Call for Contributions

About IPIC2021

The future of the global freight and logistics industry will be shaped during a 3-day online conference from 15^th to 16^th of June. A PhD Colloquium as a pre-conference event is foreseen on the 14th of June.

Building on a successful tradition, the 8th Annual International Physical Internet Conference (IPIC) aims to provide an open forum for industry, innovators, researchers, government officials and citizens to introduce leading edge concepts, technology applications and methodologies for future interconnected logistics; to review the state-of-the-art technologies and latest projects, and to identify critical issues and challenges for future Physical Internet induced research, innovation, and implementation. Specifically, the conference focuses on insights for implementation steps of the Physical Internet in the different generations and time frames from nowadays to 2030.

The Physical Internet Concept

Improving freight transport and logistics efficiency and sustainability through an interconnected, interoperable and shared use of logistics networks has been a great opportunity. The Physical Internet concept aims to get freight flows and logistics services as accessible and connected as information and services are over internet in both global and last mile. Physical Internet aims at asset sharing and flow consolidation on a massive scale supporting the brutal challenge of freight transport and logistics decarbonization. The Physical Internet (PI, π) has opened a paradigm-breaking field encompassing the interconnectivity and interoperability of smart logistics networks, transportation systems, manufacturing systems and supply chains, enabling seamless open asset sharing and flow consolidation on a massive scale. It aims to transform the way physical objects are moved, deployed, realized, supplied, designed and used all around the world to improve by an order-of magnitude the overall performance in terms of economic, environmental and societal efficiency and sustainability.

Conference Topics

1. ALICE Physical Internet Roadmap Implementation and Generations. New Area for IPIC!

This conference builds on previous efforts of the Physical Internet Community and ALICE welcomes contributions regarding the 'Roadmap Towards the Physical Internet', addressing its different generations,  its implementations as well as applications or technologies supporting its implementations.

• From Logistics Nodes to PI Nodes 
• From Logistics Networks to Physical Internet Network 
• Developing the System of Logistics Networks towards the Physical Internet 
• Access and Adoption 
• Governance 

2. The topics you find in every IPIC are listed below. Some new too! 

• Interconnected freight transport, logistics and supply networks
• Modularization
• Material handling
• Vehicles and transshipment technologies 
• Last mile & City Logistics 
• Omnichannel & E-commerce logistics 
• Systems and technologies for interconnected Logistics (3D printing, IoT, machine learning, augmented reality, blockchain, cloud computing, digital twins, collaborative descision making) 
• New communication Networks enabling interconnected logistics 
• Business models for open & interconnected logistics 
• Manufacturing networks and the PI
• Ports and hubs in the PI 
• PI impacts
• PI Fundamentals and Constituents 
• PI Implementation and Governance 
• PI Modelling and Simulation 
• Autonomous logistics operations and systems (autonomous transport/drones/mobile logistics/robotics)
• Distibuted Intelligence in Physical Internet

How can I actively contribute/present in IPIC 2021?

• Paper & poster contributions in the following forms (more information below):
  • a new research paper/poster on, for example, conceptual research, assessment research, case study research, modelling and validation research.
  • a white paper or case study describing an application in practice.
  • a report/poster describing the results of novel applications and technologies or innovative ideas and positions resulting from a project jointly performed by an academic and industry partner.

• Practical Developments: If you are a company, a project, or a solution provider, or you have any practical Physical Internet development and you want to share it.

• Presentation of PI publications. If you have outstanding physical internet papers published in journals and you want to share and discuss main findings orally with your peers. 

• Start ups which business model or value proposition is related to the Physical Internet

• Special Session: Interested attendees are encouraged to propose special sessions, each of which consists of 3-4 presentations on a particular topic related to PI. The special session topic can be selected, yet not limited, to the topics in the call for contributions.

Paper & poster contributions* must be made on-line via

https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ipic2021

Select the Track: IPIC2021

Please note that you must first register for an EasyChair account to be able to access the above link. First-time users, please visit EasyChair's "How to make a new submission" for an overview of the submission system.

*All submitted papers will be evaluated with regards to their suitability for the conference, originality and technical soundness.

Posters & Papers contributions templates

Practical developments please contact the organizers at ipic@etp-alice.eu ref. Practical developments with a draft presentation outline you would like to share + references and anything you may have to convince us to get you in the programme!.

Presentation of PI publications please contact the organizers at ipic@etp-alice.eu ref. Presentation of PI publications with a copy of the paper so we get you in the programe!.

Start-ups you may access the call for Start-ups.

Special Sessions: You may access to the submission guidelines for Special Sessions.

Timetable and deadlines

For more information, please contact us via ipic@etp-alice.eu

Download here the full call for contributions.