The Australian Research Council announced to fund the project "Bio-inspired Computing for Problems with Dynamically Changing Constraints", where Prof. Dr. Tobias Friedrich acts as Partner Investigator. The aim of this project is to design bio-inspired computing methods for dynamically changing environments. Dynamic problems arise frequently in the areas of engineering, logistics, and manufacturing. Such problems are usually subject to a large set of constraints that change over time due to changes in resources. Algorithms that can deal with such dynamic changes would benefit decision-makers. The project aims to provide a foundational theory as the basis for the design of bio-inspired algorithms dealing with dynamically changing constraints and provide approaches for dealing with important industrial problems.

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) announced to fund a new COST action "Improving Applicability of Nature-Inspired Optimisation by Joining Theory and Practice". Prof. Dr. Tobias Friedrich will be the German member of the Management Committee.  The project brings together theoreticians and practitioners who are working in the field of nature-inspired search and optimization heuristics. Its goal is on one hand to make theoretical findings more accessible for researchers and engineers who are concerned with applications, on the other hand to make theoreticians aware of practical problems and the kind of questions that arise in practical applications.