AMIGO is an international research project hosted by the Centre Leo Apostel (CLEA) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). It investigates how living systems pursue goals, respond to changing conditions and develop new levels of organization.
The project brings together researchers and scientific advisors whose complementary expertise connects mathematical modelling, biological research, neuroscience and philosophy.
AMIGO is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
This support enables an international research program addressing fundamental questions about life, agency and purpose. It supports collaboration across disciplines, the development of mathematical and empirical approaches, and the sharing of research through scientific publications, educational activities and public communication.
Our research team and scientific advisors
AMIGO’s research is built on close collaboration between its Principal Investigator, researchers and scientific advisors. Together, they connect the project’s theoretical ideas, biological evidence and philosophical questions.
- Tomas Veloz, Principal Investigator: Provides scientific leadership and expertise in mathematical modelling and complex systems, coordinating the integration of the project’s research strands.
- Fernando Rosas, Researcher: Contributes expertise in complex systems and information, supporting the mathematical and empirical investigation of how collective organization emerges.
- Raphael Liogier, Researcher: Brings philosophical and sociological perspectives, contributing to the project’s conceptual foundations and its exploration of agency, purpose and emergence.
- Michael Levin, Scientific Advisor: Contributes expertise in cell communication, biological development and regeneration, informing the study of collective behavior, and goal-directed organization in living systems.
- Anil Seth, Scientific Advisor: Contributes expertise in consciousness, brain dynamics and neural organization, helping connect biological evidence with broader questions about agency.
- David Wolpert, Scientific Advisor: Contributes expertise in information, computation, physics and complex systems, informing the mathematical and conceptual study of the relationships between matter and information.
This combination of perspectives allows AMIGO to approach its central questions through sustained dialogue between researchers working across different disciplines.
Understanding how new goals emerge
Living systems continually respond to challenges. Cells regulate their internal activity, tissues coordinate growth and repair, and organisms adapt their behavior to changing conditions.
AMIGO asks how these capacities arise and how interacting systems can become organized into a new whole with capabilities of its own.
The project studies metasystem transitions: processes through which interacting systems become integrated into a higher level of organization, with new forms of coordination, regulation and collective activity.
For example, individual cells carry out their own functions, while a coordinated tissue can develop and maintain structures that no single cell could produce alone. AMIGO investigates how physical processes and information interact to make such collective capabilities possible.
Problem spaces and agency
Another central concept is the problem space: the possibilities, challenges and constraints within which a system acts towards goals.
For a cell, these challenges may involve maintaining its internal conditions. For a tissue, they may involve coordinating growth or restoring its structure. Different levels of organization therefore involve different capacities and possibilities for action.
AMIGO aims to develop a framework that explains how matter and information shape these problem spaces, how systems navigate them, and how new problem spaces and goals emerge during metasystem transitions.
Three connected research strands
Mathematical foundations
Develop models and quantitative measures to describe goal-directed behavior, understand the relationships between matter and information, and identify conditions under which new forms of organization may emerge.
Empirical investigation
Analyze biological and neural datasets and develop computational simulations to assess models, investigate collective organization and generate testable predictions. Research examples include cellular collectives, regeneration and bioelectric coordination.
Philosophical foundations
Clarify the meanings of agency, purpose and goal-directedness, examining how processes and relationships can explain the emergence of new capabilities across different levels of organization.
These strands are designed to inform one another throughout the project, connecting conceptual development with mathematical tools and biological evidence.
Why AMIGO matters
AMIGO aims to provide a shared foundation for investigating how new forms of agency emerge. By studying the relationships between individual processes and collective organization, the project seeks to deepen our understanding of life, adaptation and goal-directed behavior.
Its findings could inform future research in developmental and regenerative biology, synthetic living systems, robotics and artificial intelligence.
For CLEA and VUB, the project also creates opportunities for international collaboration, exchange across disciplines and the development of early-career researchers.
Sharing knowledge and creating connections
AMIGO plans to share its work through scientific publications, research datasets, models and computational tools, alongside workshops, international exchanges and public masterclasses.
Through accessible communication and dialogue, the project aims to engage researchers, students and wider audiences in fundamental questions about life, organization and purpose.