  Cognitive radio networks (CRNs) is the next generation of wireless
communication. This type of network requires efficent spectrum allocation
methods. This paper presents a new meta-heuristic evolutionary method for
solving the channel allocation problem in an ad hoc network context. The
suggested method is based on a graph-theoretic model and seeks a solution for
the spectrum allocation problem in a clustered ad hoc network topology.The
method is referred to as imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA)and provides a
scheme for allocating the available channels to cluster heads maximizing
spectrum efficiency and minimizes co-channel interference. The suggested
methods are tested for several scenarios; the performance of the ICA-based
scheme is compared with the genetic algorithm based scheme.
