The International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR) is an international federation for global and local societies in the field of systems science. This federation is a non-profit, scientific and educational agency founded in 1980, and constituted of some thirty member organizations around the globe. .
The overall purpose of the Federation is to advance cybernetic and systems research and systems applications and to serve the international systems community as a peakbody. For this purpose the federation wants to coordinate systems research among member organizations. They are focused on the organization and sponsorship of research and development, international meetings and workshops in the field. More specifically, the federation wants to develop and promote international programs and publications in the area of systems research and applications.
Other tasks include the development and promotion of:
For its member organizations the federation seeks coordinating programs and provides assistance to them.
The IFSR was founded on 12 March 1980 by the American Society for General Systems Research (now ISSS), the Austrian Society for Cybernetic Studies, and the Dutch Systems Group with George Klir as first president of the IFSR.[1] The International Academy for Systems and Cybernetic Sciences (IASCYS) was founded 2010 by the International Federation for Systems Research.
The IFSR is a member organizations of over thirty systems science organizations worldwide:[2]
The IFSR Journal of Systems Research was established in 1984 but was merged with the International Society for the Systems Sciences's Journal of Behavioural Science in 1997, forming the Journal of Systems Research and Behavioural Science.[3] The Journal aims to stimulate disciplined inquiry and provides transdisciplinary focus for the exchange of ideas and knowledge; relating to the analysis, design, development, and management of systems and programs. The journal (ISSN 1092-7026), is edited by Michael C. Jackson and is published six times a year.
This IFSR Book Series provides a publication avenue for high quality systems literature. George Mobus (University of Washington at Tacoma) is the current Editor-in-Chief (see Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board) of the book series. Until 2016, George Klir (State University New York City, Springer Publishing) was the editor. At the time, the editorial board for the IFSR International book series[4] included:
The IFSR Newsletter is the informal newsletter of the IFSR (hard copy: ISSN 1818-0809, online: ISSN 1818-0817), published once or twice a year since 1981, edited by Paul F de. P. Hanika (1981–1985), Robert Trappl (1985), Steven Sokoloff (1986 – 1994), Gerhard Chroust (1993–2018) and Louis Klein (2019-present).[5] The newsletter informs member societies about new academic work, updates on fellow member societies and prominent scientists, updates on past systems conferences and plans for future conferences. Back issues of newsletters are available on the IFSR.org web site.
The Conversations, initially held in Fuschl near Salzburg, Austria, were established by the IFSR in 1980 and are held biennially. The Conversations convene approximately 30 - 40 systems scientists from around the world to discuss systemic issues and develop understanding relevant for society and its environment. The last IFSR Conversation was held in 2016 in St. Magdalena, Linz, Austria. Work is currently underway, post pandemic, in planning alternative formats IFSR Conversation.
The Conversations were established primarily under the guidance of Bela H. Banathy, as an alternative to traditional conferences.[6] A number of systems professionals found that they were disillusioned with a format in which the majority of the time was spent on papers being read or presented to passive listeners, with minimal time for discussion and interaction about the ideas. As described by Bela, they were to be:
"Conversations were introduced by Bela H. Banathy around 1980 as an alternative to the classical conferences which usually consist only of presentation of streamlined papers and short question slots. In a Conversation a small group of systems scientists and practitioners meets for several days to discuss in a self-guided way a topic of scientific and social importance. A Conversations is preceded by an intensive off-line preparation phase (including exchanges of ‘input papers’), followed by the face-to-face discussion at the Conversation and followed by a post-conversation consolidation period. No papers are presented during the conversation, the participants discuss face-to-face their topic, often modifying it in the course of the conversation."[7]
The results of the conference are published in the Proceedings of the IFSR Conversations. This document publishes the team reports plus several contributed papers. A short description of the IFSR's activities completes the proceedings. The Proceedings are distributed to member societies and conference attendees. The 2012 Proceedings are available at: The Proceedings of the IFSR Conversation 2012, St. Magdalena, Linz. The 2014 Proceedings are available at: [4]. The 2016 Proceedings are available through print-on-demand at 2016 IFSR Conversation Proceedings: Systems Literacy. Proceedings prior to 2012 are available online in the Archives section of the IFSR website (see http://www.ifsr.org/index.php/publications/conversations/).
The Conversations have led to significant development of a theoretical basis for Systems Engineering, progress in the evolution of Cybernetics to Second Order Science, continuing elucidation of GST* (General Systems Theory), and informing Systems Research (https://www.springer.com/us/book/9789811002625). These developments are described in the IFSR Newsletter [5].
More prominent system scientists have been officers of the IFSR since 1980.[5] Presidents of the federation were:[8]
On April 7, 2010 the General Assembly of the IFSR approved the founding of the International Academy for Systems and Cybernetic Sciences (IASCYS).[9]
IASCYS aims to honor and activate outstanding members of IFSR member-associations. While no one can apply for membership in IASCYS as an individual, every member association of the IFSR can suggest candidates in an official letter supplying data on the candidate's scientific and professional achievements in accordance with the criteria of the IASCYS.
IASCYS fills the gap resulting from the failure of national and international academies of sciences and arts to include systems and cybernetics in their list of sciences and arts.
In order to honor the most distinguished systems and cybernetics professionals and simultaneously to promote the systems thinking world view, each year during a ceremonial assembly, a selected academic receives the Bertalanffy/Wiener medal of the Academy.
The officers of the IASCYS Executive Committee are: