Airbus has launched the sixth Fly Your Ideas competition and invites the next generation of innovators to propose and develop original ideas for the aerospace industry. The biennial competition is a celebration of creativity and innovation to solve real industry challenges. Hong Kong team DAELead from The University of Hong Kong’s “Private Stowage Compartment” design won the Airbus Fly Your Ideas 2017 competition.
Open to university teams from across the world, including all disciplines from engineering and information technology to marketing and design, the competition is an opportunity for students to unleash their pioneering spirit, working at the cutting edge of digital technology alongside industry experts. Airbus is seeking ideas that could change aerospace in the decades to come and create a safer, cleaner and better-connected world. Since the competition launched in 2008, over 20,000 students from more than 650 universities in over 100 countries have been involved, with this edition expected to be the most exciting yet.
Teams entering Fly Your Ideas go through three competition rounds, with progression to each round presenting an opportunity to further develop their concepts with support from Airbus specialists and mentors. As well as joining Airbus on site to further develop their ideas, up to six finalist teams will compete to share a prize fund of € 45,000 and the chance to take their idea forward within the industry.
Marc Fontaine, Digital Transformation Officer for Airbus and sponsor of Fly Your Ideas, said: “This competition enables us to connect with digital native innovators, and apply their energy and enthusiasm to the tremendous possibilities that we are tackling through our own digital transformation. Our industry is entering an era of profound change and huge potential, and I am excited to see how teams will rise to the challenge.”
The 2019 competition asks teams to respond to one of the following challenges: Electrification; Data Services; Cyber Security; Internet of Things; Artificial Intelligence; and Mixed Reality. Since 2012, the competition has been supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Registrations are open till September 2018 and students can already get to work on their creative and digitally-led responses and apply at www.airbus-fyi.com. The live final of Fly Your Ideas will be held in 2019, where students will have the opportunity to showcase their ideas to an audience of industry experts. The journey to the future of aerospace starts here.
Fly Your Ideas 2019 Challenges:
1. ELECTRIFICATION – How can we fly further, longer and cleaner by developing embedded electrical energy systems?
2. DATA SERVICES – What innovative applications and services can you create based on Airbus data?
3. CYBER SECURITY – How can we securely and seamlessly authenticate travelers while minimising the impact on passengers, airport security and airlines?
4. INTERNET OF THINGS – How can the power of IoT revolutionise the passenger experience or improve collaboration in the aerospace industry?
5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – In the future of aerospace or industrial manufacturing, how can we use AI to identify opportunities or entirely new business models?
6. MIXED REALITY – How can the aerospace industry put Apple and Google’s mass market Mixed Reality apps to work?
What happens next?
– Teams of three to four students will submit their Round 1 ideas from September to end November 2018.
– Airbus specialists will assess the ideas and select the 50 top teams to go through to Round 2.
– These teams will have three months to develop their idea further with support from Airbus mentors and specialists before a second assessment, where up to six teams will be selected for the final.
– Before pitching to a jury of industry experts, the finalist teams will be invited to work in Airbus facilities and develop their proposals with our innovation and digital specialists.
