ROAR-NET Problem Modelling Code Fest
Online
9-11 September 2025
About the Code Fest
The ROAR-NET Problem Modelling Code Fest is a 48-hour online coding event running from 18:00 CEST (UTC+2, Brussels) on 9 September 2025 to 18:00 CEST on 11 September 2025. It will also be held locally at physical hubs organised by volunteers around the world, with the schedule taking the relevant time zones into account.
Participants in the Code Fest will learn how to use the ROAR-NET API to develop computational models of combinatorial optimisation problems in a solver-agnostic way. They will also have the opportunity to get involved in the ROAR-NET community and contribute to the ongoing development of the API, associated methodology, and supporting tools, by making open-source/open-access code and non-code contributions to the ROAR-NET repositories.
Programme highlights:
- Kick-start presentations on optimisation, problem modelling, the ROAR-NET API Specification and its implementation in Python
- Live-coding modelling tutorials
- Q&A sessions
- A Training Track, consisting of a sequence of modelling challenges to be completed using the ROAR-NET API by teams of 1-4 participants
- A Development Track, consisting of problem-statement development, model implementation, benchmark-instance construction, and software-tool development activities, to be proposed and carried out by teams of any size
- Badges awarded to teams for concrete achievements
- Achievement board updated throughout the event
Coding will be done mainly in Python. The language of the event is English. All participants will receive a certificate of participation including their team name and the achievement badges they earned.
Programme
Important notes:
- To accommodate different time zones, each session is held live twice.
- All dates and times shown are in the CEST time zone (UCT+2, Brussels).
Tuesday, 9 September 2025
| 18:00 – 18:30 | Welcome Carlos M. Fonseca |
| 18:30 – 19:00 | Introduction to constructive search Carlos M. Fonseca |
| 19:00 – 20:00 | The ROAR-NET API: Constructive search Andreia P. Guerreiro |
| 20:00 – 20:30 | Q&A |
| 20:30 – 24:00 |
Team activities |
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
| 0:00 – 1:00 |
Team activities |
| 1:00 – 1:30 | Welcome Carlos M. Fonseca |
| 1:30 – 2:00 | Introduction to constructive search Carlos M. Fonseca |
| 2:00 – 3:00 | The ROAR-NET API: Constructive search Andreia P. Guerreiro |
| 3:00 – 3:30 | Q&A |
| 3:30 – 10:00 |
Team activities |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Introduction to local search Carlos M. Fonseca |
| 10:30 – 11:30 | The ROAR-NET API: Local search Andreia P. Guerreiro |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | Q&A |
| 12:00 – 16:00 |
Team activities |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Introduction to local search Carlos M. Fonseca |
| 16:30 – 17:30 | The ROAR-NET API: Local search Andreia P. Guerreiro |
| 17:30 – 18:00 | Q&A |
| 18:00 – 24:00 |
Team activities |
Thursday, 11 September 2025
| 0:00 – 10:00 |
Team activities |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | Review of achievements |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Discussion of next steps |
| 12:00 – 16:00 |
Team activities |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Review of achievements |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Discussion of next steps |
Confirmed hubs
Albania
- EPOKA University
- Organiser: Florenc Skuka
Australia
- The University of Queensland
- Organiser: Marcus Gallagher
Austria
- University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria
- Organiser: Bernhard Werth
- WU Vienna University of Economics and Business (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien)
- Organiser: Roberto Maria Rosati
Brazil
- Federal University of Ouro Preto
- Organiser: Pablo Munhoz
Croatia
- University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
- Organiser: Domagoj Jakobović
Czechia
- Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Information Technology
- Organiser: David Sedlák
Denmark
- University of Southern Denmark
- Organiser: Marco Chiarandini
Egypt
- Lab of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University
- Organiser: Mohamed ElWakil
France
- Sorbonne University
- Organiser: Diederick Vermetten
Germany
- Data Science Center Bremen
- Organiser: Bernhard J. Berger, Hamburg University of Technology
- University of Augsburg
- Organiser: Michael Heider
Italy
- University of Udine
- Organiser: Luca Di Gaspero
Japan
- Shinshu University
- Organiser: Hernán Aguirre
Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
- Organiser: Wassila Mtalaa
Portugal
- University of Coimbra
- Organiser: Gonçalo Lopes
- University of Lisbon
- Organiser: Pedro M. Ferreira
Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan Institute
- Organiser: Tome Eftimov
Spain
- Universidad de La Laguna
- Organiser: Gara Miranda
Türkiye
- Izmir Institute of Technology
- Organiser: Işıl Öz
Participation
The application deadline has passed. Information on the application process and timeline can be found in the Call for Participation.
Organisers
- Farhan Aadil, Sivas University of Science and Technology, TR
- Marco Chiarandini, University of Southern Denmark, DK
- Luca Di Gaspero, University of Udine, IT
- Marko Đurasević, University of Zagreb, HR
- Alcides Fonseca, University of Lisbon, PT
- Carlos M. Fonseca, University of Coimbra, PT
- Sandra Greiner, University of Southern Denmark, DK
- Andreia P. Guerreiro, INESC-ID, PT
- Michael Hellwig, Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, AT
- Alexandre Jesus, A.P. Moller - Maersk, PT
- Jakub Kowalski, University of Wrocław, PL
- Gonçalo Lopes, University of Coimbra, PT
- Pablo Munhoz, Federal University of Ouro Preto, BR
- Işıl Öz, Izmir Institute of Technology, TR
- Andrea Schaerf, University of Udine, IT
