Optimization Challenge

The Optimization Challenge is an undergraduate competition organized by the Sabancı University Industrial Engineering Program, with the 2025 edition sponsored by ICRON. In the first round, the student teams will be asked to solve logistics optimization problems in two rounds. After the remote first round, the finalist groups will be invited to the campus for the final round. The top three groups will earn awards together with the bragging rights as the best undergrad optimizers!

Efficiently delivering healthcare services to underserved communities is a key challenge. The public health authority aims to address this by deploying M healthcare units to serve N communities, considering both accessibility and operational constraints. Each unit is placed within a community, has a limited capacity C, and must minimize the maximum population-weighted distance that any community must travel. Additionally, equipment must be distributed from a central depot (node 0) to each unit based on the population it serves, using a fleet of ambulances with a fixed capacity (Q=10,000). The problem is structured in two stages: first, optimizing unit deployment and assignments, and second, planning efficient equipment distribution routes to minimize travel effort.

For more details, please download the full problem description here. You need to register to access the problem instances.

Undergraduate students are eligible to apply.

Groups of size 2-3 are allowed.

There are two rounds in the Optimization Challenge.

In the first round, the group is expected to solve multiple instances of the problem explained in Problem - Data and submit their solutions online until the deadline of the first round.
In the final round, the finalists will be invited on campus where they will be given a similar challenge and a new dataset. Then, they will be asked to solve this challenge on campus. Finally, they will give a brief presentation to the evaluation committee. Further details will be announced later.
- Two-night accommodation in the hotel on campus, meals and limited travel support will be provided to finalists for their campus visit.

First Round Deadline: 20 April

Final Round: 18-19 May (on campus). Accommodation in the hotel on campus will be provided for the nights of 17 and 18 May.

Please fill this form for registration. We expect one submission per group.

Note that you need to register in order to access the problem instances.

Registration Form

No, only undergraduate students are eligible.

Yes, but travel support cannot be guaranteed to international applicants.

No, undergraduate students from any major are eligible.

Please see Problem - Data

(TBA) The groups will be given a similar challenge and a new dataset, and they will be asked to solve this challenge on campus. Then, they will give a brief presentation to the evaluation committee. Further details will be announced later.

No, you are completely free to choose your own setup as long as the format of your submission files matches the requirements in Problem - Data

The groups will need to submit their reports in the first round and deliver their presentations in the final round in English.

Before the first round deadline, you can change the group composition by sending an email to opt-challenge@sabanciuniv.edu. You cannot change your group composition after the first round and we expect the whole group to show up for the final round if the group qualifies to the final round.

You can send an email to opt-challenge@sabanciuniv.edu. If the answer is not already provided on our website, we will update this FAQ section.

First Place	Second Place	Third Place	ICRON Special Award
25.000 TL	15.000 TL	10.000 TL	10.000 TL* _{*with an internship opportunity at ICRON during the summer of 2025.}

^{Awards will be given as gift cards.}

The final round of Optimization Challenge 2025 was held on 18 and 19 May at Tuzla Campus. 19 undergraduate students in eight groups worked on a logistics optimization problem for 24 hours before presenting their work to the jury composed of Barış Selçuk, İhsan Sadati and Tonguç Ünlüyurt. The top three groups received their awards along with certificates presented by Dean Erkay Savaş; and ICRON Special Award was delivered by Barış Selçuk.