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On Thursday, 10 April 2025, the finals of this year's Competition for talented students of the Faculty of Informatics of MU took place. The competition, organized in cooperation with the Association of Industrial Partners of FI MU, offers students the opportunity to participate in research projects in the Faculty's laboratories. This year's success is enjoyed by 12 lucky ones who will be supported by companies in their research activities. 

Solve practical IT problems to win a scholarship and a place in one of our research teams! This is a brief summary of the principle of the Competition for Talented Students, which takes place annually at FI MU. Interested students first individually solve a set of computing problems. The best ones then proceed to the final round, where they meet representatives of the laboratories for interviews. Here they have the opportunity to impress with their skills and motivation and find a team they want to work in.

This year, competitors were given a choice of 12 tasks, divided over two days. The first set was given on Monday morning, 7 April, and the second set followed a day later. They had 24 hours to solve each set of problems. The top 16 advanced to the final round, which took place on Thursday 10 April. The 12 scholarship positions were then distributed during the final interviews with the lab and company teams.

"The finalists were quite engaged in conversations with lab and company representatives. Sometimes it was difficult to interrupt them to take turns at each station. Thank you all for the pleasant atmosphere," summarizes Vlastislav Dohnal, Vice Dean for External Relations and Partnerships, who moderated the afternoon of the finals.

The competition is intended for students in the 2nd and 4th semesters of their bachelor's studies, for whom it is a gateway to the world of research and work on real projects. It appeals to talent across undergraduate programmes. This year, the Informatics study programme had the largest representation.

Seven teams consisting of FI MU research laboratories and their industrial partners participated in this year's competition:

"Thanks to the scholarship, the competition is a possible alternative to employment while studying. It allows students to stay in the school environment and work on projects they enjoy," explains Assoc. Prof. Petr Švenda from the CRoCS laboratory, who also appreciates the opportunity to find talents at the beginning of their studies in this way. 

Feedback from the contestants shows that they were mostly guided by their interests, the approachability of the assignment and the opportunity to learn something new when choosing tasks to work on. Both the professional focus and the atmosphere during the interview and the attitude of the mentors played a role in deciding on a position in the lab. Students expect valuable practical experience, inspiration for their final thesis, the opportunity to develop in an interesting field and a deeper understanding of research activities. They also hope for a longer-term continuation of the cooperation. Students also appreciated the closer acquaintance with the Association of Industrial Partners of FI MU.

And how are the young talents doing in their internships? "Long-term cooperation pays off for us. We are dedicated to guiding students in working on research tasks that are rarely short-term. At least half of them stay with us, and some of them decide to work in one of our partner companies," Švenda adds.

We thank all the contestants for their dedication and creativity, as well as the representatives of the laboratories and partner companies for their support and cooperation. We look forward to the next edition of the competition. We are planning the next edition of the competition tentatively for the week of March 23, 2026.

For more information, please visit the competition website.

Author: Marta Vrlová, Office for External Relations and Partnerships at FI MU