Our main research effort is devoted to the understanding of complex systems, using a multidisciplinary approach in order to tackle the ever growing complexity of the challenges we have to face for instance in seismo-tectonics, mechano-chemistry, geomorphology, meteorology, volcanology and even finance. From a general standpoint, we aim to understand the ubiquitous intermittent and punctuated dynamics (the fact that processes are not smooth but are often marked by brief bursts of activity interrupting long periods of stasis) presented by many dynamical systems in Natural Sciences. In other words, the question is how simple nonlinear behaviors that can act repetitively may lead to the emergence of complex cooperative behaviors.