The Faculty of Informatics at the University of Debrecen has announced the DEIK.AI Challenge 2026, a competition open to all university students that aims to discover innovative artificial intelligence ideas, support talented teams, promote hands-on experience, and showcase existing AI solutions. The competition is supported by the Innovation Ecosystem Centre.
Students can enter individually or in teams of two to four. The competition offers participants the opportunity to work on real-world challenges related to the university and the city, receive professional feedback, become involved in the university’s innovation and startup ecosystem, gain international exposure, and take part in research and development projects.
“One of the main goals of the DEIK.AI Challenge is to involve students in solving real problems that affect young people, the university, the city, and society as a whole—not just in exploring the general applications of AI,” said András Hajdu, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics.
He noted that the University of Debrecen’s broad academic profile provides a significant advantage, as future AI innovation will increasingly rely on multidisciplinary collaboration. Combining expertise from information technology, natural sciences, healthcare, engineering, economics, agriculture, and the social sciences can lead to cutting-edge AI solutions. The university also aims to prepare the most promising student projects for national and international innovation, professional, and startup events.
The competition includes two categories:
- AI Idea Competition – for innovative AI concepts with commercial potential.
- AI Demo Competition – for AI projects that are already functional or at an advanced stage of development.
While all AI-based solutions are welcome, special emphasis will be placed on projects focusing on urban environmental monitoring, processing environmental and mobility data, and AI-generated PR and communication content.
The best demo projects will be invited to a two-day AI Sprint final, where participants will tackle specific development challenges. At this stage, judges will evaluate not only the projects’ technical potential but also individual performance, problem-solving skills, algorithmic thinking, creativity, and teamwork.
The application deadline for the AI Idea Competition is 4 September 2026, while entries for the AI Demo Competition are accepted until 25 September 2026. Applications may be submitted in Hungarian or English and must include a project description of no more than one page and a presentation video of up to three minutes.
Outstanding participants will receive substantial cash prizes.
Further information and the application form are available on the competition’s official website.
(unideb.hu)
