OpenVT Reproducible Agent-Based Multicellular Model Competition 2025
Abstract
Launched in 2024, the Open Virtual Tissues (OpenVT) initiative brings together top biologists, computer scientists, and virtual tissue modelers to advance multicellular virtual tissue modeling and address real-world problems.
Multicellular simulations have become indispensable in understanding complex biological phenomena, from tissue development to disease progression. The diversity of simulation methods (including cellular Potts, cellular automata, lattice-free, stochastic particle and other methodologies) and the lack of standards for multicellular model specification pose challenges to building reproducible, modular and reusable simulations.
This competition is designed to promote and support the development of multicellular models which follow FAIR principles. Specifically, it recognizes recently published, scientifically significant, multicellular models which made an effort to ensure that the simulations are accessible, reproducible and reusable. Models must be published in a refereed journal on or after January 1, 2023 and publicly distributed.
The winners for this prize will be announced at the OpenVT Satellite Workshop on Reproducible Multicellular Modelling (on July 13, 2025) to be held at the SMB Annual Meeting 2025 in Edmonton Canada (July 13-18, 2025). However, attending the meetings is not required to submit or win.
Along with the awards (first/second/third place $400/200/100), winners will receive certificates of excellence and will be invited to present a virtual seminar in the Global Alliance for Immune Prediction and Intervention (GLIMPRINT) multiscale modeling virtual seminar series.
The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2025 extended to April 25, 2025. We encourage applicants to also consider submitting their models to the BioModels Model of the Year Competition 2025.
