Fundamental research pushes the frontiers of our knowledge. Inspiration and vision lead us to ask questions beyond our current understanding. Scientific discoveries cannot be planned, and are only seldom foreseen - they grow out of the creativity, courage and intellectual independence of researchers. Pushing forward at the threshold of the unknown, basic research is the foundation for development, new insights, and new ways of seeing the world - it is the source of positive change and progress.
The interaction between research in the natural sciences and in the social and political sciences can be fruitful and inspiring for both sides. Many questions, though different in their application, go back to a common base: the emergence of new phenomena in large systems, phase transitions and critical thresholds, equilibrium processes, and optimization, to name a few. The examination of these similarities, the creation of a common language, and the identification of relevant system characteristics are the building blocks of applications in real life.
The subsections below briefly introduce some of the areas lying within the scope of the Institute's mission
- Networks
- Complexity
- Stability, Feedback and Resilience
- Modeling
|
|
Last Updated ( Sunday, 27 July 2008 )
|
