Profile
The Centre of Excellence for Research in Computational Intelligence and Applications (CERCIA) is established in the A38 High Technology Corridor, West Midlands UK to exploit Computational Technologies for the benefit of the Industry across all sectors.

CERCIA is affiliated with the School of Computer Science at the University of Birmingham, a world leader in Natural Computation and Computational Intelligence.

Computational Intelligence (CI) is the study of computational systems that adapt and learn by interacting with their environments without using explicit human knowledge. It is an emerging field that encompasses evolutionary computation (genetic algorithms, genetic programming, artificial life, etc.), data mining, neural networks, fuzzy logic, etc. CI technologies are applicable in a wide range of fields, e.g., transport, engineering, telecommunications, finance, economics, biology, medicine, transportation, environmental science, social sciences, food and drink, creative Industry etc. They are increasingly becoming an indispensable part of key technologies in ICT. The benefits for many such applications are estimated to be in millions of pounds (for each application) in both traditional and growing industries.

With funding assistance from Advantage West Midlands and the support of a number of leading companies, the CERCIA will exploit Computational Intelligence (CI) technologies for the benefit of industry. CERCIA's technical strength comes from more than 25 full-time researchers in CI in the School of Computer Science, its extensive international links, and its partnerships with external businesses.

CERCIA's focus is to create a greater awareness of CI technologies and their potential applications among UK/European industries, and to work with them to enhance their global competitiveness through innovations. It organises a number of awareness workshops and carries out collaborative projects with industries and businesses. CERCIA has three networks focusing on the following application areas:
1. Adaptive Optimisation, e.g., for solving problems in logistics, transportation, factory floor planning, job shop scheduling, fleet management, inventory minimisation, facility layout, etc.
2. Machine Learning and Data Mining, e.g., for solving problems in pattern classification, object recognition, water usage prediction, fraud detection, market trend analysis, environmental modelling, etc.
3. Design, e.g., for solving problems in electronic circuit design, molecular/drug design, utility network design, engineering design, creative jewellery design, architectural design, etc.
CERCIA offers a wide range of services including consultancy, joint R&D projects, technology briefings and technical training courses.