A WDM flexible grid for Spectrally Flexible Optical Networks (SFONs) was standardized in 2012. FLEXOPTIM aims to develop efficient Routing and Spectrum Assignment (RSA) algorithms able to optimize in a tractable way the WDM optical spectrum use in SFONs, with arbitrary topologies and large sizes; e.g. several tens of nodes, and several hundreds of connections. RSA addresses two use cases: - A full set of connection requests is known in advance. 0ff-line calculation takes into account the entire set. Connections are then configured from scratch. Such network reset can be carried out periodically to make the best use of transmission resources. - Connection requests arrive on the fly. Calculations are made on-line taking into account existing traffic and connections are configured immediately after. This corresponds to the incremental “local” optimization of the network physical resources. Algorithms have to be compatible with SDN paradigm. Hence, FLEXOPTIM will regularly interact with Orange Labs teams involved in SDN forums and standardization bodies. The key challenge is algorithm scalability. The RSA problem is NP-Hard, much harder than the Routing and Wavelength Assignment problem for fix grid WDM networks. FLEXOPTIM shall explore new mathematical approaches reducing the number of variables to overcome the drawbacks of current methods. FLEXOPTIM involves two teams, from the LIMOS laboratory at University Clermont-Auvergne (including the project coordinator) and IMT Atlantique (Lab-STICC and IRISA), with an in-depth expertise in respectively applied mathematics to optimization and optical network architecture. The project includes a management work package and two technical ones. WP0 is in charge of reporting to ANR and project coordination. It also ensures exploiting and disseminating the results as well as maintaining frequent contacts with external industrial partners and optimization experts thanks to an advisory board. WP1 shall develop new optimization tools for RSA problem. WP2 shall evaluate the developed algorithms and apply them to use cases defined in close relationship with the advisory board. WP2 shall first define Key Performance Indicators. In the first year, WP1 shall introduce new formulations for the off-line RSA problem and deliver a basic version to WP2. During a six month evaluation process, WP1 shall enhance its formulations and use WP2’s feedback to reach a stable version to be evaluated on a dedicated Orange Labs platform. By the beginning of the third year, WP1 shall provide final specifications of the off-line algorithms and WP2 assess their performance. WP1 shall also consider novel heuristics incorporating the previous solution structure analysis and insights from WP2 for the on-line problem. First versions of on-line algorithms will be evaluated by WP2. Stable versions, adapting SDN concepts to SFON functional architecture, will be delivered for evaluation on the Orange Labs testbed and final versions will be fully specified and evaluated at the end of the project. As a PRC project, FLEXOPTIM primarily aims at impacting research and teaching in the areas of expertise of its partners. In particular, its results shall be published in relevant journals and conferences. FLEXOPTIM intends to cross-fertilize both optimization and optical networking fields. In particular, several optimization methods studied in FLEXOPTIM could find other applications, such as dimensioning of other network types or other discrete resource allocation problems. FLEXOPTIM should also have a significant industrial impact. Developed codes and generic data benchmarks for simulations will be made freely available. Contributions to the Open-ROADM Multi-Source Agreement should be a very suitable tool for disseminating the results regarding node control in a SFON. A final workshop will bring together scientists from both academia and industry to present the project achievements and debate on methods and open questions in SFONs.

Weight reduction and cost savings have driven composites research towards a number of recent high profile achievements. The increased use of anisotropic AL/CFRP/Ti stacks in aircraft structures has in turn created enormous challenges for the industry due to the difficulties that arise from drilling these heterogeneous stack materials. The project “European and Chinese Platform for Stacked Aero-Structure Drilling Process and Equipment (ECSASDPE)” focuses on the staff exchange between the partners of EU and China, and the development of key enabling techniques and equipment for theorbital drilling process of stacked AL/CFRP/Ti. It meets the objectives and requirements of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE), by establishing multiple bridges between European and Chinese institutions. The ultimate goal of ECSASDPE is to set up a long-term international and inter-sector collaboration consortium through research and innovation staff exchanges between 8 world-recognised institutions in the cutting-edge research area of high value manufacturing with promising applications in scientific and engineering sectors. The synergistic methodologies achieved by ECSASDPE will serve as the building blocks of the stacked composite materialmachining mechanism, equipment design, process monitor and control, and machining quality metrology and characterisation and scale up application, and thus enhance the leading position of the consortium for the scientific and technological progresses in high value manufacturing. This project is divided into six inter-related work packages: (1) Setup of knowledge base and road mapping; (2) Fundamentals of drilling process; (3) Key techniques for Equipment development; (4) System integration and performance verification; (5) Dissemination and exploitation, and (6) Project management. The work packages integrate all activities that will lead to the accomplishment of all the project objectives within 66 months.

This project aims to propose a declarative language dedicated to cryptanalytic problems in symmetric key cryptography using constraint programming (CP) to simplify the representation of attacks, to improve existing attacks and to build new cryptographic primitives that withstand these attacks. We also want to compare the different tools that can be used to solve these problems: SAT and MILP where the constraints are homogeneous and CP where the heterogeneous constraints can allow a more complex treatment. One of the challenges of this project will be to define global constraints dedicated to the case of symmetric cryptography. Concerning constraint programming, this project will define new dedicated global constraints, will improve the underlying filtering and solution search algorithms and will propose dedicated explanations generated automatically.

Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) is an important computational problem and is often solved on large scale inputs across academia and industry. Sophisticated software packages exist for this purpose, and the algorithmic paradigm used by these packages is well-documented. These algorithms, which are slow and inefficient according to the paradigm of worst-case analysis, are nevertheless very effective in practice. This mismatch between theory and observation holds for nearly every algorithmic component used in MILP software and poses a challenge for the study of algorithmic complexity. The objective of this project is to develop new mathematical tools to understand the performance of these algorithms. The specific subject of this project will be the simplex method for Linear Programming (LP), a state-of-the-art algorithm which is essential in every successful MILP solver. A number of theoretical models have previously been proposed to explain why the simplex method is efficient in practice, including average-case analysis, smoothed analysis, and parameterized analyses. Despite this concerted effort, existing approaches have a number of key limitations. The project’s objective is to develop new mathematical approaches that address these limitations. The desired outcome of this line of work is a mathematical framework for explaining the performance of the simplex method, and whose claims can be tested in computational experiments on real-world data. The project’s main output will be in theorems about the geometry and combinatorics of LP problems and convex polyhedra. Where applicable, computational experiments will be performed.