Sopra Steria International Student Challenge

In light of the many challenges new generations must tackle, Sopra Steria is proud to announce the launch of the Sopra Steria International Student Challenge. With this new international competition, Sopra Steria seeks to help students develop new responsible solutions, based on AI technology. 

As such, the Sopra Steria International Student Challenge will evaluate the projects designed and developed by the competing students based on four areas of transformation: 

• Environment, with solutions supporting environmental preservation, carbon emissions reduction, and efficient management of natural resources. 
• Society, with initiatives to improve the quality of life of individuals and communities, promote social equity and accessibility to education and health. 
• Economy, with solutions to strengthen economic resilience, encourage business innovation and contribute to sustainable economic development. 
• Education, with solutions aimed at improving learning through AI, promoting technologies to adapt teaching methods to individual needs, while making education more inclusive and equitable. 

“In view of current environmental, social, and societal challenges, AI represents just as many advantages as risks. We are convinced that tomorrow's engineers must be trained to think about the role and impact of their technologies in society. This is the aim of this competition is to encourage purposeful and responsible projects in the short term, and to help educate those who will shape the world of tomorrow” comments Louis-Maxime Nègre, Head of Human Resources at Sopra Steria Group. 

A 6-month competition to develop the most innovative projects. 

The Sopra Steria International Student Challenge will begin on September 16, 2024, when the online registration platform opens. Applications will be open to students wherever Sopra Steria is present worldwide, and in participating countries, namely in Belgium, France, Germany, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. 

The teams, made up of 2 to 5 people, will then have until November 18, 2024, to submit their project proposal. The national selection will take place in several stages until the international final scheduled for March 2025, during which the projects will be evaluated by a jury composed of AI specialists, Sopra Steria and other stakeholders. 

The big winners of the international competition will be rewarded with €10,000, as well as exclusive training provided by the Sopra Steria Academy on AI and critical thinking, supplemented by one-year mentoring provided by an AI expert from Sopra Steria Group. The second-place team will receive €5,000, while the third- place team will get €2,500, with each also benefiting from training and mentoring. 

In addition, each national champion team will be offered VIP access to Sopra Steria national events, a one-year subscription to a global technology publication for the entire team, as well as internship or apprenticeship opportunities, thus rewarding excellence and innovation at all levels of the competition. 

AI, a technological, environmental and recruitment challenge 

While Sopra Steria recently announced that it wanted to double its number of AI specialists, going from 4,000 in 2023 to 8,000 in 2027, this competition is also an opportunity for the European group to forge relationships with the talents of tomorrow. 

“To attract talent, we must today prove to them that, if they join us, they will be able to work on meaningful projects. Climate, social and societal challenges are indeed central to our challenges. This competition is also a way for us to show them that we are a key player in the responsible AI ecosystem. ", continues Louis-Maxime Nègre.