ECOSOURCE (May 2024-December 2026)
Title : Web platform for supporting due diligence and deforestation analysiswith simplified EUDR compliance
Abstract:
The EcoSource project aims to develop digital tools to support the implementation of the new European Union regulation on combating imported deforestation (EUDR) for European companies importing wood, cocoa, coffee, rubber, and palm oil.
These new regulations impose two new requirements on importers of these products:
– Conduct due diligence, i.e., analyze the risks of illegality and/or human rights violations within their supply chain, all the way back to the original producer.
– Conduct an analysis of the deforestation potential of the production areas of origin from which the imported product comes.
In order to offer a solution tailored to the needs of European importers, BFConsult, Deuse, HEC-Liège, and UCLouvain have formed a consortium with the aim of developing EcoSource, a digital tool for companies importing these commodities. This tool aims to meet all of these requirements and has strong potential for commercialization.
Companies : BFConsult SRL, Deuse SRL
Research Centers: Université de Liège/HEC-Liège/QuantOM et CES, Université Catholique de Louvain / Earth and Life Institute (ELI) et Geomatics Research Lab
Project leader(s): Professors Célia Paquay / Thierry Pironet / Virgine Xhauflaire
Researcher(s): Antoine Gavroye (May 2024 – March 2025), Isaline Thirion Marc (2025 – present)
COPS (2020 – 2024)
Title: Combinatorial Optimization for Postal Services
Abstract:
This project, a collaboration between HEC Liège and bpost, aims to optimize postal delivery operations through advanced mathematical modeling and algorithmic development. Its goal is to sustain bpost delivery operations for letters and parcels by creatingmethods to partition the Belgian territory into several sets of districts, each set corresponding to a specific mailman route. We seek to design robust district sets such that the workload is maintained as balanced as possible among districts, considering stochastic service times and the presence of stochastic customers. Different stochastic versions of the node, edge, and arc routing problem are studied, and the trade-offs associated with achieving robust workload balance are analyzed.
Funding partner: bpost
Project leader: Yasemin Arda, Véronique François
Researchers: Yasemin Arda, Véronique François, Melek Musa (postdoctoral grant, 01/2023 – 07/2023), Oscar Tellez (postdoctoral grant, 04/2020 – 10/2022)
PIT – Greenwin (SPW Économie, Emploi, Recherche)
CIRC-PVC: Développement de la circularité des déchets PVC de la construction au travers d’une technologie de dissolution
Role: Partner
Researcher(s): RENKIN C.
Partner(s): Avient Belgium; Centre scientifique et technique de l’industrie textile belge (CENTEXBEL); Eco-Dec; Entreprises Générales Louis Duchene SA; Rovi-tech sa; Vanheede Environmental Logistics
Win4Spin-off (SPW Économie, Emploi, Recherche)
AIASHI: AIASHI
Role: Coordinator
Project Leader(s): ITTOO A.
Commission mixte (WBI -Wallonie-Bruxelles International)
Electromobilité : gestion des points de charge pour véhicules électriques dans les villes et les entreprises
Role: Coordinator
Project Leader(s): LIMBOURG S.
Partner(s): AMAYA J. – University of Chile – Centre de modélisation mathématique
PIT – Logistics in Wallonia (SPW Économie, Emploi, Recherche)
EcoSource: Plateforme web de gestion de l’information dans le cadre des mécanismes de diligence raisonnée de l’EUDR entre les importateurs européens et producteurs de produits agricoles et forestiers
Role: Partner
Project Leader(s): PIRONET T.
Collaborator(s): XHAUFLAIR V.
Partner(s): DEUSE SPRL; DEFOURNY P. – Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)
WOOD VAL (2023-2027)
Title: Mathematical optimization methods for a dual bin packing problem applied towood reuse
Abstract :
The increasing demand for raw materials such as wood contributes to the depletion of natural resources and global warming. To curb this phenomenon, a more sustainable and circular use of wood could be developed through the intelligent management of wood waste.
Recycling wood waste has several environmental and economic benefits. Among these, wood is an important CO2 sink and not burning it allows this carbon to be stored for longer.
This work focuses on a way of reducing wood waste, which aims to reuse wood rather than recycle it, i.e., not to reduce the value and properties of the material as would be the case if the wood were recycled into pellets, for example. The objective here is to produce CLT panels by assembling, gluing, and cutting wooden slats, which is a variant of the dual bin packing problem.
Funding: Grant from Sector Council for research and valorisation in Human Sciences, ULiège
Partners: Tom DE MIL (Agro Bio tech, ULiège), Morgane DUMONT (HEC Liège), Bernard FORTZ (HEC Liège)
Project leader: Célia PAQUAY
Researcher: Pauline BESSEMANS
Robust Home Healthcare Planning (2024 – 2028)
Title: Proactive and reactive optimization methods for dynamic and stochastic home healthcare routing and scheduling problems
Abstract:
Home healthcare routing and scheduling problems (HHCRSPs) are complex combinatorial optimization problems where the medical tasks of geographically dispersed patients must be assigned to available care workers and scheduled considering treatment requirements and patient preferences. The rosters of the care workers must also be determined for the planning horizon while respecting workforce-related constraints. Moreover, those operational processes are subject to unexpected disruptions that can have dramatic effects on the quality of healthcare services. This research project aims at designing novel proactive and reactive optimization methods for the HHCRSPs arising in uncertain and dynamic environments. The goal here is to account for the inherent uncertainty and to generate routes, schedules, and rosters that are robust and responsive when facing disruptions.
Funding:Research Project (Projet de Recherche – PDR) (F.R.S-FNRS)
Project leader:Yasemin Arda
Researchers: Yasemin Arda, Louise Tassin (doctoral grant, since 10/2024)
Collaborators:Véronique François (QuantOM), Michel Gendreau (CIRRELT Montréal),Elise Vandomme (QuantOM)
Actions de Recherche concertées (ULiège)
DIGITALPLATFORMS: Regulation for “Artificial Intelligence“-Powered Digital Platforms: Researching “in“ and “out“ of the BlackBox
Role: Coordinator
Collaborator(s): GAUTIER A., ITTOO A.
Interreg V A – Euregio Meuse Rhin (Interreg)
EMR Digital Twin Academy: EMR Digital Twin Academy
Role: Coordinator
Project Leader(s): SCHYNS M.
Partner(s): CECOTEPE asbl; Fachhochschule Aachen; Flanders Make; Haute Ecole Libre Mosane (HELMo); SIRRIS; Stichting Fontys; Stichting STODT Praktijkcentrum voor geavanceerde Technologie; UC Limburg vzw; BÉCHET E. – University of Liège (ULiège) – Aérospatiale et Mécanique (A&M)
Bourses en Sciences Humaines (ULiège)
BSH22-P BESSEMANS Pauline Arya: WoodVal ‘optimisation pour revalorisation du bois
Role: Coordinator
Project Leader(s): PAQUAY C.
Fonds spéciaux – crédits sectoriels (ULiège)
EVE: Environnement Virtuel avec Emotions
Role: Coordinator
Project Leader(s): SCHYNS M.
Fonds spéciaux – crédits sectoriels (ULiège)
EVE: Environnement Virtuel avec Emotions
Role: Coordinator
Project Leader(s): SCHYNS M.
Projet de recherche – PDR (FRS-FNRS)
The proposal Robust Home Healthcare Plan: Méthodes d’optimisation proactives et réactives pour les problèmes dynamiques et stochastiques d’acheminement et d’ordonnancement des soins à domicile
Role: Partner
Project Leader(s): ARDA Y.
Researcher(s): ARDA Y., TASSIN L.
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