Call for Papers
Sixth International Workshop on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation
                          MABS’05
   To be held at Educatorium, the conference center of the
                     Utrecht University
                 http://mabs05.di.fc.ul.pt/

                     Co-located with the
          Fourth International Joint Conference on
          Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems
                         AAMAS’2005
                  http://www.aamas2005.nl/

                             ~ ~ ~

                          Presentation

The Multi-Agent-Based Simulation (MABS) workshop is the sixth of a 
series than began in 1998. Its scientific focus lies in the confluence 
of social sciences and multi-agent systems, with a strong 
applicational/empirical vein, and its emphasis is stressed on (i) 
exploratory agent based simulation as a principled way of undertaking 
scientific research in the social sciences and (ii) using social 
theories as an inspiration to new frameworks and developments in 
multi-agent systems. The excellent quality level of this workshop has 
been recognised since its inception, and so its proceedings have always 
been published by Springer-Verlag, in the Lecture Notes series.


                          Aims and Scope

The relationship between social sciences and multi-agent systems has 
only begun to provide some results. It is generally accepted that many 
concepts and techniques have yet to be imported to the multi-agent 
systems area, either for some lack of theory, or to be tested in 
computer simulations. This transfer can occur also in the opposite 
direction, since multi-agent based simulations are changing the way the 
social scientists can look at their problems. This methodological change 
is taking its first steps, and will undoubtedly have an influence 
throughout all sciences.

MABS will focus on ideas related to the definition of new multi-agent 
systems (MAS) to address real complex issues, as well as ideas coming 
from social sciences to MAS as new metaphors to provide insights into 
MAS theory. Theories, models, analysis, experimental designs, empirical 
studies, methodological principles, all converge into simulation as a 
way of achieving explanations and predictions, but also exploration of 
new hypotheses and conjectures.

In MABS, we use primarily the agent paradigm as a way of going beyond 
the limitations of traditional approaches. Agents provide heterogeneity, 
where classical theories were based on homogeneity of behaviour. Agents 
call for holism as an answer for reductionist boundaries. This new 
approach has already provided a lot of results in the exploration of the 
micro-macro link, the idea that individual behaviour influences the 
overall dynamics of systems, and that the perception by the individual 
agent of the overall system influences its behaviour. As the 
applications develop in more and more varied fields, we can expect to 
learn much more about “how things are” — and “how they could be.”

The workshop will provide a forum for social scientists, agent 
researchers and developers and simulation researchers to assess the 
current state of the art in the modelling and simulation of social 
systems and MAS, identify where existing approaches can be successfully 
applied, learn about new approaches and explore future research challenges.

The workshop is in part a continuation of the International Workshop 
series on Multi-Agent-Based Simulation (MABS). More information about 
MABS can be found at http://www.pcs.usp.br/~mabs/.



                            General Topics

Topics of interest of the workshop include:

- Cognitive modelling and social simulation
- MABS applications
- Self-organisation, scalability, robustness
- Agent models for MABS
- Grid-computing
- Simulation probing
- Agent-based experimental economics
- Standards for simulators including inter-operability
- New tools and methodologies for MABS
- Social order
- Complexity



                            Target Audience

The workshop will be of interest to researchers in the modelling and 
analysis of multi-agent systems, and researchers who are interested in 
applying agent-based simulation techniques to real-world problems.

                             Important dates

Submission deadline:            March 14, 2005
Notification of acceptance:        April 18, 2005
Final pre-workshop version deadline:    May 5, 2005
Workshop event:                July 25 or 26, 2005

                              Publication


- Accepted papers will be published in a workshop note and distributed 
among participants during the workshop.
- We are negotiating with Springer the possibility of a post-publication 
as a LNAI or LNCS volume, as it was the case with the previous editions. 
Preliminary schedule of the post-proceedings process:

Second reviewing:                September
Revised camera-ready papers:             October
Publication:                     December

                          Submission Guidelines

A PDF file containing the paper should be e-mailed to [log in to unmask] 
by the14th of March 2005. The paper must be in Springer LNCS format (see 
http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html) and no more than 12 pages.

                           Organising Committee

Luis Antunes (Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal)
Jaime S. Sichman (Universidade de S. Paulo, Brasil)

                            Program Committee
                              (* confirmed)

* Frederic Amblard (France)
* François Bousquet (France)
* José Castro Caldas (Portugal)
* Cristiano Castelfranchi (Italia)
* Helder Coelho (Portugal)
* Rosaria Conte (Italia)
Noshir Contractor (USA)
* Paul Davidsson (Sweden)
Jim Doran (UK)
Tom Dwyer (Brasil)
* Aléxis Drogoul (France)
* Nigel Gilbert (UK)
* Wander Jagger (The Netherlands)
* Marco Jansen (USA)
* Jorge Louçã (Portugal)
* Juan Pavon Mestras (Spain)
Scott Moss (UK)
Jean-Pierre Müller (France)
* Emma Norling (Australia)
* Mario Paolucci (Italia)
* Juliette Rouchier (France)
* Keith Sawyer (USA)
* Carles Sierra (Spain)
José Vicente da Silva (Brasil)
* Ron Sun (USA)
* Keiki Takadama (Japan)
* Oswaldo Teran (Venezuela)
* Jan Treur (The Netherlands)
* Klaus Troitzsch (Germany)
* Afzal Upal (USA)
* Harko Verhagen (Sweden)
Gérard Weisbuch (France)