The Brazilian scientific community working on electromagnetic numerical modeling started its activities in the 1980s. At that time, the numerical method research, mainly for low frequency problems and using mostly the Finite Element Method, became very intensive all over the world. 

In 1984 the GRUCAD (Grupo de Concepção e Análise de Dispositivos Eletromagnéticos) was created in the UFSC (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina) and the first Brazilian conference on electromagnetic fields in Florianópolis in 1987. In that period, two other research groups were launched at the USP (Universidade de São Paulo) and at UFMG (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais). Several smaller groups and isolated researchers worked in this area and, as a whole, the Brazilian community started producing a number of papers published in good and known conferences and periodicals. Because the general recognition of our expertise in the area, the most important conference in the world, COMPUMAG, was, in its eleventh edition, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1997. 

In order to give the appropriate support for such an important event, the SBmag - Brazilian Society of Electromagnetism, was created in 1994. In fact, the activity of our community was already quite intensive and it became necessary to organize the community life. After some conferences, the events under the SBmag sponsorship are called "CBmag- Conferência Brasileira de Eletromagnetismo" and more recently, they are organized jointly with the Brazilian Society of Microwaves (SBMO) and are named "MOMAG". 

As the natural advance and progress of both societies, low and high frequency modeling are getting closer and experience merging has been a fruitful way to enhance our common development. For more than 10 years, the number of papers proposed by the Brazilian Community boosted us to the top 6 or 7 countries in number of papers published in the world. And, as natural consequence, in 2009 the COMPUMAG conference will be held in Florianópolis. 

SBmag is an eclectic society and even though its beginning was strongly related to low frequency numerical modeling, nowadays many other activities are included in our scientific profile as high frequency modeling, material characterization, devices development, education, etc.