How can increasing demand for energy in the world be met while reducing carbon footprint as required by climate protection goals and calls for energy transition and responsible energy consumption?

How can civilisation and the need for an improving standard of living be reconciled with climate protection goals? How can responsible energy consumption be increased, and sustainability requirements met at the same time?

The competition announcer: ExxonMobil

 

The subject of the competition:

ExxonMobil, one of the world’s leading energy companies, is launching a competition for students about economic development and climate protection, responsible and clean energy usage, energy system transformation, the innovative reconciliation of conventional and renewable energy resources.

The demand for energy is growing worldwide while new challenges are being posed by a changing globe.

Trends shaping our world highlight the importance of responsible energy management. Our demand for energy is constantly growing, but the resources available are limited. Therefore, we need to use the available resources more efficiently, along with new technical solutions and their smart applications. In the future, in the name of sustainable development, especially if we want to meet the increasing demand for energy, every form of energy, including natural gas and renewable resources will be needed to meet the global and European emission reduction targets.

Who is eligible to participate in the competition?

The announcer invites applications from

• university students studying in Hungary or
• PhD students who study in Hungary, or
• professionals and teams participating in joint research and development projects with Hungarian universities

who shall demonstrate a concept for development or an actual development project in the field of energy science.

 

 

APPLICATIONS

The announcer is looking for market-driven and product-focused pilot research project ideas, projects and innovation activities in the field of medium and long-term energy use that seek to find a solution to a problem or a specific group of problems using a new approach or technological innovation. There are no constraints as far as genre and scientific approach are concerned, however the jury prefers practice-oriented entries.

The language of the applications can be English or Hungarian, but English language entries will be given priority during the evaluation. Applications submitted in Hungarian language must be supplemented with an English language one-page summary containing key elements of the application.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE APPLICATIONS:

Mandatory parts:

• the completed application form
• a summary of the application which contains:
• project goals (max. 3000 characters)
• the way the project responds to the outlined challenges (max. 6000 characters)
• a demonstration of the financial value and feasibility of the project (max. 4000 characters)
• a description of the professional experience of team members (max. 3000 characters)
• a short professional recommendation by a professor or research leader from the university concerned.

In case the submitted material is in Hungarian language, the applicant must also submit a one-page summary in English (3000 – 4000 characters) which summarizes the key elements of the application.

 

Optional parts:

• presentation (up to 10 pages), a short video (max. 3 minutes long) that presents the project, photo or any visual illustration that helps the better understanding of the project. (If you would like to attach a video to your application, please upload it to Youtube first and only include the link in your application)

The announcer considers applications that include all mandatory parts as valid.

APPLY:

Applicants must register in advance until October 8, 2020 at the latest on the website of the competition.
https://thedualchallenge.com/en/application/

All applicants must indicate willingness to participate in the competition during pre-registration. Only pre-registered applicants can submit materials.

Applicants can only apply to this competition online.

All materials must be uploaded to the competition website until October 21, 2020.
https://thedualchallenge.com/en/application/

Applications can be uploaded only after the pre-registration deadline.

Applications submitted after the deadline are not eligible for evaluation and will be automatically rejected.

The announcer reserves the right to change schedule.

 

Evaluation:

Applications will be evaluated by experienced energy experts, scientists, and professionals of ExxonMobil.

• István Szabó, Vice President for Science and International Affairs, National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NFKIH)
• Jeroen Kirschbaum, Managing Director, ExxonMobil Hungary
• Luc Martens, Senior Scientific Advisor, ExxonMobil Technology Center, Brussels
• László Szabó, Director, Regional Center for Energy Policy Research
• Ákos Dervalics, CEO, InnoEnergy HUB Hungary

 

Criteria for evaluation:

The jury will evaluate the submitted applications according to the following main criteria:

• novelty of the idea of the application
• innovativeness of the project
• social and economic utility of the project
• resource requirements of the idea (financial, asset, human and other resource requirements) and chances for return of investment
• sustainability of the project
• feasibility of the project

The jury makes its decision by a majority vote, their work is not public, their decision is final. There is no right of appeal against the jury’s decision. The announcer of the competition reserves the right to declare incomplete or inappropriate application material invalid.

Rewards:

• A 4-day professional visit by the winning team and the professor who recommended or helped the application to be prepared to the ExxonMobil research centre in Brussels. On the exclusive study tour, winners will have the opportunity to get an insight into development projects that ExxonMobil has not yet shared with the public. During the study tour, participants can exchange knowledge with experts responsible for the most important energy research projects.
• A 2-week professional mentoring at the Hungarian headquarters of ExxonMobil by an employee in a leading role.

Note: The announcer reserves the right to change rewards if circumstances pose obstacles to their travelling execution.

Eligibility criteria:

If selected by the professional jury, the Applicant (or in the case of a team, the Applicant’s representative(s) agrees:

• that they may be videotaped one or multiple times
• to be available on the agreed day(s) for the recording and to assist in the organization and conduct of the shooting
• that visual and written material about them can appear on ExxonMobil’s website and social media pages, the competition website and other communication platforms, as well as in the public media

Exclusion:

ExxonMobil has the right to exclude any applicant from the competition if he/ she violates the provisions of this Call and behaves in a manner that is incompatible with the purpose of this competition or the principles of ExxonMobil. Applications that may violate the intellectual property rights of others will also be excluded.

Other Provisions:

By submitting the entry, the applicant agrees to grant ExxonMobil a right of use of entry with unlimited territorial scope and for an unlimited period of time. The Applicant acknowledges that ExxonMobil is authorised to transfer this copyright to a third party. The Applicant acknowledges and agrees that a reference to the Applicant’s name and an image and / or sound recording of the Applicant made by ExxonMobil or a third party (ExxonMobil’s contracted partner such as a communications or media agency) in connection with this competition can be used by ExxonMobil regardless of time and place.

The applicant declares that it holds the copyright to the submitted application and warrants that there is no third-party right in the application that would restrict or impede the User’s acquisition of rights and use. The applicant further declares that he / she is fully responsible for the legality of the use of the entry as described above. In the event of a claim for damages from a third party, the Applicant is fully liable.

The applicant acknowledges and agrees that he / she may not claim any fees, costs or damages in connection with the application. By submitting the entry, the applicant undertakes to accept the decision of those participating in the evaluation of the Application, the judges and acknowledges that he / she may not appeal against it. At the same time, as submitting the application, the Applicant gives his / her voluntary, definite and clearly informed consent to the processing of his / her personal data specified in this competition notice by ExxonMobil in the manner specified in the Data Management Information (LINK) for the evaluation of the Application.

Contact details:

Implementer of the competition: Uniomedia Zrt. on behalf of ExxonMobil. If you have any questions about the competition, please contact the following email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

For more information check out the competition’s official website: https://thedualchallenge.com/en/call-for-applications/