WG meeting in Belfast (UK) for WG1/WG2. Jointly planned by ON-DEM and CCCParaSolS

WG meeting in Belfast (hosted by … ). 2 days to be reimbursed by COST. This meeting will focus on …. (to be update)

Joining online

24/03/2026: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3Ameeting_NTU5NTgyNzctZjcyOC00YzVjLTgwNmUtMGYyYjZjOGQyNjgx%40thread.v2/0?context={"Tid"%3A"2e9f06b0-1669-4589-8789-10a06934dc61"%2C"Oid"%3A"84c7b76b-847f-4816-b893-b8acfe1ca630"}

25/03/2026: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3Ameeting_NzM1MWU1ODYtMzAwMS00MTQ2LWEyODQtNGFlYjE3ZDcxNDBi%40thread.v2/0?context={"Tid"%3A"2e9f06b0-1669-4589-8789-10a06934dc61"%2C"Oid"%3A"84c7b76b-847f-4816-b893-b8acfe1ca630"}

26/03/2026: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/32398492361504?p=O9yQ7N1uf6f5HO7Pla

Time planning

Day	Time	Item

Day	Time	Item
Mar 24, 2026 This is purely a CCC-ParaSols event. ON-DEM members can attend but will not be reimbursed by ON-DEM.	9:30 - 10:15	Arrival & Tea/Coffee
	10:15 - 10:30	Introduction
	10:30 - 11:15	Update on GPU implementation for MercuryDPM
	11:15 - 12:15	Data Analysis & Visualisation (Part 1)
	12:15 - 13:30	Lunch
	13:30 - 14:30	Data Analysis & Visualisation (Part 2)
	14:30 - 15:00	ParaSolS Community Review - Planning for the future
	15:00 - 15:30	Tea/Coffee
	15:30 - 17:00	GPU Computing - Discussion/Tutorial GitHub - nicolin/PINN_CUDA_Demo: Teaching code for PINNS using Matrix Ops and CUDA Kernels in python via WARP
	17:00 - 18:00	Career development session for female participants
	18:00 - 19:00	Free time
	19:00 -	Event Dinner (the Great Hall, Queen’s University Belfast)
Mar 25, 2026 This is a joint CCC-ParaSols + ON-DEM training event	9:00 - 10:30	Running Lammps on a GPU
	10:30 - 11:00	Tea/Coffee break
	11:00 - 12:30	A common open file format for DEM simulations
	12:30 - 14:00	Lunch
	14:00 - 15:30	Advanced Deep Learning - Part 1 Slides for bothh the parts: Advanced Deep Learning Methods
	15:30 - 16:00	Tea/Coffee break
	16:00 - 17:30	Advanced Deep Learning - Part 2
	17:30 - 19:00	Free time
	19:00 -	Event dinner (Holohan’s Pantry)
Mar 26, 2026 This is an ON-DEM event. CCC-ParaSols members can attend but will not be reimbursed by ON-DEM	9:00 - 10:30	WG1 Updates: https://on-dem.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AgCvJw Short update w.r.t. HPC activities (Review of Benchmark on drum and plans for 2026) - Deepak on behalf of Nicolin Short update w.r.t. Upscaling activities - Deepak on behalf of Hongyang Alternative methods ML for Contact Detection Two presentations by Rodrigo Gomes Title Rational Collision Detection: From Quadrance-Based SAT to the Dandelion Algorithm Description A presentation of two algorithms for convex polygon collision detection that eliminate floating-point square roots using rational trigonometry. The first is an optimized SAT with angular pruning, and the second is Dandelion, a novel vertex-centric approach. Title NON-GON: A Non-Polygonal Collision Detection Library for Real-Time Queries Between Smooth Convex Shapes Description NON-GON is a curated library of analytical functions for computing shortest distances and proximity queries between smooth convex shapes in real time. Designed for applications in game engines, physics-based simulations, and interactive systems, NON-GON focuses on non-polygonal geometries—offering a high-precision, memory-efficient alternative to mesh-based approaches. One presentation by Lourenço Mourão Title Collision Detection of Smooth Convex Shapes: A Discussion on Initial Guesses for Optimization-Based Approaches and a Roadmap for Machine Learning Application Description A high-level presentation that reflects on parametric space search to extract initial guesses for optimization-based collision detection of smooth convex shapes, together with a roadmap for future Machine Learning applications.
	10:30 - 11:00	Break
	11:00 - 12:30	WG1 Hands-on workshop
	12:30 - 14:00	Lunch
	14:00 - 15:30	Contact model database updates, demonstrations.
	15:30 - 16:00	Break
	16:00 - 17:30	Discussions on further developing and releasing the contact database.

Location

Queen’s University Belfast, University Rd, Belfast, BT7 1NN

Day 1: Room 02/006, Moot Court, Main Site Tower, Queen’s University Belfast BT7 1PS

Day 2: Room 03/017, Peter Froggatt Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, BT7 1PA

Day 3: Room 02/002 Edgar Graham Room, Main Site Tower, Queen’s University Belfast, BT7 1PS

Accommodation

The event will be held at Queen’s University Belfast and there is ample reasonably priced accommodation available across the city.

There is a large selection of hotels in the city centre, which is approximately 20-25 minutes walk from the campus, and easily accessible by public transport.

Several suggestions close to the campus include:

Tara Lodge
The Warren
The 1852
Ibis Belfast Queen’s Quarter

In order to maximise the number of people whose attendance can be funded by CCC-ParaSolS, we request your consideration in choosing reasonably priced accommodation. CCC-ParaSolS will reimburse accommodation costs up to a maximum of £120 per night.

Warning

For ease of accommodation reimbursement, we strongly recommend that attendees book recognised hotels rather than short-term apartment rentals, Airbnb, etc.

Getting to Belfast

Belfast is well connected by air with flights arriving regularly from across the UK at the centrally located Belfast City Airport. There are regular flights from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester and Southampton.

Belfast City Airport is just 10-15 minutes from the city centre via public transport allowing easy and fast transfers to the city.

Other options are detailed here.

Tip

Note that Belfast is also served by Belfast International Airport, which is located much further from the city centre, approximately 45 minutes by public transport. Newcastle only has a direct flight to Belfast International Airport.

Local Transport

Transport within the Belfast area is operated by Translink, with regular bus and train services across the city and to/from the airport. A single Metro/Glider city zone ticket is approximately £2.10, with day tickets available for around £4.00. You can pay with cash (coins/notes) on board, contactless payment, or via the mLink mobile app.

There are two local taxi companies that operate in the city, Value Cabs and Fonacab, which can be booked in advance or hailed on the street. Uber is also available, but with a limited number of drivers in the city, it may not be the most reliable option for transport within Belfast.

Currency

The official currency is the British Pound (GBP)