Budapest universities hosted the world’s most promising young computer scientists

The IOI Study Camp is an event of the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), which hosts the best Olympians at the end of the competition for a week of high-quality professional and leisure activities. In 2023, the IOI Study Camp took place in Budapest, at the Faculty of Informatics of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE IK), organised by ELTE IK and the Neumann János Computer Science Society (NJSZT), with the support of Huawei, from 25-29 October.

The IOI is a prestigious international competition where world-class IT talents compete for Olympic medals. The competition traditionally receives significant attention from tech companies and higher education institutions, who are interested in discovering and supporting talents. It’s not easy to qualify for the IOI; participants go through a series of preparatory competitions, and only the best make it to the Olympics. Thanks to the Talent Development Program of ELTE and NJSZT, which has a history of more than 20 years, Hungarian students have earned recognition and medals in various Olympics.

The organizers consider it of utmost importance to involve Hungary in international initiatives aimed at identifying young talent. Both the ELTE IK and the NJSZT consider it a significant achievement that Hungary has been awarded the right to host the IOI and the IOI Study Camp in 2023.

The festive closing event of the IOI Study Camp took place on 28 October, where Gergely Fábián, State Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy, Tamás Kozsik, Dean of ELTE IK, Benjamin Burton, President of IOI, György Beck, President of NJSZT welcomed the participants and shared their impressions and thoughts about the Study Camp.

Gergely Fábián, State Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy, pointed out that this year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of János Neumann, the Hungarian-born mathematician, and this event is related to it, as the students who won gold and silver medals at the Szeged Student Olympics were invited to Budapest by the Neumann János Computer Science Society. The State Secretary emphasized that the personality and spirit of János Neumann clearly had an inspiring impact on all participants. Fábián Gergely also explained that it is of great significance for the arriving foreign students to get to know Hungary and Hungarian culture.

Tamás Kozsik, the Dean of the Faculty of Informatics at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), highlighted the Faculty’s commitment to nurturing IT talent and providing practical, industry-relevant training for IT research and development professionals. He also emphasized that the role of innovation-focused education in higher education for IT is becoming increasingly prominent in today’s world.

“In the long term, the Faculty of Informatics at ELTE demonstrates significant achievements in the development of the innovation ecosystem surrounding the faculty, providing attractive collaboration opportunities for industrial partners and offering talented students the chance to participate in world-class industrial innovations.”

The Dean of the Faculty of Informatics at ELTE provided a glimpse behind the professional scenes:

“It was a significant challenge to organize a program series that was both entertaining for the Olympians and, at the same time, delivered new knowledge tailored to their level of expertise. We primarily focused on practical problem-solving, teamwork, and a competitive spirit, rather than traditional lectures, which received very positive feedback from the students. The professional program revolved around computer vision, image processing, environmental sensing sensors, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence, representing the major research directions of the Faculty of Informatics.”

In his welcome address, Benjamin Burton, the President of IOI, expressed that the captivating professional program provided by Eötvös Loránd University, Huawei, and the Neumann János Computer Science Society offered a fantastic opportunity for participants of the IOI Study Camp to gain insight into the endlessly exciting world of research. He expressed hope that the Study Camp further reinforced students’ commitment to working on cutting-edge issues and actively shaping the future for all of us.

In his welcoming speech, György Beck, the President of NJSZT, emphasized that it is an outstanding opportunity to host the world’s most exceptional IT student Olympians in the hometown of Neumann János on the 120th anniversary of the birth of the world-renowned mathematician. The Neumann Society, as the organizer of the #neumann120 jubilee year, was delighted to participate in the program, where Academician István Hargittai, under the care of NJSZT, presented the Hungarian-English album titled “Quotable János Neumann” and handed it over to the participants.

György Beck emphasized that the Neumann Society has been a partner to representatives of the international IOI community from the very beginning and is also an organizer of domestic competitions and workshops that are indispensable in selecting and preparing Hungarian student Olympians. He expressed his gratitude to Dr. Ágnes Erdősné, the Vice President responsible for talent development at NJSZT, for her work in organizing the IOI Study Camp, which was a fantastic opportunity for the future great computer scientists to gain a better understanding of Hungary and the scientific and talent development work being carried out here.

Wang Lei, HR Director of Huawei’s European Research Institute, stated,

“Our most valuable resource is not technology or capital, but talent that fuels innovation. The participation of IOI attendees convincingly proves this statement. Although the competition and the camp have now concluded, in reality, it marks a new beginning for young talents to immerse themselves even more devotedly in solving the significant problems of science and technology, collectively taking steps towards a brighter future.”

“Huawei, founded in 1987, is the leading global provider of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and intelligent devices. Huawei employs 207,000 people, operates in over 170 countries and regions, and serves more than three billion people worldwide. Through its digital solutions for individuals and organizations, Huawei is committed to creating a connected, intelligent world.”

In today’s world, highly skilled and innovative computer researchers and developers play a pivotal role in the advancement of every sector of the knowledge-based economy. At the closing event of the IOI Study Camp, all speakers unanimously agreed that the key to enhancing competitiveness lies in higher education that combines outstanding technological knowledge and innovative training, as well as in mentoring talents, increasing the societal integration of information technology, and promoting it. All of these activities can be successful through effective strategic partnerships among the relevant professional organizations, higher education institutions, and their industrial partners.

HERE and HERE you can find two rankings showing that the Hungarian higher education is among the world’s best.