The goal of EUROPT is to promote and to facilitate communication links among  European (and other) researchers working in areas of continuous optimization. EUROPT was established with numerous founding members at a satellite meeting of the EURO XVII Conference in Budapest, July 16-19, 2000. EUROPT's kick-off workshop, the Second IPM Workshop (IPM-2000, 2000), was organized just before the EURO meeting. In the sequel, we had two further EUROPT workshops: The second one took place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, July 2001, before EURO XVIII and was entitled Smooth and Nonsmooth Optimization, Theory and Applications. Three years ago, we celebrated our third annual meeting called Workshop on Advances of Continuous Optimization  in Istanbul, Turkey, July 2003, when Prof. Tamás Terlaky and Prof. Tibor Illés became our Honorary Coordinators, before the 5th EUROPT/INFORMS Joint International Meeting 2003. In July 2004, right before EURO XX, we had our fourth one entitled Workshop on Challenges of Continuous Optimization in Theory and Applications on Rhodes, Greece, and right after EURO XX, our 2-3 weeks of EURO Summer Institute XXII (ESI 2004) Optimization and Data Mining in Ankara, Turkey. Below we will closer come to our 17^th EURO Mini Conference 2005 in Pécs, Hungary, our 5^th EUROPT Workshop 2006 in Reykjavik, Iceland, our engagement at EURO XXI 2006 in Reykjavik, our ESI 2006 in Wittenberg, Germany, and to our various further engagement!     

At those EURO conferences above, EUROPT organized sessions and semi-plenary lectures on continuous optimization. Moreover, after our various workshops and our ESI 2004, we preparated special issue of European Journal of Operational Research. Four EJOR special issues appeared already, some further ones will be published. To them, to the last one appeared and to further special issues in preparation, we will come below. 

For 8th SIAM Conference on Optimization 2005 (Stockholm, Sweden), 2 mini-symposia were held  in the name of EUROPT, and a one closely associated with us. Furthermore, at IFORS 2005 (Hawaii), we had a session cosponsored. A series “Workshop on Sustainable Living in Rural Areas of Turkey” intitiated in 2005 and a seminar series supported by us at METU (Ankara), should not be forgotten here.

In 2005, EUROPT celebrated its 5^th anniversary at the occasion of the very enjoyable 17^th EURO Mini Conference “Continuous Optimization in the Industry”,  Pécs, Hungary, June 29 - July 1, 2005: happy birthday!  

After in 2004 engaged students - members of EUROPT - established the group “Young People for Operations Research in the Developing Countries” (YORC), EUROPT submitted a proposal for a new EURO Working Group “Operational Research for Development”. We were grateful that this proposal became accepted by EURO Executive Committee in July 2005! Furthermore, another application for a new EURO Working Group “Operational Research in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Medicine” prepared by us became accepted by EURO in February 2006! At the occasion of EURO XXI 2006 in Iceland, we celebrated the foundations of the two new sister EURO WGs. To their leaders and members we wish joy, success and that both new groups will bloom! EUROPT will further support them with devotion.

In 2005, EURO EC also accepted our proposal for a EURO Summer Institute “Optimization Challenges in Engineering: Methods, Software and Applications”  in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany, August 18 - September 2, 2006. This ESI 2006 became one of EUROPT’s highlights in 2006, besides our 5^th EURO Workshop “Advances in Continuous Optimization”, Reykjavik, Iceland, June 30 - July 1, 2006, and our rich engagement at EURO XXI 2006, Reykjavik, July 2-5, 2006. At the EURO conference, we were represented by 21 precious streams, some of them really pioneering in OR like, e.g., dynamical and anticipartory systems, data mining, electricity markets and optimization in financial mathematics, and a number of semi-plenary, tutorial and keynote lectures. At EURO 2006, EUROPT introduced a Managing Board.

In 2005 and 2006, there were further scientific activities such as "International Symposium on Health Informatics and Bioinformatics” (Antalya, Turkey), "ISPRS 2005 Spatial Data Mining Workshop", "Workshop on Complex Societal Problems, Sustainable Living and Development" (2 times), "Workshop of Geometric Morphometry" (all in Ankara) and 1^st Summer School “Achievements and Applications of Contemporary Informatics, Mathematics and Physics” (Kiev, Ukraine), where EUROPT contributed to. For closer information please visit our links "Scientific events", "Journals" and "Reports". In 2006, EUROPT introduced the title and plate “EUROPT Fellow” of a year; Prof. Dr. Alexander Rubinov became our first year’s fellow.   

Two further EJOR special issues appeared: “Optimization in Data Mining” (in 2006) and “Challenges of Continuous Optimization in Theory and Applications” (in 2007) both at the occasion of events mentioned above. A CEJOR special issue “Advances in Continuous Optimization” became published in 2007. Furthermore, an Optimization special issue “Continuous Optimization in Finance”, an MMOR special issue “Optimization Challenges in Engineering: Methods, Software and Applications” at to occasion of our ESI 2006, and an OMS Special Issue at the occasion our Joint EUROPT-OMS Conference 2007, are in preparation.

Indeed, in the year 2007, we and our friends prepared and celebrated "A Joint EUROPT-OMS Conference: 2nd Conference on Optimization Methods & Software and 6th EUROPT Workshop Advances in Continuous Optimization" Prague, Czech Republic, July 4-7, 2007, which was our largest event so far - there, we also honoured Prof. Georg Still who became EUROPT Fellow 2007! At EUROPT-OMS we had helpful and renowned partners whose name you can find by this homepage. We also gave a very strong engagement at the conference EURO XXII 2007, July 8-11, 2007, which followed. This engagement expressed itself, e.g., by more than 30 streams which we helped to prepare. That EURO became the biggest one in the series of EURO meetings with about 2000 participants. Furthermore, we supported another satellite event, “PhD Workshop on OR for Development”, Prague, July 7, 2007, and the prestigous conference INFORMS International 2007, Puerto Rico, July 4-7, 2007. Furthermore, we supported International Symposium on Health-Informatics and Bioinformatics, Antalya, Turkey, April 30 – May 2, 2007, “Workshop on Sustainable Living at Turkish Rural Countryside”, Ankara, Turkey, June 8, 2007, and “2st Summer School Achievements and Applications of Contemporary Informatics, Mathematics and Physics”, Kiev, Ukraine, August 4-20, 2007.

One expression of this role played by EUROPT consists in bringing national OR societies close together, e.g., the Hungarian and Turkish one with the German OR society. Further societies’ collaboration will follow.

In 2006-2007, EUROPT served for the preparation and finalization of both the EJOR and the CEJOR special issues “OR for Better Management of Sustainable Development” at the occasion of EURO XXI 2006 in Iceland.

In the year 2008, The 20th EURO Mini Conference "Continuous Optimization and Knowledge-Based Technologies", May 20-23, 2008, Neringa, Lithuania, together with Litors - the Lithuanian Operational Research Society, GOR - the German OR Society, and other partners, will be one of EUROPT’s highlights. We were happy that EURO Executive Committee had accepted this special event – without any complain. Since we had a "EURO MC" not long a time ago, just in 2005 (Pécs, Hungary), that approval by EURO EC implies a special acknowledgement and great honour for us. At this Mini-EURO 2008, we will have ISI proceedings and two special issues afterwards: one in TOP and another one in Informatica.

In 2008, there are seven further important events with EUROPT among the organizing societies. There are: “Recent Developments in Financial Mathematics and Stochastic Calculus”, Workshop in Memory of Professor Hayri Körezlioðlu, Ankara, Turkey, April 25-26, 2008, Workshop “The Simulation Tool Box for the Financial Engineer”, Ankara, Turkey, April 23-24, 2008, “International Workshop on Hybrid Systems: Modelling, Simulation and Optimization”, Istanbul, Turkey, May 14-17, 2008, Workshop on “Complex Societal Problems, Sustainable Living and Development”, Ankara, Turkey, May 16, 2008, “International Conference on Engineering Optimization” (EngOpt 2008), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 1-5, 2008, “International Conference on Power Control Optimization” (PCO’2008), Chiang Mai, Thailand, July 18-20, 2008, and “Mini EURO Conference on Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Medicine”, Rome, Italy, September 15-17, 2008.

In the year 2008, there are two more important events with EUROPT: “Recent Developments in Financial Mathematics and Stochastic Calculus”, Workshop in Memory of Professor Hayri Körezlioðlu, Ankara, Turkey, April 25-26, 2008, and International Conference on Engineering Optimization (EngOpt 2008), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 1-5, 2008. Furthermore, we will support IFORS 2008, 18th Triennial Conference of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies, Sandton, South Africa, July 13-18, 2007.

Furthermore, we will support IFORS 2008, 18th Triennial Conference of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies, Sandton, South Africa, July 13-18, 2007, and IFIP TC8/WG8.3 Working Conference “International Conference on Collaborative Decision Making” (CDM’08),Toulouse, France, July 1-4, 2008.

For the year 2009, we started to give a strong contribution to EURO XXIII 2009 – “23rd European Conference on Operational Research”, Bonn, Germany, July 5-8, 2009 (for this very important event, 90-100 streams could be agreed on already, many ones of them by EUROPT, its friends and members, again), but also to 7th EUROPT Workshop “Advances in Continuous Optimization”, Remagen (near Bonn), Germany, July 3-4, 2009.

In 2008, the EJOR Special Issue “Continuous Optimization in the Industry” will appear, CEJOR Special Issue “Advances in Continuous Optimization”, “Special Issue of MMOR Devoted to ESI 2006”, Special Issue “Continuous Optimization in Finance” of the Journal Optimization, and ISI Proceedings at the Occasion of 20th Mini EURO Conference EurOpt 2008 will be finalized. Furthermore, TOP Special Issue and Informatica Special Issue, both at the Occasion of 20th Mini EURO Conference Continuous EurOpt 2008, are going to become prepared.

We are going on with our help for other EURO Working Groups and their activities, with integration of further research areas in EUROPT, our service via EUROPT homepage, e-Newsletter and the Managing Board of EUROPT, by appointing our EUROPT Fellow 2008 and supporting the collaboration and friendship between national OR Societies of EURO.

By all those well-appreciated events and our various further activities, such as seminar support at METU, Ankara, and by further personal interest of colleagues, the number of EUROPT members increased to 900-1000. Together we prepare a rich scientific life, common experiences and friendship for the best of the members of our group, of our people in Europe and the world!

If you are interested in EUROPT, please contact us! In case of your kind consideration and, maybe, your wish to join us as a member electronically, you are warmly welcome!

We sincerely like to collaborate with you.

For more detailled information please closer visit this homepage and the EUROPT at EURO side which you find when clicking us at the working groups page of EURO. 

 Objectives of EUROPT:

• to disseminate state-of-the-art knowledge and to support research in continuous optimization,

• to contribute to the education of young optimization researchers and students
  (organizing EURO Summer and Winter Institutes, and by announcing Ph.D. Programs etc.),

• to assist in gathering the continuous optimization community in Europe organized under the umbrella of EURO,

• to build and maintain links with sister special interest groups inside and outside EURO,

• to support the foundation of new EURO working groups,

• to foster newly founded EURO working groups,

• to support preparation, refereeing and editing of publications,

• to establish regular information channels and regular meetings,

• to build links to users of continuous optimization methodology,

• to involve industrial organizations and users of optimization in the activities listed above,

• to initiate interdisciplinary research with colleagues from science, engineering and economy, with continuous optimization being a key technology,

• vivid exchange between scientific experience and enthusiasm of the youth,

• encouragement of building up a common and developing Europe,   and

• deepening of peace and friendship in Europe and in the world.