- Organic Computing Initiative

New Frontiers of OC - Workshop, Terminumfrage für April'27
by Sebastian von Mammen 01 Jul '26

01 Jul '26

Liebe Alle! Auf dem Fachgruppentreffen OC in Mainz haben wir beschlossen, einen neuen Perspektivenworkshop durchzuführen. An einem 2-Tages-Event wollen wir in Würzburg Nachwuchswissenschaftler/innen aus den Bereichen OC, Mensch-Computer-Interaktion und Maschinellem Lernen/KI zusammenbringen. Neben kurzen Überblicksvorlesungen zu entsprechenden OC-Perspektiven, werden individuelle Forschungsinteressen vorgestellt und große Visionen gezeichnet und konkrete Agendas abgeleitet. Nach Absprache mit einigen von euch, biete ich nun zwei Wochen im April zur Abstimmung. Also: Wann sollen wir den Workshop stattfinden lassen, sodass ihr möglichst viele eurer Nachwuchswissenschaftler/innen entsenden und vielleicht sogar selbst teilnehmen könnt? Link zur Abstimmung: https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/p/1f2d9eafb4be4db2b5b6056b6e7be134-1808660 Ich bitte um Abstimmung bis zum 30.Juni! Herzlichen Dank und viele Grüße Sebastian -- Prof. Dr. Sebastian von Mammen Games Engineering Group Chair of Human-Computer Interaction Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg Zoom: https://go.uniwue.de/zoom-vonmammen

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Call for Participation: Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium (OC-DDC 2026)
by Pia Schweizer 17 Apr '26

17 Apr '26

The 14th International "Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium“ (OC-DDC 2026) The Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium (OC-DDC) is organised by the Special Interest Group on Organic Computing within the Gesellschaft für Informatik. The 2026 edition will take place at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, from June 11-12, 2026. Details on the event (and its predecessors) are available at: https://sites.google.com/view/ocddc-2026 We invite applications from PhD students at any stage of their doctoral studies on Organic Computing, Autonomic Computing, intelligent systems, self-adaptation and self-organisation, self-aware computing systems, autonomous learning, self-* mechanisms, trustworthy systems, and related research topics. ==* Colloquium Theme *== The intent of the DDC is to bring together PhD students who have their research focus within the broader Organic Computing community and will not have defended their thesis before June 2026. The main goal of this colloquium is to foster excellence in OC‐related research by providing students with feedback and advice that are particularly relevant to their doctoral studies and career development. Each participant will take part in the colloquium organisation and the review process for the other participants. Keynote speakers will present current research in the field. They will be available during the OC‐DDC and participate in the feedback process for the PhD students. Details on the keynote speakers will be available as soon as possible (see website). The schedule includes: - Prepare an extended abstract or short paper of 6 pages (max.) reflecting your PhD concept - Participate in the review process - Participate in the (supervised) decision process (acceptance of submissions) - Present your work to an audience consisting mainly of other PhD students from your community - Identify points of contact between your work and others - Build your social research network - Meet experts in your research domain and listen to their invited talks and expertise - Enjoy the opportunity to improve your PhD work, overcome stipulations and learn from the experts ==* Important Dates *== - Paper submission deadline: April 13, 2026 May 3, 2026 AoE (Final Extension) - Review Deadline: May 15, 2026 June 1, 2026 - Conference Dates: June 11-12, 2026 ==* Submission *== PhD students are invited to participate by submitting an extended abstract of up to 6 pages (including references and figures). Papers must be written in English. Papers should be formatted according to Springer LNCS style (see: https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…) and submitted via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=ocddc2026. The OC-DDC papers are about personal projects, so please note that the submission should be single-authored (supervisors can be mentioned in the acknowledgements). The paper should motivate the PhD project and describe the relation to OC (e.g., based on https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68477-2 or https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1701.08125) Additionally, the paper should outline key research questions driving the doctoral project and describe the general approach or methodology used to address them. Therefore, providing sufficient foundational information is essential to help readers understand the context. After the OC-DDC, each participant will be invited to prepare a book chapter for an edited book. The book chapter will contain approx. 14 pages. The book chapter should extend the initially submitted abstract by discussing the current state of the doctoral research, such as progress made, any preliminary findings, or ongoing challenges. ==* Colloquium Details *== - Participation cost: approx. 150€ - Participants have to organise travel and accommodation themselves ==* Organisation *== Elia Henrichs (University of Hohenheim, Germany) Ghassan Al-Falouji (Kiel University, Germany) ==* Steering Committee *== Christian Krupitzer (University of Hohenheim, Germany) Sven Tomforde (Kiel University, Germany) ==* Advisory Committee *== Jörg Hähner (University Augsburg, Germany) Christian Müller-Schloer (Leibniz University Hannover, Germany) Bernhard Sick (University Kassel, Germany) ==* Local Organisation *== Stefan Wildermann (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany) ==* Proceedings Chair *== Connor Schönberner (Kiel University, Germany) ==* Publicity Chair *== Pia Schweizer (University of Hohenheim, Germany)

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Termin-Abstimmung: Organic Computing - New Frontiers Workshop
by Sebastian von Mammen 14 Apr '26

14 Apr '26

Liebe Alle! Auf dem Fachgruppentreffen OC in Mainz haben wir beschlossen, einen neuen Perspektivenworkshop durchzuführen. An einem 2-Tages-Event Ende September wollen wir in Würzburg Nachwuchswissenschaftler/innen aus den Bereichen OC, Mensch-Computer-Interaktion und Maschinellem Lernen/KI zusammenbringen. Wann sollen wir den Workshop stattfinden lassen, sodass ihr möglichst viele eurer Nachwuchswissenschaftler/innen entsenden und vielleicht sogar selbst teilnehmen könnt? Link zur Abstimmung: https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/p/c3b28a09f0ad175f70ee4c744b046ba1-1703885 Ich bitte um Abstimmung bis Freitag, den 24.04. 12 Uhr. Herzlichen Dank und viele Grüße Sebastian -- Prof. Dr. Sebastian von Mammen Games Engineering Group Chair of Human-Computer Interaction Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg Zoom: https://go.uniwue.de/zoom-vonmammen

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Call for Participation: Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium (OC-DDC 2026)
by Pia Schweizer 19 Mar '26

19 Mar '26

The 14th International "Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium“ (OC-DDC 2026) The Organic Computing Doctoral Dissertation Colloquium (OC-DDC) is organised by the Special Interest Group on Organic Computing within the Gesellschaft für Informatik. The 2026 edition will take place at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, from June 11-12, 2026. Details on the event (and its predecessors) are available at: https://sites.google.com/view/ocddc-2026 We invite applications from PhD students at any stage of their doctoral studies on Organic Computing, Autonomic Computing, intelligent systems, self-adaptation and self-organisation, self-aware computing systems, autonomous learning, self-* mechanisms, trustworthy systems, and related research topics. ==* Colloquium Theme *== The intent of the DDC is to bring together PhD students who have their research focus within the broader Organic Computing community and will not have defended their thesis before June 2026. The main goal of this colloquium is to foster excellence in OC‐related research by providing students with feedback and advice that are particularly relevant to their doctoral studies and career development. Each participant will take part in the colloquium organisation and the review process for the other participants. Keynote speakers will present current research in the field. They will be available during the OC‐DDC and participate in the feedback process for the PhD students. Details on the keynote speakers will be available as soon as possible (see website). The schedule includes: - Prepare an extended abstract or short paper of 6 pages (max.) reflecting your PhD concept - Participate in the review process - Participate in the (supervised) decision process (acceptance of submissions) - Present your work to an audience consisting mainly of other PhD students from your community - Identify points of contact between your work and others - Build your social research network - Meet experts in your research domain and listen to their invited talks and expertise - Enjoy the opportunity to improve your PhD work, overcome stipulations and learn from the experts ==* Important Dates *== - Paper submission deadline: March 30, 2026 April 13, 2026 (extended) - Review Deadline: May 15, 2026 - Conference Dates: June 11-12, 2026 ==* Submission *== PhD students are invited to participate by submitting an extended abstract of up to 6 pages (including references and figures). Papers must be written in English. Papers should be formatted according to Springer LNCS style (see: https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…) and submitted via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=ocddc2026. The OC-DDC papers are about personal projects, so please note that the submission should be single-authored (supervisors can be mentioned in the acknowledgements). The paper should motivate the PhD project and describe the relation to OC (e.g., based on https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68477-2 or https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1701.08125) Additionally, the paper should outline key research questions driving the doctoral project and describe the general approach or methodology used to address them. Therefore, providing sufficient foundational information is essential to help readers understand the context. After the OC-DDC, each participant will be invited to prepare a book chapter for an edited book. The book chapter will contain approx. 14 pages. The book chapter should extend the initially submitted abstract by discussing the current state of the doctoral research, such as progress made, any preliminary findings, or ongoing challenges. ==* Colloquium Details *== - Participation cost: approx. 150€ - Participants have to organise travel and accommodation themselves ==* Organisation *== Elia Henrichs (University of Hohenheim, Germany) Ghassan Al-Falouji (Kiel University, Germany) ==* Steering Committee *== Christian Krupitzer (University of Hohenheim, Germany) Sven Tomforde (Kiel University, Germany) ==* Advisory Committee *== Jörg Hähner (University Augsburg, Germany) Christian Müller-Schloer (Leibniz University Hannover, Germany) Bernhard Sick (University Kassel, Germany) ==* Local Organisation *== Stefan Wildermann (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany) ==* Proceedings Chair *== Connor Schönberner (Kiel University, Germany) ==* Publicity Chair *== Pia Schweizer (University of Hohenheim, Germany)

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OC FG-Treffen im Rahmen der ARCS in Mainz am Dienstag, den 24.03. von 09:15 bis 11:45 Uhr
by Elia Henrichs 19 Mar '26

19 Mar '26

+++ ENGLISH VERSION BELOW +++ Liebe Mitglieder der GI-Fachgruppe Organic Computing, wie in der vorhergegangenen SAVE-THE-DATE Nachricht angekündigt, findet unser nächstes FG-Treffen kommende Woche statt und zwar am Dienstag, den 24.03.2026 von 09:15 bis ca. 11:00 Uhr im Rahmen der GI/ITG ARCS Konferenz 2026 in Mainz Wir treffen uns im Raum 03-331, Institut für Informatik der Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz (JGU) im Staudingerweg 9, 55128 Mainz. Die Tagesordnung sieht folgende Punkte vor: TOP 1: Genehmigung Tagesordnung TOP 2: Genehmigung des Protokolls der letzten Sitzung TOP 3: Kurzberichte TOP 4: Diskussion über die Stärkung von OC im Kontext ML/AI und Human-Computer Interaction TOP 5: Events und Organisation TOP 6: Nächste Sitzung (Termin, Themen) TOP 7: Verschiedenes Das Sprecherteam freut sich auf rege Teilnahme und ein Wiedersehen in der kommenden Woche! +++ ENGLISH +++ Dear members of the GI Special Interest Group Organic Computing, as announced in the previous SAVE-THE-DATE message, our next section meeting will take place next week on Tuesday, March 24 from 09:15 a.m. to approximately 11:00 a.m. as part of the GI/ITG ARCS Conference 2026 in Mainz We will meet in Room 03-331, Institute of Computer Science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) at Staudingerweg 9, 55128 Mainz. The agenda includes the following points: 1: Approval of the agenda 2: Approval of the minutes from the last meeting 3: Brief reports 4: Discussion on strengthening OC in the context of ML/AI and Human-Computer Interaction 5: Events and organization 6: Next meeting (date, topics) 7: Miscellaneous The spokespersons team looks forward to active participation and seeing you again next week! Wir verbleiben mit den besten Grüßen / With kind regards Anthony Stein Sebastian von Mammen Sven Tomforde Sprecher der GI Fachgruppe Organic Computing Spokespersons of the GI Special Interest Group Organic Computing

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Save the Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 9-11am - On-site meeting of the Special Interest Group Organic Computing
by Elia Henrichs 27 Feb '26

27 Feb '26

Dear members of the GI/ITG Special Interest Group Organic Computing, Please save the date for an on-site meeting right before the ARCS conference in Mainz, Germany, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, from 9-11 am. Further details will follow soon. Best regards, Anthony Stein Spokesperson of the GI/ITG Special Interest Group Organic Computing

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Call for Papers: 29th International Workshop on Evolutionary Rule-based Machine Learning as part of GECCO 2026
by Michael Heider 12 Feb '26

12 Feb '26

============ *Call for Papers* ============ *29th International Workshop on Evolutionary Rule-based Machine Learning IWERL 2026* (formerly IWLCS) to be held as part of GECCO (July 13 - 17, 2026) in San José, Costa Rica (online participation possible) Modern machine learning systems, including generative AI and large language models, offer significant potential for addressing real-world challenges. However, the decision-making process of the majority of these models is often difficult to interpret. The interpretability of decisions is critical in many real-world applications. Evolutionary rule-based machine learning (ERL) systems generate niche-based solutions, require less memory, and can be trained using comparatively small data sets. The decision-making process of the ERL systems is interpretable, which is an important step toward eXplainable AI (XAI). ERL methods have been developed using a diverse array of learning paradigms, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. ERL encompasses several prominent categories, such as Learning Classifier Systems, Ant-Miner, artificial immune systems, and fuzzy rule-based systems. The International Workshop on Evolutionary Rule-based Machine Learning (IWERL) is designed to provide a platform for sharing the research trends in the realm of ERL. It aims to highlight modern implementations of ERL systems for real-world applications and to show the effectiveness of ERL in creating flexible and eXplainable AI systems. The particular topics of interest of this workshop are (not exclusively): * *Advances in ERL methods*: local models, problem space partitioning, rule mixing, . . . * *Applications of ERL*: medical domains, bioinformatics, computer vision, games, cyber-physical systems, . . . * *State-of-the-art analysis*: surveys, sound comparative experimental benchmarks, carefully crafted reproducibility studies, . . . * *Formal developments in ERL*: provably optimal parametrization, time bounds, generalization, . . . * *Comprehensibility of evolved rule sets*: knowledge extraction, visualization, interpretation of decisions, XAI, . . . * *Advances in ERL paradigms*: Michigan/Pittsburgh style, hybrids, iterative rule learning, . . . * *Hyperparameter optimization for ERL*: hyperparameter selection, online self-adaptation, . . . * *Optimizations and parallel implementations*: GPU acceleration, matching algorithms, . . . * *Generative AI and LLMs in ERL*: Integration of generative models and LLMs with ERL, . . . *Submission deadline: March 27, 2026* Decision notification: April 24, 2026 Camera-ready deadline: May 5, 2026 Author's mandatory registration: May 11, 2026 * Why submit to IWERL ’26?* * reviews by renowned ERL experts * published as part of the GECCO conference companion * usually online within one month after the conference *Submissions* * This workshop accepts two types of submissions: o research papers on novel findings or improvements o position papers making a concise argument based on preliminary findings * All submissions must conform to the GECCO submission instructions (https://gecco-2026.sigevo.org/Paper-Submission-Instructions) and be submitted via GECCO’s submission system (https://ssl.linklings.net/conferences/gecco/) * In 2026, you can submit either 8 pages (excl. references) with APC or 4 pages (incl. references) without APC. *Workshop organization* * Michael Heider, University of Augsburg, Germany * Hiroki Shiraishi, Yokohama National University, Japan * Fumito Uwano, Okayama University, Japan * Connor Schönberner, Kiel University, Germany More information can be found at*https://iwlcs.organic-computing.de*

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FINAL DEADLINE EXTENSION: Call for Papers: Special Track on Organic Computing at the ARCS 2026
by Elia Henrichs 23 Jan '26

23 Jan '26

==================== Special Track on Organic Computing at the 39th GI / ITG International Conference on Architecture of Computing Systems (ARCS 2026) Mainz, Germany, March 24 - 26, 2026 ==================== ** Aims and Scope ** Organic Computing postulates to equip technical systems with ‘lifelike’ properties. Technically, this means to move traditional design‑time decisions to runtime and into the responsibility of systems themselves. As a result, systems have a dramatically increased decision freedom that leads to highly autonomous behaviour. The goal of this process is to allow for self‑adaptation and self‑improvement of system behaviour at runtime. Especially since conditions that occur at runtime can only be anticipated to a certain degree, efficient mechanisms are needed that guide the system’s behaviour even in cases of missing knowledge or uncertain environmental states. Consequently, the research field of Organic Computing investigates fundamental principles, discusses essential aspects, and researches novel methods that are needed to finally build self‑adaptive and self‑organising systems that are capable of reliable operation in complex real‑world environments. The ARCS conferences series has more than 38 years of tradition reporting leading edge research in computer architecture and operating systems. The focus of the 2026 conference will be on Open Source Architectures from RISV-V to AI Accelerators. Within the scope of the ARCS main conference, the special track on `Organic Computing’ focusses on developments and open challenges in the field of designing self-adaptive and self-organising systems embedded in real-world environments. Contributions will be part of the conference proceedings. The proceedings of ARCS 2026 will be published in the Springer Lecture Notes on Computer Science (LNCS) series. The conference will be a physical meeting with a social program in Mainz, Germany. ** Topics of interest ** ... are on a wide range of aspects of `Organic Computing', including (but not limited to): A: Principles of OC Systems * System and Agent Architectures * Systems Engineering * Design Techniques and Processes * Nature-Inspiration to Deal with System Complexity * Self-x Properties and Lifelike Qualities * Self-Organisation Schemes for Highly Decentralised Systems B: Autonomous Learning Behaviour in Technical Systems * Reinforcement Learning from Interaction * Active Learning * Transfer Learning * Online Concept Drift/Shift and Novelty/Obsoleteness Detection * Transductive Inference for Efficient Model Building * Self-Awareness and Self-Reflection C: Self-Adaptation@Runtime * Adaptive Monitoring and Control * Mechanisms to deal with Continual Change * Robustness and Flexibility * Automated Algorithm (Re-)Configuration & Selection * Context-awareness and Transient Interfaces D: Metrics and Quantification * System Validation * Verification * Understanding and Explanation * Computational Trust * Testbeds and Performance Analysis E: Hardware Solutions * Adaptive Hardware * Reconfigurable Hardware * Embedded AI * Self-Adaptive, Self-Optimising, Self-Healing Hardware * Evolvable Hardware * Prototypes and Demonstrators F: Applications of OC Technology * Novel Use Cases * Case Study Reports * Experience Reports ** Important Dates ** Abstract submission deadline February 1, 2026 (extended) Paper submission deadline February 8, 2026 (extended) Notification of acceptance March 5, 2026 (extended) Camera-ready papers March 16, 2026 (extended) ** Submission Guidelines ** Submissions should be done through EasyChair by selecting the Organic Computing track. Papers must be submitted in PDF format. ***Please be aware that the max paper length is 15 pages + 1 optional page only containing references.*** See <https://arcs-conference.org/submission-guidelines> https://arcs-conference.org/submission-guidelines for more details. ** Organisation of the special track ** Anthony Stein, Universität Hohenheim (anthony.stein(a)uni-hohenheim.de <mailto:anthony.stein@uni-hohenheim.de> ) Sven Tomforde, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (st(a)informatik.uni-kiel.de <mailto:st@informatik.uni-kiel.de> ) Stefan Wildermann, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen (stefan.wildermann(a)fau.de <mailto:stefan.wildermann@fau.de> )

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DEADLINE EXTENSION: Call for Papers: Special Track on Organic Computing at the ARCS 2026
by Elia Henrichs 12 Jan '26

12 Jan '26

==================== Special Track on Organic Computing at the 39th GI / ITG International Conference on Architecture of Computing Systems (ARCS 2026) Mainz, Germany, March 24 - 26, 2026 ==================== ** Aims and Scope ** Organic Computing postulates to equip technical systems with ‘lifelike’ properties. Technically, this means to move traditional design‑time decisions to runtime and into the responsibility of systems themselves. As a result, systems have a dramatically increased decision freedom that leads to highly autonomous behaviour. The goal of this process is to allow for self‑adaptation and self‑improvement of system behaviour at runtime. Especially since conditions that occur at runtime can only be anticipated to a certain degree, efficient mechanisms are needed that guide the system’s behaviour even in cases of missing knowledge or uncertain environmental states. Consequently, the research field of Organic Computing investigates fundamental principles, discusses essential aspects, and researches novel methods that are needed to finally build self‑adaptive and self‑organising systems that are capable of reliable operation in complex real‑world environments. The ARCS conferences series has more than 38 years of tradition reporting leading edge research in computer architecture and operating systems. The focus of the 2026 conference will be on Open Source Architectures from RISV-V to AI Accelerators. Within the scope of the ARCS main conference, the special track on `Organic Computing’ focusses on developments and open challenges in the field of designing self-adaptive and self-organising systems embedded in real-world environments. Contributions will be part of the conference proceedings. The proceedings of ARCS 2026 will be published in the Springer Lecture Notes on Computer Science (LNCS) series. The conference will be a physical meeting with a social program in Mainz, Germany. ** Topics of interest ** ... are on a wide range of aspects of `Organic Computing', including (but not limited to): A: Principles of OC Systems * System and Agent Architectures * Systems Engineering * Design Techniques and Processes * Nature-Inspiration to Deal with System Complexity * Self-x Properties and Lifelike Qualities * Self-Organisation Schemes for Highly Decentralised Systems B: Autonomous Learning Behaviour in Technical Systems * Reinforcement Learning from Interaction * Active Learning * Transfer Learning * Online Concept Drift/Shift and Novelty/Obsoleteness Detection * Transductive Inference for Efficient Model Building * Self-Awareness and Self-Reflection C: Self-Adaptation@Runtime * Adaptive Monitoring and Control * Mechanisms to deal with Continual Change * Robustness and Flexibility * Automated Algorithm (Re-)Configuration & Selection * Context-awareness and Transient Interfaces D: Metrics and Quantification * System Validation * Verification * Understanding and Explanation * Computational Trust * Testbeds and Performance Analysis E: Hardware Solutions * Adaptive Hardware * Reconfigurable Hardware * Embedded AI * Self-Adaptive, Self-Optimising, Self-Healing Hardware * Evolvable Hardware * Prototypes and Demonstrators F: Applications of OC Technology * Novel Use Cases * Case Study Reports * Experience Reports ** Important Dates ** Abstract submission deadline January 19, 2026 (extended) Paper submission deadline January 26, 2026 (extended) Notification of acceptance February 12, 2026 ** Submission Guidelines ** Submissions should be done through EasyChair by selecting the Organic Computing track. Papers must be submitted in PDF format. ***Please be aware that the max paper length is 15 pages + 1 optional page only containing references.*** See <https://arcs-conference.org/submission-guidelines> https://arcs-conference.org/submission-guidelines for more details. ** Organisation of the special track ** Anthony Stein, Universität Hohenheim (anthony.stein(a)uni-hohenheim.de <mailto:anthony.stein@uni-hohenheim.de> ) Sven Tomforde, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (st(a)informatik.uni-kiel.de <mailto:st@informatik.uni-kiel.de> ) Stefan Wildermann, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen (stefan.wildermann(a)fau.de <mailto:stefan.wildermann@fau.de> )

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Call for Papers: Special Track on Organic Computing at the ARCS 2026
by Elia Henrichs 01 Dec '25

01 Dec '25

==================== Special Track on Organic Computing at the 39th GI / ITG International Conference on Architecture of Computing Systems (ARCS 2026) Mainz, Germany, March 24 - 26, 2026 ==================== ** Aims and Scope ** Organic Computing postulates to equip technical systems with ‘lifelike’ properties. Technically, this means to move traditional design‑time decisions to runtime and into the responsibility of systems themselves. As a result, systems have a dramatically increased decision freedom that leads to highly autonomous behaviour. The goal of this process is to allow for self‑adaptation and self‑improvement of system behaviour at runtime. Especially since conditions that occur at runtime can only be anticipated to a certain degree, efficient mechanisms are needed that guide the system’s behaviour even in cases of missing knowledge or uncertain environmental states. Consequently, the research field of Organic Computing investigates fundamental principles, discusses essential aspects, and researches novel methods that are needed to finally build self‑adaptive and self‑organising systems that are capable of reliable operation in complex real‑world environments. The ARCS conferences series has more than 38 years of tradition reporting leading edge research in computer architecture and operating systems. The focus of the 2026 conference will be on Open Source Architectures from RISV-V to AI Accelerators. Within the scope of the ARCS main conference, the special track on `Organic Computing’ focusses on developments and open challenges in the field of designing self-adaptive and self-organising systems embedded in real-world environments. Contributions will be part of the conference proceedings. The proceedings of ARCS 2026 will be published in the Springer Lecture Notes on Computer Science (LNCS) series. The conference will be a physical meeting with a social program in Mainz, Germany. ** Topics of interest ** ... are on a wide range of aspects of `Organic Computing', including (but not limited to): A: Principles of OC Systems * System and Agent Architectures * Systems Engineering * Design Techniques and Processes * Nature-Inspiration to Deal with System Complexity * Self-x Properties and Lifelike Qualities * Self-Organisation Schemes for Highly Decentralised Systems B: Autonomous Learning Behaviour in Technical Systems * Reinforcement Learning from Interaction * Active Learning * Transfer Learning * Online Concept Drift/Shift and Novelty/Obsoleteness Detection * Transductive Inference for Efficient Model Building * Self-Awareness and Self-Reflection C: Self-Adaptation@Runtime * Adaptive Monitoring and Control * Mechanisms to deal with Continual Change * Robustness and Flexibility * Automated Algorithm (Re-)Configuration & Selection * Context-awareness and Transient Interfaces D: Metrics and Quantification * System Validation * Verification * Understanding and Explanation * Computational Trust * Testbeds and Performance Analysis E: Hardware Solutions * Adaptive Hardware * Reconfigurable Hardware * Embedded AI * Self-Adaptive, Self-Optimising, Self-Healing Hardware * Evolvable Hardware * Prototypes and Demonstrators F: Applications of OC Technology * Novel Use Cases * Case Study Reports * Experience Reports ** Important Dates ** Abstract submission deadline January 11, 2026 Paper submission deadline January 18, 2026 Notification of acceptance February 12, 2026 ** Submission Guidelines ** Submissions should be done through EasyChair by selecting the Organic Computing track. Papers must be submitted in PDF format. Contributions must be formatted according to Springer LNCS style and must not exceed 15 pages, including references and figures. See <https://arcs-conference.org/submission-guidelines> https://arcs-conference.org/submission-guidelines for more details. ** Organisation of the special track ** Anthony Stein, Universität Hohenheim (anthony.stein(a)uni-hohenheim.de <mailto:anthony.stein@uni-hohenheim.de> ) Sven Tomforde, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (st(a)informatik.uni-kiel.de <mailto:st@informatik.uni-kiel.de> ) Stefan Wildermann, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen (stefan.wildermann(a)fau.de <mailto:stefan.wildermann@fau.de> )

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