The School of Engineering (SENG) has always encouraged cutting-edge research with global impact.  Students, faculty members, and alumni play an important role in its research excellence.  To recognize and honor their achievements as well as to promote research, SENG has liaised with Google, Inc. to establish a joint competition, namely “Solve For X”.

 

The Solve For X competition is designed and promoted by Google, Inc. to encourage researchers to transform research ideas into real products such as Google glass and Google driverless cars.  SENG has liaised with Google, Inc. to bring Solve For X to campus, which provides a platform to bring our own moonshots into this community.

 

Participants will enjoy the privilege to introduce and discuss their radical technology ideas through the competition.  Integrating the expertise of HKUST faculty members and students, this joint competition will provide a competitive edge for SENG to conduct research at the forefront, and achieve both organizations’ common goal being the internationalization of research.

 

To provide more insight for potential participants, SENG invited two representatives from Google, Inc., namely Ms Puneet Ahira, Programme Director for Solve For X, and Ms Deborah Anyu Lai, Asia Partnerships Lead for Solve For X, to host an information session on 28 August 2014.  The speakers introduced what “Solve For X’ was and how Google, Inc. hosted the competition in the past few years.  This was followed by a Q&A Session, through which the audience, comprising over 200 HKUST members from all schools, got a better insight into the Solve For X idea.

 

SENG has always been striving to provide students with diverse learning experiences through different channels.  It endeavors to form alliances with top institutions and companies worldwide, including Google, Cathay Pacific, Tencent, MTR Corporation, to further expand our international network.  Google, Inc. is globally renowned for its outstanding research achievements and innovative products and is one of the most reputable companies in the world.  The collaboration between SENG and Google, Inc. marks the beginning of an even closer collaboration between the two leading organizations in pursuit of academic and research excellence in the field of engineering.

 

SENG will collaborate with the University’s Entrepreneurship Center, Interdisciplinary Programs Office (IPO), School of Science (SSCI), and School of Business and Management (SBM) to coordinate the “Solve For X” competition, which will be held at the end of 2014. 

 

 

HKUST members are welcome to form teams as they like.  There are no guidelines on the team size. 

 

To take part in the competition, participants can send in a 2-page submission (moonshot) to introduce and discuss their radical technology ideas.  The combination of - a Huge Problem to solve, a Radical Solution for solving it, and Breakthrough Technology to make it happen - is the essence of a technology moonshot.

All nominations will then be reviewed and ranked by the Panel Committee.  Only the top ranked nominations will be considered by Google.

 

Up to five awards will be given across the School of Engineering and Interdisciplinary Programs Office.  Awardees will receive a cash prize of HK$5,000 and a certificate as a token of appreciation. 

 

Once the proposals are selected by Google, the participants will have the opportunity to liaise with expertise / industry all over the world to transform their ideas into real products.  They may also be invited to attend the annual events organized by Google.

 

 

Interested parties can register online by 29 September 2014 (Monday).  Those who have registered will be required to submit their moonshot proposals via LMES by 24 October 2014 (Friday).  Shortlisted team will be invited to attend the presentation session and award ceremony to present their ideas on 24 November 2014 (Monday). 

 

Ms Kammy Chan (egkammy@ust.hk)

Ms Louise Yap (egsyyap@ust.hk)