2024 BOC STEM Talent Challenge

Organizers: Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion, University of Macau; Alumni and Development Office, University of Macau

Sponsor:      BOC Macau

I. Introduction

To promote the national development in science and technology, the thematic-based competition aims to disseminate scientific and technological knowledge among local high school students, with a specific focus on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The goal is to nurture their interdisciplinary skills in the field of technology and innovative potential, which hopefully provide innovative technological solutions to the local SMEs for the benefit of society. Through the sponsorship of Bank of China (BOC), the “BOC STEM Talent Challenge” is organized to showcases students’ talents and creativity.

II. Classification

The competition centers around BeiDou Navigation Satellite System technology. Participating students are expected to integrate the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System with applications suited for Macao’s SMEs. They should conduct research and propose creative and original technological solution primarily on the demands within Macao’s SMEs development. These solutions can be designed for smart service functionalities or concentrate on a specific module of smart product functionalities, all while considering the practical usage needs of the Macao market. This approach aims to promote the development of SMEs in Macao.

III. Competition Guideline

  • This competition is open to students currently studying in Macao’s secondary schools ranging from Form 2 to Form 6 in the 2024/2025 academic year;
  • Students can participate individually or in groups of no more than 3 members, with each group submitting only one entry;
  • All entries must be original;
  • Submission requirements:
  • Complete the online application form;
  • Report format should refer to the Report Format Template (Template Download);
  • Provide an abstract in both Chinese and English or in Chinese and Portuguese (no more than 200 words in all three languages, submitted in PDF and WORD format, with each file not exceeding 2MB);
  • Provide technical solution proposal including relevant information about the products/prototypes (not exceeding four A4 pages, submitted in PDF and WORD format, with each file not exceeding 10MB), language in Traditional Chinese, English or Portuguese;
  • Create a video of no more than 2 minutes, in which participating students must introduce their product/prototypes (the video link is able to view in both national and foreign regions);
  • All entries must be submitted online. Participants can submit their entries on the website of the University of Macau’s Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion from 1 December 2024 to 27 December 2024 by 12:00 noon;

IV. Selection Criteria and Awards

  1. The selection committee will conduct eligibility checks and evaluate all submitted materials according to the rules.
  2. Selection Criteria
  • A self-selected topic: Topics must be originally proposed, chosen, or discovered by the participating students;
  • A self-design and research proposal: Creative contributions in the design must originate from and be completed by the participating students. The primary arguments must be based on research obtained by students through observation, investigation, and experimentation;
  • A report and project production must be written and created by the participating students;
  • Innovation: The content of the project should demonstrate innovation in various aspects such as approaches in problem-solving, data analysis and its usage, equipment or tool design or their practical utilization, or addressing scientific and technological issues from new perspectives or with novel approaches;
  • Scientific rigor: The project and its findings should have scientific and technological significance. The research plan and methodology should be reasonable and accurate, and based on reliable scientific theories;
  • Practicality: The project should have the potential to address technical challenges face by the SMEs and provide practical value in overcoming these challenges;
  • Local SME application scenarios: The project should have the potential to be applied by local SMEs in practical scenarios. Feasibility in relevant application scenarios is crucial;
  1. The selection committee will award student by following: one first prize, one second prize, and eight third prizes. The first prize comes with an award of MOP 8,000, the second prize with MOP 5,000, and the third prize with MOP 3,000. Students receiving awards are responsible for distributing the prize among themselves based on their individual contributions.
  2. Teacher Awards: one first prize, one second prize, and eight third prizes. The first prize comes with an award of MOP 3,000, the second prize with MOP 2,000, and the third prize with MOP 1,000. Each project may have a maximum of two supervising teachers, and they are responsible for distributing the prize among themselves based on their contributions.
  3. The awarded projects with practical applications suitable for real-world SME scenarios may be selected to join the university team. The university will provide specialized guidance and training, with the aim of applying students’ understanding in practical applications. There is also an opportunity for recommended projects to participate in national and international science promotion competitions.
  4. The competition is part of the University of Macau’s “Special Admissions Program”. Awarded students may receive a bonus of 20 to 50 marks added to the results of the Admission Examination (Details).

<Application Submission Link>

(Valid period from 1 December 2024 to 27 December 2024 by 12:00 noon)

Declaration

  • The Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion, University of Macau reserves the right to the final interpretation of the competition rules without prior notice to the participants.
  • The personal data collected on the application form will be solely used for organizing this event and will be processed in compliance with the “University of Macau Personal Data Collection Statement.”
  • The Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion, University of Macau reserves the right to film, publish, translate, exhibit, or promote the competition works without prior notice or compensation.
  • The Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion, University of Macau holds the copyright and usage rights of the first, second, and third prize works in each category. Without prior consent and compensation from the winners, the Centre has the right to make necessary modifications to the works and create promotional materials.
  • Upon submission of the works, it is understood that participants have comprehended and accepted all the details of these rules. Submitted works will not be returned.
  • If the winning works are found to be plagiarized, the awarded prizes will be reclaimed.
  • Prize winners are required to attend or appoint a representative to attend the award presentation ceremony. Failure to attend the ceremony will be regarded as giving up his/her qualification for the prize, and the Organizer reserves the right to process the prize;
  • In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the Chinese, English and Portuguese versions of the Rules, the Chinese version shall prevail;

For inquiry: Centre for Science and Engineering Promotion of UM, Miss Tai, tel: 88224503, email: umstem@um.edu.mo/ Mr. Jiang tel: 63218872 email: mc35148@um.edu.mo