IT services company Atos has launched its annual IT Challenge competition which asks students to design applications.
For 2013 the company has partnered with car manufacturer Renault, to challenge students with the task of designing an application that offers drivers and passengers wellbeing on the move.
The theme of Connected Car is encouraging students from universities in Austria, China, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, UK, and the US to enter their ideas in teams of two to five.
Judges will be looking for an app that is useful and unique for those on the move. Entrants are encouraged to pay close attention to the design, which should be easy to use in a car.
Contestants are asked to demonstrate their app, showing how it will work in a car environment, taking into account factors such as speed. Teams will also need to present the business case and explain how it can be a success commercially.
The winning team receives a trip to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games including flights, accommodation and a behind-the-scenes tour, as well as an E-tablet. Two runner-up teams receive an Atos Diploma demonstrating outstanding achievement.
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15 teams will make a shortlist, with 14 selected by the Atos Scientific Community and experts from Renault. One team will be selected by the highest number of likes on Facebook.
The three winning teams, and university representatives, will be invited to the IT Challenge award ceremony in June 2013.
Gilles Grapinet, senior executive vice-president at Atos said: “The IT Challenge gives students of today the chance to write the IT story of tomorrow. This competition is a fantastic learning experience for the students, the universities and ourselves.
“We are looking forward to seeing how the students turn their university knowledge into exciting, commercial applications for the car. We encourage students at the participating universities to apply.”
Marc Pajon, vice-president of advanced projects of Renault, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with Atos and we are delighted to be involved in this exciting IT Challenge which we believe will help to achieve the best wellbeing of Renault drivers and passengers on the move.”
Teams are requested to register their interest by the middle of December 2012 and then post their initial submission on the dedicated IT Challenge website before 21st December 2012.
Teams must post their initial submissions on the IT Challenge website before 21 December.
The 2012 IT Challenge saw a Dutch team take the title. MulitLens beat 77 other teams with an app that enables sports or music fans to choose what they want to listen to when watching a big match or concert.
