There is a lot of competition for resources in the environment of multi-agent systems, such as cloud platforms and services, network virtualization environment, and virtual human resource platforms, etc. As resources are scarce and limited, designing an excellent resource allocation mechanism to make full use of these competitive resources and maximize the benefits of the system or agents has become an urgent problem.

Computer theory, auction theory, and game theory provide a solid foundation for the design of these mechanisms. The scope of this research area ranges from modelling of the competitive resource allocation problem to the simulation of the competitive resource allocation platform, to the development of novel engineering solutions for complex resource allocation problems, and bridges several disciplines to provide new insights into economics, mathematics, engineering, computer science and theory.

The aims of this Special Issue are to present state-of-the-art research on competitive resource allocation problems, especially the allocation mechanism design for competitive resources, and to provide a forum for experts to disseminate their recent advances and views on future perspectives in this field. Original research and review articles are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Resource allocation mechanisms based on auction theory
• Resource allocation mechanisms based on reinforcement learning
• Partnership formation and utility sharing algorithms
• Multi-agent cooperation game algorithms
• Approximate optimal algorithms for resource allocation
• Other novel resource allocation frameworks and mechanisms