Find your next solver
A curated index of Operations Research resources — solvers, courses, books, datasets, communities and more. Classified by type, topic and audience.
- Advanced modeling for discrete optimizationCourse
Course about advanced modeling for discrete optimization, covering topics such as debugging or predicates
- Annals of Operations ResearchJournal
The journal publishes 24 issues a year that focus on the theoretical, practical, and computational aspects of operations research
- ArcadeTSPGame
An arcade-style TSP challenge game written for https://github.com/tunnuz/arcadetsp's 2018 Christmas Party, follow the in-game instructions.
- Basic modeling for discrete optimizationCourse
Course about basic modeling for discrete optimization with MiniZinc
- Beer GameGame
Learn supply chain principles through a visual simulation.
- BKS ChallengeChallenge
The CVRPLIB team announces the CVRPLIB BKS Challenge, a 30-day competition aimed at finding extremely high-quality solutions for the new XL benchmark set, 100 challenging CVRP instances ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 customers.
- Burrito Optimization GameGame
Web-based app that is intended to act as an entry point for data scientists and problem solvers who could benefit from optimization; the game teaches players why optimization is valuable and important, why it’s difficult (by showcasing the scaling and added complexity of optimization throughout round play), and why solvers and other optimization algorithms are essential in finding an optimal solution.
- CG:SHOPChallenge
The CG:SHOP Challenge (Computational Geometry: Solving Hard Optimization Problems) is an annual competition dedicated to tackling specific, difficult geometric optimization problems. Originally established as a workshop at Computational Geometry Week (CG Week) in 2019, the Challenge provides a unique platform where the success of proposed solutions is measured based on computational performance on a set of carefully selected benchmark instances. This focus on empirical evaluation marks a shift from traditional computational geometry research, which often emphasizes theoretical approaches.
- COMAP contestsChallenge
Consortium for Mathematics and its applications
- COMAP mcm-icmChallenge
COMAP's Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM) are international contests for high school students and college undergraduates. The contests challenge teams of up to three students to analyze, model, solve, and present solution reports to an open-ended application problem. In these contests research, analytics, and applied intelligence are just as important as time management and problem selection. Are you and your team up to it?
- Computers & Operations ResearchJournal
Operations research and computers interact in many scientific fields of vital importance to our society. These include, among others, transportation, economics, investment strategy, inventory control, logistics, safety, reliability, urban planning, and ecology. Computers & Operations Research (COR) provides an international forum for the application of computers and operations research techniques to problems in these and related fields.
- CSPlibDataset
CSPLib is a library of test problems for constraint solvers.
- CVRP GameGame
A game to better understand how CVRP works.
- CVRPlibDataset
Instances for the CVRP challenge.
- Decision Management Community challengesChallenge
Community for Decision Management, including Machine Learning and Optimization
- DIMACS challengeChallenge
Challenges from the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science
- Discrete Applied MathematicsJournal
Journal covering algorithmic and applied areas of discrete mathematics
- Discrete Optimization courseCourse
Course about discrete optimization covering a wide range of optimization techniques such as Constraint Programming, Local Search or Column Generation
- Discrete Optimization TalksPodcast
Discrete Optimization Talks (DOTs) is a virtual seminar series from the Mixed Integer Programming Society (MIPS), a technical section of the Mathematical Optimization Society (MOS). Topics of interest are theoretical, computational, and applied aspects of integer and combinatorial optimization. The typical format of each session is two 30-minute talks.
- European Journal of Operational ResearchJournal
It is a peer-reviewed academic journal in operations research. It was founded in 1977 by the Association of European Operational Research Societies
- Grid Optimization competitionChallenge
Grid Optimization challenges for electric systems
- IISE Operations Research podcast seriesPodcast
It features conversations between students, faculty and professionals around OR-related topics
- International Transactions in Operational ResearchJournal
It is a peer-reviewed academic journal which is published six times a year by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies. The editorial mission of the journal is to advance the theory and practice of Operational Research and Management Science internationally
- Kaggle Optimization ChallengesChallenge
Challenges around TSP variant with Santa Claus
- Land-Doig CompetitionChallenge
The 2026 Land-Doig MIP Competition is a computational competition hosted by the 2026 Mixed Integer Programming Workshop, offering an opportunity for teams to showcase their practical and computational prowess and fostering innovation in computational MIP. It is named in honor of Ailsa H. Land and Alison G. Harcourt (née Doig), who proposed the first LP-based branch-and-bound algorithm.
- Learn Graph TheoryGame
Interactive resources to learn Graph Theory.
- Learn ORGame
Interactive resources to learn OR.
- Lego ChallengeGame
The TLC is a simple constrained integer program turned into a game that you can play in a classroom with Legos. In each round of the game, your team acts as a boutique woodworking company who must decide which items to build and sell to the market. The goal is to decide how many of each type of item to build to maximize profits and beat other teams, where you are constrained by how many component pieces you have available.
- Mathematics Of Operations ResearchJournal
It is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal established in February 1976. It focuses on areas of mathematics relevant to the field of operations research such as continuous optimization, discrete optimization, game theory, machine learning, simulation methodology, and stochastic models. The journal is published by INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)
- Mathprog-ORlibDataset
This site provides access to a number of Operations Research problem data sets.
- MIT Supply Chain FrontiersPodcast
Thought leadership from the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.
- MOPTA challengeChallenge
Annual challenges from the University of Lehigh
- NeEDS - Network of European Data ScientistsPodcast
The Network consists of six academic and nine industrial participants from five EU countries, USA and Chile. The participants combine strong and complementary expertise, within industry sectors ranging from energy, retailing, insurance to banking, as well as national statistical offices.
- Operations ResearchJournal
Journal about Operations Research from INFORMS
- Operations Research LettersJournal
It is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering operations research. It was established in 1981
- OPTIL.ioChallenge
Challenges with different optimization problems
- Optimization Games for the YoungGame
Developed to help spark an interest for mathematics in children and young adults. I use optimization concepts in the context of real-life problems as motivation. All you need are a printer to print the pages with the instructions and a pair of scissors to cut out the game pieces.
- Optimizing youPodcast
Discussions around optimization, interviewing academics in the field of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering
- Optsicom ProjectDataset
Instances for several interesting NP-hard problems.
- OR from 0 to 1Course
7-day free email course to kickstart in Operations Research.
- PACE challengeChallenge
Challenge from Parameterized Algorithms and Computational Experiments Challenge to bridge the gap between theory and practice of algorithms
- Ponder This!Game
Seems some of us can't see a problem without wanting to take a crack at solving it. Does that sound like you? Good. Forge ahead and ponder this month's problem. We'll post a new one every month, and allow a month for you to submit solutions (we may even publish submitted answers, especially if they're correct).
- Puzzles and GamesGame
A comprehensive guide to mathematical modeling with more than 140 games as case studies.
- QAPlibDataset
Instances for Quadratic Assignment Problems.
- Resoundingly Human - INFORMSPodcast
The podcast from INFORMS that talks about different topics around Operations Research
- ROADEF challengeChallenge
Bi-annual challenges from the French Operational Research (OR) and Decision Support Society. 2026: https://gitlab.com/Orange-OpenSource/network-optimization-tools/challenge-roadef-2026/-/tree/main/sprint_results
- RWTHx: Mathematical Optimization for EngineersCourse
Course about all things mathematical optimization: unconstrained, LP, NLP, MIP, Global optimization, Dynamic optimization, ML for optimization, and optimization under uncertainty.
- Shell AI challengeChallenge
Annual challenges organized by Shell AI team.
- Slick Oil GameGame
Deliver 100 barrels to the customer at the lowest cost. Select wells and refineries to choose volume flowing on pipe-lines.
- SMIO ChallengeChallenge
Optimization competition organized by the Mexican Society of Operations Research (SMIO).
- SNDlibDataset
SNDlib is a library of data for Survivable fixed telecommunication Network Design. Its purpose is to provide data about realistic telecommunication networks (including traffic) available to the research community.
- Solving algorithms for discrete optimizationCourse
Course about solving discrete optimization problems with different techniques: Constraint Programming, Mixed Integer Programming and Local Search
- Subject toPodcast
"Subject to" offers a series of informal conversations with relevant figures in the fields of Operations Research, Combinatorial Optimization and Logistics, and they are hosted by Anand Subramanian, an Associate Professor at Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil
- The Cutting PlaneGame
Learn about cutting planes in an adictive way.
- The Decision Intelligence LabPodcast
The Decision Intelligence Lab explores practical challenges of applying data science, analytics, and AI to drive real-world business outcomes. Hosted by Prof. Michael Watson (Nortwestern University) and Prof. Vijay Mehrotra (University of San Francisco) - both seasoned entrepreneurs, consultants, and researchers - this podcast delivers real-world insights for data professionals, business leaders, & anyone seeking to leverage data for smarter decision making. Each episode features leaders sharing how smarter decisions are reshaping business and technology.
- The Knapsack GameGame
A game to play the Knapsack to learn how to solve it.
- The OR-LibraryDataset
OR-Library is a collection of test data sets for a variety of Operations Research (OR) problems.
- TSP ChallengeGame
Another game with map visualizations for the TSP.
- TSP GameGame
Solve the TSP in a visual way from the Productions and Operations Management (Universitat Wein).
- TSPlibDataset
TSPLIB is a library of sample instances for the TSP (and related problems) from various sources and of various types.
- VeRoLogChallenge
Vehicle Routing and Logistics work group from EURO
- VRPlibDataset
This web is dedicated to the study of VRP; we have compiled here a great deal of information about it for public access: technical reports, many different variants of the problem, alternative algorithms and techniques for solving it, some well-known instances of the problem, the best-so-far solutions for those instances, bibliography, related links…