Mathematics will help solve the industrial challenges of 5 large Basque companies

• The 150^th edition of the European Study Group with Industry (ESGI 150) will take place in Bilbao from 21 to 25 October at the headquarters of BCAM and Beaz

The Basque Centre for Applied Mathematics - BCAM organises, in collaboration with the Regional Government of Biscay, through Beaz, the 150^th edition of the European Study Group with Industry (ESGI 150) in which several scientists will work on the industrial and sports challenges proposed by 5 Basque companies to show what mathematical research can offer the industrial sector. The event will take place from 21 to 25 October in Bilbao and the companies participating will be Athletic Club, CAF, Euskaltel, Iberdrola and the Bilbao Bizkaia Water Consortium.

ESGIs are an internationally recognised initiative for the transfer of knowledge and technology between mathematics and industry that emerged at Oxford University in 1968. Among its main objectives are to establish working relationships between mathematicians and companies, and to raise awareness of the importance of this discipline for the industry.

Much of the success of these events, which are held in cities all across Europe, lies in their particular format. The companies propose a real challenge that is tackled by a scientific team for a week and then meet and learn about the results. The working groups are usually formed by researchers (from master and doctoral students to postdoctoral profiles) in mathematics, computer science or engineering and are coordinated by a person from the academic environment, who is an expert in the subject. The team members also have the support of the participating companies to resolve any doubts.

The five challenges posed in this edition of ESGI correspond to areas of applied mathematics as diverse as data analysis, artificial intelligence or computational fluid dynamics. The problems proposed by each of the companies are listed below:

1. Athletic Club: Analysing and predicting football players and team performance with movement tracking technology
2. CAF: Integration of physical and experimental knowledge applied to the system of air consumption and generation in railway vehicles
3. Euskaltel: Detecting improvements in churn predictive models that include an imaginative search for external variables and a creative visualization of results
4. Iberdrola: Optimal design of the electric vehicle’s public charging network
5. Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia: Optimal design of ventilation grates through CFD simulations

Jose A. Lozano, scientific director of BCAM and member of the organizing committee of ESGI 150, believes that the transfer of knowledge to industry is one of the priorities of the center since its inception and that events like this "are a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the importance and usefulness of research in mathematics applied to companies in the environment.

In fact, this will be the second European Study Group with Industry organized by BCAM and Beaz in the Basque Country. The first edition took place in 2017 and both the participating companies and the researchers involved in the challenges were very satisfied with the dynamics of the event and the results obtained. All details about the ESGI 150 are now available at the following link: wp.bcamath.org/esgi150