International Association of  Transportation Infrastructure (INTATI)

I. Competition Background

The International Competition on Intelligent Simulation of Transport Infrastructure was jointly initiated in 2022 by Harbin Institute of Technology, Chang'an University, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Since its inception, the competition has received continuous support from international academic organizations such as the Academy of Pavement Science and Engineering (APSE), ASCE Greater China Section, and the International Association of Chinese Infrastructure Professionals (IACIP), as well as from the International Association of Transport Infrastructure (INTATI), the China Simulation Federation, the China Journal of Highway and Transport, and numerous partner universities both domestically and internationally.

The 1st ICISTI was successfully held online in March 2023. The competition attracted over 100 teams from nearly 20 countries, with 36 teams ultimately advancing to the finals and receiving awards.

The 2nd ICISTI was successfully held at City University of Hong Kong in January 2024. More than 20 judges from Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and top domestic universities were invited to select 48 winning teams based on criteria including innovation, scientific merit, and on - site presentations.

The 3rd ICISTI was successfully held at Harbin Institute of Technology in December 2024. Over 40 judges from leading universities in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), and mainland China were invited to comprehensively evaluate 105 finalist teams and their submissions across dimensions such as innovation, background significance, scientific methodology, and on - site defense.

The 4th ICISTI was successfully held at the National University of Singapore in December 2025. Over 40 internationally renowned experts were invited to serve as judges, with participating institutions spanning more than ten countries and regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong (China), Singapore, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Italy. Following preliminary screening, 73 teams advanced to the offline finals.

To further explore and share the latest research advancements in fundamental theories and engineering applications of numerical simulation for transport infrastructure, the 5th International Competition of Intelligent Simulation for Transport Infrastructure, hosted by Chang'an University and jointly organized by Harbin Institute of Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and City University of Hong Kong, will be officially launched in July 2026.

II. Competition Tracks

The competition features six tracks centered on intelligent operation and maintenance and structural resilience enhancement of transport infrastructure:

T1: Road and Airport Engineering

T2: Bridge and Tunnel Engineering

T3: Transportation Geotechnical Engineering

T4: Pavement Materials

T5: Smart Transportation Engineering

T6: Undergraduate Track

III. Participation Guidelines

1. Eligibility

This competition invites doctoral students, master's students, and undergraduate students from universities worldwide that offer programs in transportation engineering and related disciplines. The Undergraduate Track (open exclusively to teams whose members are all undergraduates) and the Graduate Track will be registered, reviewed, and awarded separately; no cross - evaluation between graduate and undergraduate groups will occur within the same track.

Eligible majors include but are not limited to: Transportation Engineering, Road and Railway Engineering, Transportation Equipment and Control Engineering, Traffic Safety, Logistics Engineering, Civil Engineering, Vehicle Engineering, Automation, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Measurement and Control Technology and Instrumentation, Materials Science, and related fields.

The organizing committee explicitly encourages and will give favorable consideration in award evaluations to:

(1) Teams with interdisciplinary backgrounds;

(2) Joint teams formed by domestic and international universities;

(3) Submissions involving cutting - edge directions such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, and advanced manufacturing.

2. Scope of Submissions

Submitted works must represent research outcomes achieved by the participating team within the two years prior (2025–2026) and must be completed before the submission deadline. Teams are required to submit a competition application form, which may include outcomes such as papers, patents, software, physical prototypes, drawings, models, research reports, and similar deliverables.

All content must be original or possess independent intellectual property rights, align with the competition's thematic requirements, and be free from plagiarism. Any team found in violation of these provisions will be disqualified.

Teams must hold valid licenses for any commercial software used in their submissions. The organizing committee will protect the copyright of all submitted works.

3. Registration

Preliminary Round: Teams must register and submit their preliminary application forms through the official channel before the deadline. Following review by the organizing committee, the list of teams advancing to the finals will be announced.

Finals: At least one representative from each finalist team must attend the final competition hosted at Chang'an University, which includes a PowerPoint presentation, video demonstration, and Q&A session with the judging panel.

4. Registration Requirements

Submissions must be made by teams of no more than 6 members, with no more than 2 advisors.

Each participant may be involved in a maximum of 2 competition tracks.

5. Language Requirement

All application materials and presentation deliverables must be in English.

6. Timeline

(1)Before September 5, 2026: Submit the registration form via the official committee email (cdic_international@chd.edu.cn).

(2)Before September 6, 2025: The organizing committee will send the (3)preliminary application form to registered teams via email.

(4)October 8, 2026: Teams submit their preliminary application forms through the official committee submission channel.

(5)October 31, 2026: The organizing committee announces the preliminary round results.

(6)Mid - December 2026: Finals (Chang'an University).

7. Final Defense Procedure

Final defenses will be conducted in groups by track, with the Undergraduate Track and Graduate Track evaluated separately. The judging panel will consist of members of the organizing committee and internationally renowned experts. Each team will deliver an on - site presentation using slides based on their submitted application materials. The defense consists of three segments:

(1) Team introduction and overview of key innovations (10 minutes);

(2) Numerical simulation demonstration video (5 minutes);

(3) Q&A session with the judging panel (5 minutes).

8. Awards

The organizing committee is committed to a fair, impartial, and open evaluation process. All teams and institutions that advance to the finals will receive a certificate of participation.

Awards will be presented for First Prize, Second Prize, Third Prize, and Outstanding Work Awards, with certificates provided to winning teams. Prize amounts will be determined based on available funding.

9. Additional Notes

(1) Participants must warrant that their submissions are original. Any confirmed case of plagiarism or cheating will result in disqualification.

(2) Copyright of finalist winning works remains with the authors. The organizing committee reserves the right to use such works for non - commercial purposes,including but not limited to exhibitions, publications, promotional materials, industry outreach, and websites, without additional compensation.

(3) In the event of force majeure, the organizing committee reserves the right to modify the competition schedule or terminate the competition.

(4) Registration constitutes the participant's agreement to and voluntary compliance with all competition rules and regulations.

(5) The organizing committee reserves the final right of interpretation for this competition.

Organizing Committee of the ICISTI 

July 2026