Four years after the Vienna Mathematical Congress, the executive board of the Austrian Mathematical Society and the presiding committee of the German National Mathematical Society (Deutsche Mathematikervereinigung) as well as the local organising committee invite all people with a particular interest in mathematics to an international meeting in Klagenfurt. For the first time, the Alps-Adria University of Klagenfurt 
will form the scene of these traditional joint meetings.
Situated at the border of German speaking countries to the Southeast, since earliest times Carinthia has been a transit region for Europe, and a catalyst between the three great European cultures, namely the German, the Slavic, and the Roman cultures, which come here together.
Our young university is devoted to support, extend and tighten old cultural relations at the crossing point of cultures. To signify the importance of that endeavour, it has recently changed its name to Alps-Adria University. Accordingly, we plan to integrate mathematicians especially from our Southeastern European neighbours whom we cordially invite herewith to this congress.
The increasing role of computers in business, industry, trade, and in financial markets enables the application of algorithms for calculation, optimisation and simulation ever increasing in complexity. Accordingly, the importance of mathematics has risen extraordinarily in recent years. 
The challenge from applications will be met at this congress by various sessions and especially by the so-called minisymposia; we are proud that the world's largest scientific society devoted to applications, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) is co-organising our congress. Of course, traditional topics of mathematical research will not be neglected at all.
As the role of mathematics has changed so rapidly and nearly unnoticed by the broad public, there seems to be an urgent need to provide this new image to the young people. This is why we organize a special day for students at secondary schools, in order to win them for studying mathematics later.
The tightened relation to applications and the new role for mathematics necessitates, however, also a new approach towards teaching it. At the university of Klagenfurt, this challenge from education has been taken serious since its beginning days, as our university had a special mandate for "Bildungswissenschaften" as one of major reasons to be founded. Therefore, one session will focus on educational topics. One day is intended to meet problems of secondary school teachers. Another day will take up the challenge of the Universities of Applied Sciences (the so-called Fachhochschulen) with their special needs and problems.
The congress will be opened on Monday at 9. For those who arrive on Sunday, an Informal Welcome will offer an opportunity for getting familiar with the scene.
With the recent enlargement of our buildings, we will be able to organize nearly the full program in the main building with its modern facilities and lecture halls.
A challenging scientific and a relaxing social program should form the congress to an event you should remember for long.
We are looking forward to meeting you in Klagenfurt,
the local organizers
