On behalf of the International Society for Systems Biology (ISSB) and Fudan University, it’s our great honour to invite you to join the 16th International Conference on Systems Biology (ICSB 2015), which will be held on August 20-26, 2015 in Shanghai, China. Initiated by Hiroaki Kitano in 2000, the ICSB has become one of the most important forums for the global systems biology community. The annual gathering attracts top systems biologists and interdisciplinary researchers from all over the world to display and discuss the most recent achievements and discoveries. Systems biology is an integration science of biology, computer science, life technology, engineering and big data analyses, that spans leading areas of biomedical research, healthcare and drug discovery, agriculture, energy and environment. Therefore the ICSB 2015 will become a unique platform for systems biology related scientists to share their theories, and more importantly, to form alliances for further researches and applications. We choose Shanghai as the destination of the conference not only because of the rapid and solid development in systems biology field in China, but also on account of Shanghai’s leading position in China’s economy, culture, transport, industry, finance and business infrastructure. It is a bustling international metropolis which embraces a number of must-go attractions, must-eat cuisines, and must-meet people. With the well-developed transportation network, you could conveniently travel around the city. Thus the ICSB 2015 would also be a stimulating opportunity for you to explore throughout China. As the organiser of ICSB 2015, we sincerely hope all of you to join us in Shanghai for what will definitely become a memorable conference.