipated event will be held from August 23 to August 28, 2026.

The IFAC World Congress is the most prestigious gathering within our control community, taking place once every three years. All previous congresses have consistently provided exceptional academic and social experiences, fostering connections among brilliant researchers and offering a platform for knowledge sharing. Despite the challenges posed by remote meetings during the COVID-affected time, our eagerness to convene in person in Yokohama in 2023 and in Busan in 2026 has only grown stronger.

Busan, the second-largest city in Korea, offers a captivating blend of modernity and natural beauty. With its stunning white-sand beaches, it serves as a favorite vacation spot for many. The congress will take place at BEXCO, Busan's state-of-the-art conference center, which features more than forty meeting rooms capable of accommodating up to ten thousand participants. We are committed to delivering exciting programs of technical sessions and enjoyable social events, providing an enriching experience for all attendees.

We invite you to present your best work at the congress and engage in fruitful discussions with fellow researchers and get feedback in your work. Together, let us seize this opportunity to deepen our friendship with those from all of the world, forge new collaborations, and contribute to the advancement of our field.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 23rd IFAC World Congress in Busan, where knowledge, innovation, and friendship will feedback and converge in a truly memorable event.

Welcome to the IFAC World Congress 2026!

In this era of abundant information and endless learning opportunities, the challenge lies not in accessing knowledge, but rather in retaining and internalizing what we learn. Recent research suggests that a new and distinctive environment can greatly reinforce memorization. With this understanding in mind, I, as the General Chair of the conference, along with the entire Organizing Committee, am committed to creating a truly exceptional and unforgettable experience at IFAC World Congress 2026 in Busan.

Our goal is to provide a unique environment that will enhance your memory of the valuable knowledge and experiences gained during the congress. We strive to achieve this in a way that sparks creativity and encourages active participation. By stepping outside the boundaries of traditional conferences, we aim to deliver an event that goes beyond a mere gathering of professionals. We envision an immersive and transformative journey, one that will leave an indelible mark on your professional growth and personal development.

However, we cannot accomplish this vision without your active involvement and support. We invite you to join us on this extraordinary adventure, where innovative ideas, cutting-edge research, and collaborative discussions converge. Together, we can shape the future of automation and control systems, while simultaneously creating memories that will stay with us for a lifetime.

So mark your calendars, spread the word, and prepare yourself for an unforgettable experience at IFAC World Congress 2026 in Busan. We eagerly anticipate your presence and look forward to embarking on this memorable journey with you.

It is with great pleasure that I extend my warm invitation to the 23rd IFAC World Congress (IFAC WC 2026) in Busan. As the IPC Chair, I am fully dedicated to overseeing the comprehensive technical program of IFAC WC 2026, which will encompass five distinct categories of technical papers: regular papers, invited session papers, open invited track session papers, demonstrator contribution papers, and dissemination papers. Traditionally, the IFAC World Congress attracts papers through the organization of invited sessions and open invited track sessions. I would be immensely grateful if you could take the initiative to organize these special sessions. Furthermore, it is increasingly important to showcase your research through demonstrator contribution papers and dissemination papers. We wholeheartedly welcome your participation in these avenues to present your valuable work.

Additionally, we are eager to explore novel ideas and concepts through special events. We actively seek innovative contributions in the form of competition sessions, idea sharing sessions, industrial connection sessions, and collaboration sessions. If you have any ideas for these special sessions, I kindly encourage you to reach out to me. 

The IFAC WC 2026 is an event created for and by professionals like yourself, and our primary goal is to ensure its utmost value and benefit to you. We sincerely hope you will join us at IFAC WC 2026.