The 2025 Summer School on Optimization for Robotics took place July 14-18, 2025 at the University of Patras in Patras, Greece. The event brought together researchers, students, and practitioners from across the world to learn, exchange ideas, and gain hands-on experience at the forefront of optimization methods for robotics.
Overall, we had 89 total participants (~7% Undergraduate, ~8% Industry/Engineer/Faculty, ~18% Masters, ~66% PhD) from more than 20 countries spanning 4 continents.
A Week of Learning and Discovery
The week-long program featured a balanced mix of lectures, plenary talks, daily practical sessions, live demos, and social activities. The lectures covered foundational and advanced topics in optimization for planning, control, and learning in robotics, while the plenary speakers provided broad perspectives on emerging research directions and industrial applications. Overall participants really enjoyed the program leaving feedback including:
- “Everything was perfect. Thank you so much for this opportunity.”
- “Truly, I do not have a single complaint. Everything was excellent!”
- “I am sincerely grateful for all the effort that was put into making this summer school such a valuable and memorable experience!”
- “The summer school could last a little longer ;)”
Practicals and Hands-On Activities
A defining feature of the school was the emphasis on hands-on learning. Each day included practical sessions that progressively built up from basic implementations to advanced applications. Participants first gained experience with classical algorithms in simulation, then advanced to controlling pendulum systems (some of which were hosted on the cloud), and ultimately applied their knowledge on real quadrotor hardware. These sessions reinforced the theory from lectures and provided invaluable experience bridging algorithms and real-world robotics.
Social Program and Networking
In addition to the technical program, the summer school included a set of social events designed to foster networking, informal discussions, and community building among participants. The week began with a welcome party at the venue, where attendees had the chance to meet one another in a relaxed setting, setting the tone for a collaborative week. Midway through the school, participants enjoyed a group dinner at a beautiful location overlooking the city of Patras. The stunning view, excellent food, and lively conversations made the evening a highlight of the week.
Support and Acknowledgments
The 2025 summer school was made possible thanks to strong support from numerous academic and industrial partners. Their contributions ensured access to facilities, hardware, and teaching resources, and their participation enriched discussions on the translation of cutting-edge optimization methods into practice. Our sponsors were as follows:
- Diamond Sponsors: IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, Google Deep Mind
- Platinum Sponsors: euROBIN
- Gold Sponsors: bitcraze
- Bronze Sponsors: University of Patras, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratory, CubeMars, Knowledge, Kotronis Packaging, Versatile Robotics
You can find the lectures and material from the Summer School here.