Leibniz Fast Calculation Competition – Terms of Participation
1. Organiser of the competition
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Welfengarten 1
30167 Hannover Germany
Leibniz Universität Hannover is a legal entity under German public law and is legally represented by the President Prof. Dr. Volker Epping.
2. Title of the competition
Leibniz Fast Calculation Competition 2025
3. Subject of the competition
The Leibniz Fast Calculation Competition focuses on innovations in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, particularly targeting advancements in diffusion at interfaces. Submitted projects should explore new methods and technologies that significantly enhance the speed and accuracy of MD simulations. This international competition encourages participants to push the boundaries of current MD simulation capabilities through idea and data sharing, fostering a spirit of innovation and collaboration.
4. Period of participation
Registration for the Leibniz Fast Calculation Competition is open as of now until Sept. 15th, 2025, 23:59 CET
Working-phase starts on September 16th. All registered participants will be informed via mail.
Deadline for Submissions: January 20th, 2026, 23:59 CET.
5. Eligibility
Participation is open globally to researchers, scientists, and computational enthusiasts who engage in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Datasets for which at least one author is or was funded by the SFB 1368 (DFG project number 394563137) are not eligible.
Submissions must be original, and only individual or team submissions are allowed. Teams have to register through one corresponding team leader. Participants must ensure that all team members consent to the competition terms upon submission.
The organiser reserves the right to exclude participants from countries with which cooperation is prohibited by federal or state legislation. Compliance with all relevant laws and regulations is required to participate in the competition.
6. Participation and acceptance of the conditions of participation
To participate, individuals or teams must register via the provided web form on the competition webpage. By registering, participants agree to the terms of participation.
The participants agree to carry out the research independently. This means that the work submitted by the participants is original and the participants should not collaborate with others or use others' work in any form without proper citation.
The participants agree to comply with the open-access data policy. This includes the agreement that the SFB 1368 has the right to store the simulation data on its internal server for the competition. Participants further agree to provide their results (data) related to the competition on orkg.org (Open Research Knowledge Graph) for broader academic and scientific accessibility. The participants acknowledge and agree that the submitted research data may be publicly accessible on orkg.org, where it can be viewed, referenced, and used by other researchers under the terms of open-access.
By participating in the competition, the participants agree to submit their contributions (data) to the data repository provided by the organisers. Participants agree to license the submitted results data with CC BY SA 4.0 license and the publication of their data in a publicly accessible scientific data repository after the competition event is finished. Datasets will be published applying the FAIR principles with full acknowledgement of authorship.
7. Determination of the winner
Contributions will be assessed based on accuracy, computational speed, scalability, and innovation in developing the fastest and most accurate method for simulating the diffusion between aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu) at low temperatures. Emphasis will be placed on the application of FAIR principles to ensure that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. The weighting of the individual evaluation points can be viewed on the relevant competition website.
An appointed jury will oversee and evaluate the final results to declare the winner. Winners will be notified via email and must confirm acceptance of the award within four weeks.
8. Prizes and conditions
The Leibniz Fast Calculation Competition offers the following prizes:
1st Prize:
- Certificate of Excellence
- A 3-month stay for one person as a visiting researcher at one of the SFB's sub-projects (see list here). This features a monthly expense allowance of 1300 € and a travel allowance according to this table.
- Coverage of the costs for a joint Open Access publication with the subproject leader.
2nd Prize:
- Certificate of Excellence
- A 1-month stay for one person as a visiting researcher at one of the SFB's sub-projects (see list here). This features a monthly expense allowance of 1300 € and a travel allowance according to this table.
3rd Prize:
- Certificate of Excellence
Terms and conditions for the stay as visiting researcher:
- The allowances are subject to successful visa application if applicable.
- Visiting researchers must have valid health, accident and personal liability insurance in Germany from the first day of their stay.
- Visiting researchers are responsible for complying with existing obligations under German social and tax law.
9. Award ceremony
The details of the award ceremony will be specified at a later stage. During the ceremony, winners will be recognized for their contributions and achievements. The recipient of the first prize will have the opportunity to present their winning solution, highlighting how it advances the field of molecular dynamics simulations.
Travel and accommodation costs for attendance at the award ceremony will be covered for participants from Germany. Participants from other countries will take part via web meeting.
10. Data Protection
Responsible Authority and Contact Information:
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
Institut für Werkstoffkunde
An der Universität 2
30823 Garbsen
Tel.: +49 511 762 18324
Email: herbst@uni-hannover.de
Data Protection Officer:
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
– Datenschutzbeauftragter (DS) –
Welfengarten 1, 30167 Hannover
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 762 0
Fax: +49 (0) 511 762 8258
Email: datenschutz@uni-hannover.de
Purpose of Data Processing:
The processing of contact data is for participation in the competition.
Legal Basis for Data Processing:
The legal basis for data collection and processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.
Storage Duration:
Contact data submitted via the registration form will be deleted after the competition period ends, but by no later than May 30, 2026.
This does not include the metadata information that is provided with the submitted datasets. These will be made publicly with CC BY SA 4.0 license and published in a publicly accessible scientific data repository after the competition event is finished. Datasets will be published applying the FAIR principles with full acknowledgement of authorship.
Recipients of Personal Data:
Personal data will be shared with the aforementioned responsible parties and jury members. The recipients of prizes will be named on the competition's website.
Your Rights According to Art. 15-20 GDPR:
According to the provisions of the GDPR, you have the following rights:
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- Right to access information about the processing of your data at any time, free of charge, Art. 15 GDPR.
- Right to rectify and complete the data processed by us, Art. 16 GDPR.
- Right to erasure, Art. 17 GDPR.
- Right to restriction of processing, Art. 18 GDPR.
- Right to obtain your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format (Right to data portability), Art. 20 GDPR.
Right to Complain:
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority if you believe that the processing of photos and video recordings concerning you violates the General Data Protection Regulation.
The competent supervisory authority is:
LfD Niedersachsen
Prinzenstr. 5
30159 Hannover
Tel. +49 511 120 - 4500
Fax +49 511 120 - 4599
Email: poststelle@lfd.niedersachsen.de
11. Disclaimer, exclusion of legal recourse
Leibniz Universität Hannover reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions and to cancel the competition if necessary. The legal process is excluded. In case of any conflict, the German language version of these terms shall prevail.
