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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText>[Please circulate to all those who might be interested, and accept our apologies if you received multiple copies of this announcement]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>--------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The 56th Conference of the UK Operational Research Society (OR56)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><a href="http://www.theorsociety.com/OR56/">http://www.theorsociety.com/OR56/</a> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>September 9-11, 2014<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Call for Abstracts for the METAHEURISTICS stream<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.theorsociety.com/Pages/Conferences/OR56/Streams/OR56metaheuristics.aspx">http://www.theorsociety.com/Pages/Conferences/OR56/Streams/OR56metaheuristics.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Submission Deadline: 16 June 2014<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>--------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We invite abstracts and presentations on metaheuristics, either theory or practice-oriented (preferably on real world applications). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We are open to all contributions on metaheuristics. We are particularly interested in those that lead to some general insight or are potentially relevant to more than one application area. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>We take a very broad definition of metaheuristics, for example simulated annealing, tabu search, but also evolutionary algorithms, multi-meme algorithms, adaptive operator selection, hyper-heuristics, dynamic algorithm portfolios, reactive search, particle swarm and others.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* metaheuristics for combinatorial optimisation problems<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* metaheuristics for multi-objective, discrete and continuous optimisation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* metaheuristics for dynamic environments<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* metaheuristics to generate (create) heuristics (e.g., generation hyper-heuristics)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* metaheuristics to choose heuristics (e.g., selection hyper-heuristics)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* self adaptive metaheuristics and hyper-heuristics<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* meta/hyper-heuristics based on machine learning<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* hybrids of metaheuristics with exact methods such as mathematical or constraint programming<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* (automated) parameter tuning in meta/hyper-heuristics<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* distributed/parallel metaheuristics<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* software tools (e.g., ECJ, HeuristicLab, HyFlex, Hyperion, jMetal, ParadisEO)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* applications of metaheuristics to new challenging domains<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* analytical or semi-empirical studies of metaheuristics<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* performance prediction<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* performance robustness<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* scalability issues<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* classifications of metaheuristics<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>* barriers to uptake of metaheuristics in industry<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The stream will provide an opportunity for the constructive exchange of ideas and will include a keynote presentation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>If you would like to give a talk in this stream, please submit a title and abstract of no more than 300 words via<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.theorsociety.com/Pages/Conferences/OR56/OR56Abstract.aspx">http://www.theorsociety.com/Pages/Conferences/OR56/OR56Abstract.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText>by selecting 'Metaheuristics' as the stream. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>(For those who are not familiar with the OR conferences, the usual procedure is to submit a title and an abstract, and then if accepted, to give a talk of 20-25 minutes. A full paper or extended abstract is not required.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Submission Deadline: 16 June 2014<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Stream Organisers<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Ender Ozcan and Andrew J. Parkes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>{Ender.Ozcan, Andrew.Parkes} @ nottingham.ac.uk<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>