The ASSESS Initiative brings together key players to guide and influence strategies for software tools for modelbased analysis, simulation, and systems engineering. One of the core activities of the Initiative is the annual ASSESS Congress or Summit.

NAFEMS acquired the ASSESS initiative in 2022 and the 2023 ASSESS Congress took place this March in Atlanta, Georgia. As this is a new partnership, you might be curious about the ASSESS Congress and wondering what it is all about. Let's start with what the ASSESS Congress is not. The ASSESS Congress is not like the NAFEMS World Congress or any other technical conference with multiple tracks of technical presentations and panel sessions. Each year, it brings together a small group of thought leaders from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to collaborate in workshops and discussions with the aim of leading every aspect of engineering simulation toward a more valuable and accessible future. The key to this event is the participants' willingness and ability to leave egos and competition behind to focus on where and how the world of engineering simulation can improve.

The ASSESS Congress is an intensive single-track focused program limited to just over 100 participants, with two working session breakouts for each ASSESS theme. There are seven active ASSESS Themes, and each working session is limited to 15 participants – that is why we limit the total number of attendees. Each theme has a committee made up of volunteers who look to drive the conversation forward by meeting regularly online, working on several deliverables, and, crucially, meeting in person at the ASSESS Congress.