Organized by
Computer Architecture and Logic Design Group (ARCO) from University of Extremadura
Research Group on Mathematical Linguistics (GRLMC) from Rovira i Virgili University

Aims
TPNC is a conference series intending to cover the wide spectrum of computational principles, models and techniques inspired by information processing in nature. TPNC 2013 will reserve significant room for young scholars at the beginning of their career. It aims at attracting contributions to nature-inspired models of computation, synthesizing nature by means of computation, nature-inspired materials, and information processing in nature.

Venue
TPNC 2013 will take place in Cáceres, in Western Spain, 300 kms. to the southwest of Madrid and 100 kms. to the Portuguese border. The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Scope
Topics of either theoretical, experimental, or applied interest include, but are not limited to:

• Nature-inspired models of computation
• amorphous computing
• cellular automata
• chaos and dynamical systems based computing
• evolutionary computing
• membrane computing
• neural computing
• optical computing
• swarm intelligence
• Synthesizing nature by means of computation
• artificial chemistry
• artificial immune systems
• artificial life
• Nature-inspired materials
• computing with DNA
• nanocomputing
• physarum computing
• quantum computing and quantum information
• reaction-diffusion computing
• Information processing in nature
• developmental systems 
• fractal geometry
• gene assembly in unicellular organisms
• rough/fuzzy computing in nature
• synthetic biology
• systems biology

Applications of natural computing to: algorithms, bioinformatics, control, cryptography, design, economy, graphics, hardware, learning, logistics, optimization, pattern recognition, programming, robotics, telecommunications etc.
A flexible "theory to/from practice" approach would be the perfect focus for the expected contributions.

Structure of the Conference
TPNC 2013 will consist of

• invited talks
• invited tutorials
• peer-reviewed contributions