The AI-BIPTO research project, involving VU Amsterdam mathematicians Leon Lan, Joost Berkhout, and Rob van der Mei (also affiliated with CWI), has won the TKI Dinalog Impact Award 2026. The award recognizes the project’s contribution to open-source software that helps organizations plan transport routes and production more efficiently.
The award was presented during the Toekomst van Logistiek conference at Theater Flint in Amersfoort. The winner was selected through a combination of a public vote and the assessment of an expert jury.
In current practice, transport and production planning are often handled separately, even though they strongly affect one another. This can lead to unnecessary costs, inefficient use of vehicles and production capacity, and additional emissions. AI-BIPTO (Artificial Intelligence-Boosted Integrated Production and Transport Optimization) developed mathematical tools to better align these decisions.
AI-BIPTO contributed to the development of two open-source software packages:
- PyVRP provides advanced optimization algorithms for more efficient route planning. Downloaded 200,000 times per month, it supports applications ranging from daily delivery planning to longer-term fleet analysis.
- PyJobShop makes advanced production-scheduling methods accessible for manufacturing and processing applications. In an industrial pilot, it reduced production lead times by up to 10% compared with manual planning.
By making these contributions openly available, AI-BIPTO enables organizations, students, and researchers to use and build on state-of-the-art optimization methods. The software continues to be developed and used in practical applications, research, and education.
In this short video in Dutch, Leon Lan and Joost Berkhout explain more about AI-BIPTO and its results.