University of Brescia, Department of Information Engineering
via Branze 38, Brescia, Italy, 31 August-11 September 2026 (hybrid)
Jointly organised by the Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan and the Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia
Your place to learn ABM
Jointly organised by the Behave Lab, University of Milan, and University of Brescia, this school aims to train students in agent-based modelling through a combination of theoretical and practical lectures, daily hands-on sessions, project presentations, and consultations with experts.
The school has a hybrid setting, with up to 40 participants present and an unlimited number of others connected remotely. Training takes place from 9:30–13:00 and 14:00–17:00 CET. All lectures are streamed online, with interaction between students and lecturers, both in person and remotely. All lectures can also be accessed offline during and after the course. Students are supported by assistants in person and online. The first week is intended for beginners or experts requiring a refresher course, and will introduce the principles and methods of agent-based modelling and practical modelling exercises. The second week provides advanced training in model calibration and validation, with in-depth training in statistical techniques for parameter estimation and analysis. During both weeks, classic and contemporary agent-based models will be coded from scratch in class, step by step, with faculty members providing one-to-one assistance to each student.
The final application deadline is on 15 June 2026 5 July 2026!
Experts will provide assistance and customised consultation on personal research projects and models throughout the week, giving students the opportunity to create and improve their own models.
Project presentation. There will be time allocated for personal project presentations.
Coding Skills. No previous coding experience is required for the first week.
Don’t miss the chance to visit Brescia!
“The Behave School is an incredible opportunity to learn from some of the best agent-based modeling experts and researchers. The 2-week program is a great introduction to ABM for beginners yet offers sufficient depth for more advanced modelers. And the location in Brescia close to Lake Iseo is not to be missed”
Shyaam Rankumar, Researcher, Energy Research Institute @ NTU, Singapore “The summer school provided me with a valuable opportunity to get started with agent-based modelling in a supervised environment. The teachers were very engaged, creating a fun and supportive environment and providing individual guidance”
“I am currently working at Riga Technical University as a researcher focusing on artificial intelligence in education and the labour market, and I regularly apply the practical insights I gained from the course”
Guna Jakobsone-Snepste, Researcher, Riga Technical University“This school offers one of the best training programmes for ABM out there. It combines rigorous theoretical grounding with genuinely practical experience, and it’s rare to find a programme that excels in both areas. If you’re serious about learning ABM, this is the place to be”
Arturo Bertero, PhD student, University of Torino & University of Milan“In my day-to-day work in public administration research, I often refer to the course materials and screencasts as valuable resources and an ongoing source of inspiration. I would recommend this summer school without hesitation!”
Kevin Andermatt, PhD student, University of LausanneThe 2026 Faculty
The list of invited lecturers, faculty and assistants includes:
| Date | Start | End | Title | Main lecturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 | 09:30:00 | 10:00:00 | Welcome | |
| 2026-08-31 | 10:00:00 | 11:00:00 | The theory and methodology of agent-based modelling | Flaminio Squazzoni |
| 2026-08-31 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | The theory and methodology of agent-based modelling | Flaminio Squazzoni |
| 2026-08-31 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Getting acquainted with NetLogo | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-08-31 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Getting acquainted with NetLogo | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-09-01 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Modelling agent behaviour | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-09-01 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Modelling agent behaviour | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-09-01 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Reshaping agent behaviour | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-09-01 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Reshaping agent behaviour | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-09-01 | 17:30:00 | 18:30:00 | Consultation | |
| 2026-09-02 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Opinion dynamics | Francesco Renzini |
| 2026-09-02 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Selection and influence | Simone Gabbriellini |
| 2026-09-02 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Selection and influence | Simone Gabbriellini |
| 2026-09-02 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Selection and influence | Simone Gabbriellini |
| 2026-09-02 | 17:30:00 | 18:30:00 | Consultation | |
| 2026-09-03 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Modelling strategic interaction: utility and learning, network effects | Francesco Renzini |
| 2026-09-03 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Modelling strategic interaction: utility and learning, network effects | Francesco Renzini |
| 2026-09-03 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Modelling strategic interaction: utility and learning, network effects | Francesco Renzini |
| 2026-09-03 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Coding challenge | |
| 2026-09-03 | 17:30:00 | 18:30:00 | Consultation | |
| 2026-09-04 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Making LLMs working for your agent-based model | Simone Gabbriellini |
| 2026-09-04 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Group work | |
| 2026-09-05 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Group work | |
| 2026-09-04 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Presentations |
| Date | Start | End | Title | Main lecturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-07 | 09:30:00 | 10:00:00 | Welcome | Flaminio Squazzoni |
| 2026-09-07 | 10:00:00 | 11:00:00 | The challenges of agent-based model calibration and validation | Flaminio Squazzoni |
| 2026-09-07 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Estimation and Validation of Agent-Based Economic Models | Mattia Guerini |
| 2026-09-07 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Network models | Federico Bianchi |
| 2026-09-07 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Network formation | Francesco Renzini |
| 2026-09-08 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Modeling Policy Impacts on Farmer Decisions and Ecosystems | Birgit Müller |
| 2026-09-08 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Paramenter estimation | Ernesto Carrella |
| 2026-09-08 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Calibration | Ernesto Carrella |
| 2026-09-08 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Calibration | Ernesto Carrella |
| 2026-09-08 | 17:30:00 | 18:30:00 | Consultation | |
| 2026-09-09 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Mechanisms of contagion | Simone Gabbriellini |
| 2026-09-09 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Mechanisms of contagion | Simone Gabbriellini |
| 2026-09-09 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Model selection | Ernesto Carrella |
| 2026-09-09 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Model selection | Ernesto Carrella |
| 2026-09-09 | 17:30:00 | 18:30:00 | Consultation | |
| 2026-09-10 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Exploration-exploitation in socio-ecological systems | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-09-10 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | Exploration-exploitation in socio-ecological systems | Nicolas Payette |
| 2026-09-10 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Policy optimisation | Ernesto Carrella |
| 2026-09-10 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Policy optimisation | Ernesto Carrella |
| 2026-09-10 | 17:30:00 | 18:30:00 | Consultation | |
| 2026-09-11 | 09:30:00 | 11:00:00 | Synthetic populations, synthetic cities and the spatio-temporal effects of urban inequality and segregation | Clémentine Cottineau-Mugadza |
| 2026-09-11 | 11:30:00 | 13:00:00 | TBA | TBA |
| 2026-09-11 | 14:00:00 | 15:30:00 | Calibration challenges | |
| 2026-09-11 | 16:00:00 | 17:00:00 | Calibration challenges |