Project description
Improving methodology for finding efficient algorithms
A fundamental question in computer science – one dating back to the origins of the field – is how difficult it is to find an efficient algorithm for a given computational problem. This question is deeply connected to the challenge of proving that certain problems cannot be solved efficiently no matter what algorithm is used, and it has significant implications for cryptography, pseudorandomness and machine learning. The ERC-funded HOFGA project investigates this question across several settings where it remains unanswered, including circuit complexity, communication complexity, data structures and algebraic models of computation. The project will either develop powerful new methods for finding optimal algorithms or establish that finding such algorithms is provably hard – either outcome representing a significant advance in computational complexity.
Objective
"This is a project in Computational Complexity. The project aims to answer the following question:
How hard is it to find a good algorithm for a given computational problem?
This question can be asked in several different settings, depending on what one means by ""algorithm"" (what is the computational model?), ""computational problem"" (is it a decision problem? a search problem? a communication problem?), and by ""good"" (do we want an algorithm that uses little time? little memory? few logical gates?).
This question has a deep connection with the problem of proving lower-bounds, and in almost every setting where the question has been answered, either the answer was discovered while attempting to prove lower-bounds, or obtaining the answer required the development of new lower-bound methods. It is also known that several variants of the above question are equivalent to fundamental open questions in cryptography, pseudorandomness, and learning theory.
The goal of this project is to answer this question in various settings where the answer is unknown: in circuit complexity, communication complexity, data structures, and algebraic models of computation. For each of these settings, we will either provide explicit methods for finding efficient algorithms, or show that the problem of finding such efficient algorithms is NP-hard."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1749-016 Lisboa
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.