RGU to take on University of Aberdeen in computing contest

The Inform Prize 2023, which is hosted by Intelligent Plant, takes place at The Sandman Hotel on Wednesday 27 September.

Each of the universities respective Schools of Computing will pit its teams of students against one another to win some of the £2,400 prize pool awarded to the students.

There are four prizes in total, with the Biggest Impact award specifically for RGU students, but the Best Idea and Best Presentation prizes students from RGU and the University of Aberdeen will compete against each other.  

Launched in 2014 and funded by Intelligent Plant, the competition encourages students to think about how they might communicate their ideas and research findings to local employers and promote interaction between industry and academia.

Students are initially tasked with creating a digital solution to a real-life problem. Their ideas will be presented in video format to a panel of judges, where they'll give a demonstration of their product in action, they'll also take part in a question-and-answer session before the judges go on to decide who the winners are.

This is the first-time students from RGU have competed in this event which is a great way to showcase their talents. A group from the School of Computing did attend last year to get a taste of The Inform Prize in preparation for 2023.

Ross McLean, Lecturer at RGU’s School of Computing, said: “It is best to think of this like the Aberdeen Boat Race but for computing students.

“The contestants will submit video pitches setting out their solutions for specific problems and then at the event they will be questioned on the stage by a panel of judges.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for students from both universities to highlight not only their digital skills, but important attributes like teamwork, communication, collaboration and decision making.

“The added element of friendly rivalry with students from the University of Aberdeen is great for our learners too and I cannot wait to see it all come together on the day.”

Dr Bruce Scharlau, Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, said: “We are grateful to have been able to work with Aberdeen graduate Steve Aitken and Intelligent Plant since 2014 to offer our computing science students the chance to showcase their skills and connect with industry contacts through the Inform Prize.

“This year’s expanded prize provides even greater opportunity and helps promote our commitment to preparing our students to become boundary breakers of the future by fostering their creative thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as their intellectual development.

“We wish all the competitors well and will be rooting for a win for Aberdeen on the day.”

The Inform Prize 2023 is sponsored by Proserv, Repsol Sinopec and Leap Automation.