About ICVNS 2025
We are pleased to announce the upcoming International Conference on Variable Neighborhood Search (ICVNS), which will take place in Montreal, Canada, from May 12 to May 14, 2025.
This event brings together researchers, practitioners, and experts in optimization, heuristics, and metaheuristics, providing a platform to discuss the latest advancements in Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) and its applications.
ICVNS 2025 will feature keynote talks from leading experts, technical sessions, and discussions on recent developments in combinatorial and global optimization, machine learning, logistics, scheduling, and more. The conference will serve as a tribute to Pierre Hansen, the pioneer of Variable Neighborhood Search, whose work has had a profound impact on the field.
In Memoriam: Pierre Hansen
We deeply mourn the passing of Pierre Hansen on January 19, 2025, a brilliant mind whose contributions to optimization and heuristics have left an indelible mark on our community. As the Honorary Chair of the International Conference on Variable Neighborhood Search for many years, his legacy will continue to inspire researchers for years to come.
Beyond his academic achievements, those of us who had the privilege of knowing him will always remember his intellectual generosity, his passion for research, and his kindness. His absence leaves a great void, but his impact will endure through every study and advancement built upon his ideas.


Plenary Talk: Dr. Jack Brimberg
Dr. Brimberg is a prolific researcher who has made significant contributions to the development and analysis of heuristic methods, particularly variable neighborhood search (VNS), for solving complex location and optimization problems. His work spans a wide range of topics, including continuous location-allocation, p-median, p-center, and minimax models, often proposing novel solution approaches and analyzing their properties.
Throughout his career, Dr. Brimberg has collaborated with prominent researchers, the most notable ones Pierre Hansen and Nenad Mladenović, publishing numerous influential papers. He has also explored the use of different distance functions and norms in location models and has applied operations research techniques to diverse domains, including water resource management, oil pipeline design, sports analytics, and military/defense problems.
Important Dates
- 6th January, 2025: Submissions open
- 1st April, 2025: Submissions close
- 7th April, 2025: Early bird registration closes
Submission Guidelines
Key Information
- Submission System: Joint JOPT/ICVNS portal.
- Abstract Length: 250-300 words (strict limit).
- Topics: VNS methodology applied to combinatorial optimization problems, such as machine learning integration, graph problems, logistics, or scheduling among others.
Submission Process
Abstract Preparation
Include: Title, authors, affiliations, and keywords (3-5). Clearly state contributions and originality of work.
Online Submission
Submit your abstract through our joint submission portal.
Formatting Requirements
Abstract Structure
- Title
- Authors
- Keywords
- Problem statement and context
- Methodological approach
- Key innovations
- Main results/contributions
Important Notes
- Submissions must be original and unpublished.
- Accepted abstracts require at least one author registration.
Registration
Please, visit the JOPT page for preliminary price details.
Important Notes
- All prices in Canadian Dollars (Can$).
- Student rates require valid student ID.
- Registration includes access to all sessions and conference materials.
- The registration fees include coffee breaks, "Wine and cheese" party on Monday, May 12 and access to all presentations.
- An industrial cocktail will be organized on May 13. Postdoctoral fellows and students in their final year of study who will be looking for work in the near future are invited to participate. The number of participants is limited.
- Cancellations must be received in writing; no refunds will be issued after April 12, 2025.
Publications & Dissemination
Book of Abstracts
LNCS Post-Conference Volume
Committees
Founders

Nenad Mladenović (1951-2022)

Pierre Hansen (1940-2025)
Conference Chairs

Daniel Aloise
Full Professor
Polytechnique Montréal, Canada
Steering Committee

Eduardo G. Pardo
Full Professor
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain

José Andrés Moreno Pérez
Full Professor
Universidad de La Laguna, Spain

Angelo Sifaleras
Full Professor
University of Macedonia, Greece

Rachid Benmansour
Professor
INSEA, Morocco

Tatjana Davidovic
Research Professor
Mathematical Institute, Serbian Academy of Sciences

Dragan Urosevic
Research Professor
Mathematical Institute, Serbian Academy of Sciences
Programme Committee
- Abraham Duarte - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Ada Alvarez - Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, México
- Adriana Gabor - Khalifa University, U.A.E.
- Ali Allahverdi - Kuwait University, Kuwait
- Andrei Sleptchenko - Khalifa University, U.A.E.
- Angelo Sifaleras - University of Macedonia, Greece
- Anton Eremeev - Omsk State University, Russia
- Athanasios Migdalas - Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
- Bassem Jarboui - Higher Colleges of Technology, U.A.E.
- Celso Ribeiro - Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
- Chandra Irawan - Nottingham University Business School, China
- Christos D. Tarantilis - Athens University of Economics, Greece
- Cláudio Alves - University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- Daniel Aloise - Polytechnique Montréal, Canada
- Dragan Urošević - Mathematical Institute SANU, Serbia
- Eduardo G. Pardo - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Emilio Carrizosa - University of Seville, Spain
- Gilles Caporossi - HEC Montréal, Canada
- Günther Raidl - TU Wien, Austria
- Hasan Turan - University of New South Wales, Australia
- Isaac Lozano-Osorio - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- J. Manuel Colmenar - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Jack Brimberg - Royal Military College, Kingston, Canada
- Javier Yuste - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Jesús Sánchez-Oro - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- John Beasley - Brunel University London, UK
- José A. Moreno-Perez - University of La Laguna, Spain
- Jun Pei - University of Hefei, China
- Karl Dörner - University of Vienna, Austria
- Kenneth Sörensen - University of Antwerp, Belgium
- Laureano Escudero - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Leonidas Pitsoulis - Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
- Luiz Satoru Ochi - Fluminense Federal University, Brazil
- Marc Sevaux - University of Southern Brittany, France
- Marcone Jamilson Freitas Souza - UFOP, Brazil
- Michel Gendreau - École Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada
- Panos Pardalos - University of Florida, USA
- Patrick Siarry - Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne, France
- Qiuhong Zhao - Beihang University, China
- Raca Todosijević - Mathematical Institute SANU, Serbia
- Rachid Benmansour - INSEA, Morocco
- Raja Jayaraman - Khalifa University, U.A.E.
- Raúl Martín Santamaría - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Richard Hartl - University of Vienna, Austria
- Rustam Mussabayev - National Institute of Information Security Development, Kazakhstan
- Said Salhi - University of Kent, UK
- Saïd Hanafi - University of Valenciennes, France
- Sergio Cavero - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Sergio Consoli - European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Belgium
- Sergio Gil Borras - Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Sergio Pérez-Peló - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- Tatiana Davidović - Mathematical Institute SANU, Serbia
- Teodor G. Crainic - Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
- Varvara Raskazzova - Moscow Aviation Institute, Russia
- Vera Kovačević-Vujčić - University of Belgrade, Serbia
- Vitor Nazário Coelho - Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
- Yannis Marinakis - Technical University of Crete, Greece
- Yuri Kochetov - Sobolev Institute of Mathematics, Russia
- Zorica Stanimirovic - University of Belgrade, Serbia