Techniques based on metaheuristics and nature-inspired paradigms can provide efficient solutions to a wide variety of problems. Moreover, parallel and distributed metaheuristics can be used to provide more powerful problem solving environments in a variety of fields, ranging, for example, from finance to bio- and health-informatics.

This workshop seeks to provide an opportunity for researchers to explore the connection between metaheuristics and the development of solutions to problems that arise in operations research, parallel computing, telecommunications, and many others. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Nature-inspired methods (e.g. ant colonies, GAs, cellular automata, DNA and molecular computing, local search, etc) for problem solving environments. Parallel and distributed metaheuristics techniques (algorithms, technologies and tools).

Applications combining traditional parallel and distributed computing and optimization techniques as well as theoretical issues (convergence, complexity, etc). Other algorithms and applications relating the above mentioned research areas.