The series of International Colloquia on Group Theoretical Methods in Physics was initiated in 1972 following the efforts of Henri Bacry in Marseille and Aloysio Janner in Nijmegen. The aim was to provide a forum for physicists interested in group theoretical methods which were mostly represented at that time by various communities, elementary particle theorists and phenomenologists, nuclear and atomic physicists and solid state specialists. Also mathematicians were eager to apply newly developed group theoretical techniques and algebraic structures.
The annual Colloquia developed in an international series in the field of group theory in its widest sense and have earned a strong scientific reputation around the world. It has become a bi-annual Colloquium since 1990 (Group18 Moscow). The list of the venues and corresponding proceedings confirms the claim of geographical and scientific diversity.
Currently the ICGTMP attract theoretical and experimental physicists, mathematicians and scientists in related disciplines who are interested in the latest methods and applications of group theory in its widest sense.
The ICGTMP Standing Committee is the organizing body of the series of colloquia which oversees and maintains the continuity of the series. It places equal importance on the interest of physicists to approach physical problems using novel mathematical settings and the interest of mathematicians to construct new mathematical frameworks with reference to physical knowledge and intuition. The Standing Committee is represented in the Selection Committee for the Wigner Medal and the Weyl Prize.
A. Janner was the first chairman of the Standing Committee, acting from 1972 to 1986. He was succeeded by L. Biedenharn from 1987 to 1993, H.-D. Doebner from 1994 to 2008 and J.-P. Gazeau from 2009 to 2014.
During his time as chairman Heinz-Dietrich Doebner convinced the Standing Committee that it would be necessary for the future development of our field to acknowledge young researchers who presented outstanding work and to motivate them, to continue and to diversify their activity. He proposed to award in each Colloquium a Prize. Ivan Todorov suggested to name this Prize after the mathematician and physicist Hermann Weyl. The first Hermann Weyl Prize was awarded in 2002.