Summer School 2026 – SPECIES Society

The SPECIES Summer School is looking for students interested in gaining evolutionary computation and general research work skills, networking with the school mentors and with other students and enjoying a nice stay by the Mediterranean!

NEWS!

Free registration for the first 5 female students!
How it works: You need to register, pay the fees and attend the summer school, and then we will reimburse you the fees.
Travel bursaries!

SPECIES will provide a limited number of travel bursaries to students attending the Summer School who (1) have worked or taken courses in Evolutionary Computation-related subjets and can provide (2) proof of expenses already incurred or a tentative budget and (3) a justification of need.

Please register using the form below and send us an email to info@species-society.org, including the documentation needed for points (1), (2) and (3), with the subject “TRAVEL BURSARY”.

Dates

August 26 (Wednesday) to 31 (Monday), 2026.

Venue

The SPECIES Summer School will be held in the town of Moraira, a cute beach resort in the South-eastern coast of Spain.

Up to 16 students will be lodged in the La Marina Youth Hostel, where the sessions will also take place.

Mentors’ team

Leonardo Trujillo — Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana, México
Miguel Nicolau— University College Dublin, Ireland
Julia Handl — The University of Manchester, UK
Boris Naujjoks — TH Köln, Germany

Anna I Esparcia-Alcázar — SPECIES, Spain (Summer School Coordinator)

Tutorials

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Leonardo)
TBA (Julia)
Fundamentals of Metaheuristics and Evolutionary Algorithms (Leonardo)
TBA (Boris)
TBA (Boris)
The Conference Paper Lottery: Improving Your Chances (Miguel)
TBA (Juia)
Please do not bore me to death (Anna)

Programme

		Wed 26 Aug.	Thurs 27 Aug.	Fri 28 Aug.	Sat 29 Aug.	Sun 30 Aug.	Mon 31 Aug.	Tues 1 Sep.
09:00	10:00	Arrival & reception	Tutorial 1	Tutorial 3	Tutorial 5	Tutorial 7	Team work	That’s all folks!
10:00	11:00		Tutorial 2	Tutorial 4	Tutorial 6	Tutorial 8	Team work
11:00	11:30		Break	Break	Break	Break	Break
11:30	12:30	Introduction to the summer school, presentation of the program	Challenges’ Pitch	Team work	Team work	Sailing and kayaking	Team work
12:30	13:30		Challenges’ Pitch	Team work	Team work	Sailing and kayaking	Team work
13:30	15:30	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Picnic	Lunch
15:30	16:30	Ice breaker	Splitting into groups	Team work	Team work	Outdoor activity	Presentation of the Challenges’ Results
16:30	17:30	Ice breaker	Splitting into groups	Team work	Team work	Outdoor activity	Presentation of the Challenges’ Results
17:30	18:30	Paper discussion workshop	Outdoor activity	Beach volley	Outdoor activity	Team work	Closing ceremony
18:30	19:30	Paper discussion workshop	Outdoor activity	Beach volley	Outdoor activity	Team work	Closing ceremony
19:30	21:00	Welcome Reception	Dinner	Pizzas on the beach	Dinner	Dinner	Farewell dinner

Who can apply

Students and recent graduates interested in bio-inspired computation

Fees: 350 €
Included in the fees: 6 nights accommodation (Wednesday 26th to Tuesday 1st), all meals from Wednesday August 26th lunch to Tuesday September 1st breakfast, outdoor activities.

You may also book (and pay) additional nights accommodation via the hostel web page.

The fees do not include: travel to and from the venue, visa costs (if any), insurance, optional activities.

How to get there

Nearest airports are Alicante and Valencia.

Please note: A special bus will be arranged for people flying to and from Valencia — please let us know if you’re interested!

If you prefer to travel independently, from either airport go to the respective Estación de Autobuses, where you can take a bus (around 14.45 € one way from Valencia, 11.70€ from Alicante) to Teulada. From the same bus stop (or the one across the road) you can then take another bus to Moraira.

The times for the buses Teluada-Moraira are: 9:10, 11:15, 13:00, 17:40, 19:40 and they take 10 minutes. Then you need to walk 9 minutes to the hostel

What to bring

Compulsory: Your own laptop to work on the projects.

Recommended: swimming costume, beach towel, sun cream, hat, diving mask

The Summer School Code

Students are expected to:

Attend the 6 days of the summer school

Cooperatively work on a challenge and follow the standards of proper social and research behavior.

Deliver, by the end of the school, a presentation on what they have been working on during it.

Papers resulting from previous Summer School editions

How to apply

Places will be allocated on a first come-first served basis. Please, fill the form below to apply.

Student Name

Affiliation

Recommendation letter from current or former supervisor

Date of birth

Passport (or ID card) number

Passport (or ID card) expiration date

Scan of passport (or ID card) showing date of birth and nationality

Do you need a visa to enter Spain? (Please note: invitation letters in order to get visas will only be sent after payment of fees)

Gender

Room sharing preference

Dietary restrictions

Details of the dietary restrictions (only if you selected an option above that needs to specify anything else)

Would you be interested in taking the group bus from/to Valencia? (additional charges may apply)

To encourage female participation we have introduced a two for the price of one offer: two women registering together will only have to pay one registration fee. Are you taking this offer?

If you are taking this offer please indicate the name of your colleague

Do you require a travel bursary?

Please upload documentation in one single file (PDF or ZIP) to support the following: (1) you have worked or taken courses in Evolutionary Computation-related subjets (2) proof of expenses already incurred or a tentative budget and (3) a justification of need of travel bursary

IMPORTANT: If you need an invoice, please fill the data below

Billing address

VAT number/SIRET/NIF

Summer School 2026