CfP: Call For Papers
IAM 2026 (11th edition)
11th GECCO Workshop on Industrial Applications of Metaheuristics San José (hybrid), Costa Rica, July 13-17th, 2026
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IAM is held as part of the 2026 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO-2026), July 13-17, San José (hybrid), Costa Rica.
Aims and Scope
Metaheuristics have been applied successfully to many aspects of applied mathematics and science, showing their capabilities to deal effectively with problems that are complex and otherwise difficult to solve. There are several factors that make the usage of metaheuristics in industrial applications more and more interesting. These factors include the flexibility of these techniques, the increased availability of high-performing algorithmic techniques, the increased knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses, the ever-increasing computing power, and the adoption of computational methods in applications. In fact, metaheuristics have become a powerful tool to solve many real-life optimization problems in different fields and, of course, also in many industrial applications such as production scheduling, distribution planning, and inventory management.
This workshop proposes to present and debate about the current achievements of applying these techniques to solve real-world problems in industry and the future challenges, focusing on the (always) critical step from the laboratory to the shop floor. A special focus will be given to the discussion of which elements can be transferred from academic research to industrial applications and how industrial applications may open new ideas and directions for academic research.
Topic areas include (but are not restricted to):
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Success stories for industrial applications of metaheuristics
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Pitfalls of industrial applications of metaheuristics.
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Metaheuristics to optimize dynamic industrial problems.
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Multi-objective optimization in real-world industrial problems.
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Meta-heuristics in large-scale constrained industrial optimization problems.
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Reduction of computing times through parameter tuning and surrogate modelling.
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Parallelism and/or distributed design to accelerate computations.
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Algorithm selection and configuration for complex problem solving.
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Advantages and disadvantages of metaheuristics when compared to other techniques.
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Combination of Metaheuristics with Large Language Models and AI
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New research topics for academic research inspired from industrial applications.
Submission
Authors can submit ([IMPORTANT] Options to submit papers from this 2026 edition, two options aligned with previous rules of IAM and new ACM rules):
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Full papers (8 pages + references) - Must cover the ACM Open APC (see GECCO page for more information)
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Extended Abstracts (up to 4 pages) - Are not eligible for APC, no fee paid by the authors. An Extended Abstract provides a summary of a work-in-progress, typically just enough for readers to understand the idea, scope, and potential impact. Often lacks full methodology, detailed results, or extensive references.
In both cases, it is mandatory to follow the official GECCO paper formatting guidelines. Please see the GECCO 2026 information for workshop authors for further details regarding formats and how to submit, accessible through https://gecco-2026.sigevo.org/Call-for-Workshop-Papers .
Software demonstrations will also be welcome (please write to organizers for more info).
Important Dates
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Submission opening: February 2, 2026
Submission deadline: March 27, 2026
Notification: April 24, 2026
Camera-ready: May 5, 2026
Author's mandatory registration: May 11, 2026
Each paper accepted needs to have at least one author registered before the author registration deadline.
Note: The conference will be held in hybrid mode, with all events facilitating online participation.
Workshop Chairs
Silvino Fernandez Alzueta (ArcelorMittal) Thomas Stuetzle (Universite Libre de Bruxelles, ULB)
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