“When vast amounts of data are processed, the computing power required consumes a lot of energy. In the future, we will need more intelligent systems that are more energy-efficient. At the same time, the energy systems themselves must also become more intelligent – and thus more sustainable. New logistics and mobility concepts such as autonomous vehicles and the full switch to electric mobility also present us with challenges. These are some of the examples where innovative optimisation methods, where mathematics can make a significant contribution, are urgently needed,” explains Angelika Wiegele (Department of Mathematics), who successfully secured funding for the doctoral network together with colleagues at other European research institutions and who will also be coordinating it. The 13 doctoral students who will be conducting research in the project from autumn 2026 onwards will be addressing various issues in applied mathematics, operations research and computer science. Motivated by real-world applications, they will be working on fundamental research questions. Angelika Wiegele continues: “Often, it’s not just a matter of finding good solutions, which is frequently very easy, but of knowing the provably optimal solution. Only with knowledge of the optimal solution can one achieve the best possible results, build a sound theoretical understanding, and weigh up the extent to which approximate solutions are acceptable when making decisions.”

Mobility plays a major role in the project: doctoral students must have spent no more than 12 months studying or working in the country of their doctoral university in the last three years. During the three years they are involved in the project, they also spend several months at another university belonging to the doctoral network. In addition, they work for an industrial partner for one to three months. “This allows doctoral students to gain cross-sector experience, which will advance their research and their own CVs,” Angelika Wiegele emphasises.

Scheduled to commence in early January 2026, the ALMOA project will draw on experience gained from the MSCA network MINOA (2018–2021). ALMOA will be the first MSCA network coordinated at the University of Klagenfurt. The process of awarding MSCA networks is highly competitive.

The consortium comprises 13 research institutions: University of Klagenfurt (AT), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS (FR), Electricité de France (FR), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (DE), Management, Artificial Intelligence and Operations Research Srl (IT), Stichting Nederlandse Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Instituten (NL), Universiteit van Tilburg (NL), Technische Universiteit Delft (NL), Technische Universität Dortmund (DE), Ruprechts-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (D), Università di Bologna (IT) and University of Cologne (DE). Associated partners are: German Aerospace Centre EV (DE), Mosek ApS (DK), Schenker AG (DE), Siemens AG (DE), Institut Polytechnique de Paris (FR), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Università di Pisa (IT), Università degli Studi di Roma di Sapienza (IT) and Universiteit Utrecht (NL).