The papers in this publication cover both the applied as well as the theoretical aspects of intelligent autonomous systems. Autonomy and adaptivity are key aspects of truly intelligent artificial systems, dating from the first IAS conference in 1989. New directions of research have recently emerged from the synergetic interaction of many fields, such as cognitive science, operations research, mathematics, robotics, mechanics, electronics, informatics, and economics, interdisciplinary as well as transdisciplinarily. One key insight is that to realize both intelligence and autonomy, it is crucial to build real-world devices and abstract principles of design from them. The goal of IAS-9 is to lay out new scientific ideas and design principles for artificial systems able to survive in nature and in our society.