The Committee for Mathematical Modelling, Simulation and Optimization (KoMSO) was set up in May 2011 as a result of the "Mathematics 2020 Strategy Day" initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the German government's High-Tech Strategy 2020.

At the event on November 9, 2010, mathematicians, natural, engineering and computer scientists from industry, interest groups, universities and research institutions met to discuss how the potential of mathematics can be developed and harnessed for our society even better than before.

The Strategy Day should therefore help to develop instruments and structures that anchor mathematics better and more consciously in applications - a process from which science and industry would benefit equally.

The results of the Strategy Day were the following recommendations of action:

• Establishment of a strategy committee which is responsible for networking, public relations work, the dissemination of mathematical knowledge and the identification of areas of need through challenge conferences
• Development of regional (and supra-regional) networks with a joint office
• Extension and transfer of mathematical orientation knowledge
• Intensification of cooperation between university mathematics with neighboring disciplines and industry
• Creation of infrastructures for the implementation of mathematical innovations
• Expansion of the mathematical modeling technology field Simulation and Optimization (MSO)

KoMSO acts as the joint office of the Germany-wide network for MSO based at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Computing (IWR) at Heidelberg University. Since March 2018, KoMSO is a non-profit registered association (KoMSO e.V.).