
Who are we ?
The XSYS – Toulouse Institute for Complex Systems Studies, brings together key players of Toulouse and the Occitanie Region with complementary expertises to build transversal methodological approaches in order to work on the inherent complexity of the key societal challenges.
In addition to the global renewal of the scientific approach, the XSYS has defined three primary research topics closely aligned with the local resources and the significance of academic, societal and economic challenges at the regional level :
The Mission
Our Fields of action and projects
The XSYS – Toulouse Institute for Complex Systems Studies, supports its members and regional stakeholders by providing them expertises on the understading and implementation of complex systems through a varied offer adapted to the needs of the different targeted audiences.
The XSYS has defined three key fields of action :

Science & Interdisciplinarity
Science & Non academic partnerships
Science & Society
To know more on the fields of action and projects : click here
Our Vision
“Bring together diversity to serve complexity”
The understanding of complex systems and their applications affect all the actors of the society : development issue for public authorities (collectivities), a preliminary requirement for the optimisation or creation of innovative services and technologies for the econonic stakeholders, a challenge to achieve excellence for the research teams.
The XSYS vision is to become a key ecosystem for complexity science in France by developing innovative interdisciplinary scientific approaches of complex environments and accompany its members and stakeholders in order to understand, analyse, design and act in complex worlds in order to participate in the deploiement of sustainable solutions to the societal, economical, environmental challenges of our societies.
The XSYS is dedicated to :
- Promoting the development of an integrated interdisciplinary approach by linking and reconciling the traditional scientific disciplines in order to better understand the key complex scientific and societal issues
- Accompanying the development of concepts, tools and methodologies on complex science by fostering the dialogue and supporting the integration of the diverse expertises of all the actors in order to face the challenges that the complex phenomenon can cause in many areas
- Building scientific capabilities and sharing and transfering skills and tools with the non academic communities in order to act on complexity challenges in the economic, environmental and societal areas
- Structuring a knowledge and value chain related to a renewed approach on complexity that involves all the stakeholders in the region and beyond
- Promoting and highlighting the renewal of the scientific approach on complex systems within the academic, insitutional and economic worlds
- Contributing to the national and international outreach thanks to the expertise and value created around complexity
Our Organisation
The XSYS brings together local « complex systems » experts in all their diversity and harness their competencies to serve scientific research and its region :

14 Research Units
20 companies & clusters
10 local authorities
Governed by a steering committee of 15 members, that represent the local scientific, institutional and economic communities, the XSYS is supported by a high level international scientific committee at the forefront of reseach on complex systems. The objective is to develop a science strategy to address of scientific research and applications that will help analysing, designing, optimising and acting in complex environments.
The XSYS is a member of the National Complex Systems Network (Réseau National des Systèmes Complexes), the French network coordinating and promoting the initiatives, knowledge and competencies on complex systems.
Click here to discover the Steering Committee
Click here to discover the Scientific Committee
Our Expertise
Our Research teams
The XSYS is an open and inclusive dynamic initiative composed by a heart of 14 Research Units, 3 Engineering Schools, 3 technology plateforms (NeOCampus, ITAV, CBI) that play a leading role at the national or international level. The core of the XSYS gathers more than 200 scientific experts.
The XSYS is supported by an extended circle of partners involving 30 laboratories and scientific structures that represent 300 additional scientists that regularly contribute to the research projects.
The XSYS brings together reknown teams in the fields of :

Physics & Engineering Sciences
Bio-technology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Mecanics, Nano-technology, Physics, Material Science…
Earth & Life Sciences
Agriculture, Biology, Ecology, Medecine, Health, Earth Sciences, Zoology…
Social Sciences & Humanities
Anthropology, Archeology, Economy, Geography, Histoiry, Litterature, Psychology, Management Sciences, Sociology, Urbanism…
Our Offer
In order to answer to the various challenges and questions on complexity brought up by its different stakeholders, the XSYS develops unique and customised projects and services by calling in in an interdisciplinary manner approach the most relevant quantitative and qualitative and mobilising the adequate tools or building new ones.
Thanks to the diversity of expertises its gathers, the XSYS is able to shade light on complexity in order to provide its stakeholders a better understanding of his environment and ways to leverage its inherent complexity.