In 1947, Viktor Ambartsumian published the first paper dedicated to the existence of young stars entitled The stellar associations and astrophysics. Considering the dynamical characteristics of the newfound star systems, that he called stellar associations, he arrived at a conclusion that these systems have positive energy and are therefore disintegrating systems, not older than about 10⁷ years. Although seven decades ago few were ready to believe in the existence of young stars, the field of star formation is today one of the main research areas in Astrophysics, sitting at the crossroads of Galaxy formation and evolution and planet formation.

After seventy years Byurakan Observatory commemorates this discovery by organizing a conference dedicated to the studies of stellar associations, young stars, and early stellar evolution. The current data and views on star formation, including those obtained with space missions, will be presented and discussed. One should take into account that the imminent Gaia second data release (in April 2018) is likely to substantially change our understanding of the origins of clusters and associations.

Immediately after the conference, a small one-day workshop is planned, where the future programs and projects in the field of stellar research for medium and small size telescopes will be discussed. For the participants of the conference excursions to the historical sights of Armenia and of the city of Yerevan will be organized.