The Corvinus-BME ideas competition has started

Many students of economics and computer engineering gathered in a hall of Corvinus University. During the introductory session, the VIK students presented their ideas and projects planned or in the process of being implemented in the framework of their project (independent laboratory, thesis or diploma project) in a few minutes, so that the attending economics students could join them, forming teams of 2-5 people. During the semester, the IT students work on the technical solution according to the requirements of the project subject, while the economics students prepare a business plan, a marketing plan and market research. The teams will look at the project as a real start-up business, using their own studies, knowledge and research to advise each other on the best possible outcome.  

So the idea is that engineering and economics students work together on an idea during the spring semester. What the economists gain from the collaboration is that they can develop the semester’s assignment around a real technical-business idea in their otherwise compulsory Business Start-up Concept course, while the computer scientists do not design and develop their application in isolation from the business environment, but can take into account real guidelines refined along real economic considerations. This can influence the UI-UX design or even the architecture of the application being built. In this way, the two professions can get to know each other’s working methods and issues. Once they are out in the industry, they will be able to work even more effectively side by side, helping each other.  

The organisers of the event are Dr. László Trautmann, Vice President of the Youth Entrepreneurship Association, Associate Professor at Corvinus, Dr. Attila Pethő, Head of Department, Associate Professor at Corvinus and Dr. Tibor Kovács, Associate Professor at the Department of Automation and Applied Informatics at BME-VIK.  

The “game is not for nothing”, as evidenced by the fact that the kick-off event was also attended by Sándor Nagy, member of the Board of the Industrial Section of the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who offered a cash prize on behalf of the BKIK to the three teams that achieved the best results in the semester-long competition.  

During the semester, the students will document their work via a dedicated application installed at the Corvinus, and after the kick-off event, they will present and pitch their partial and final results at two more attendance meetings.  

It is not excluded – and indeed it is not a hidden goal – that, as in the previous pilot of the initiative, some of the ideas will turn into real start-ups, growing into real businesses. But it is also a very big achievement if the students involved in the collaboration take the methods of inter-professional cooperation and the new contacts they have made with them. 

Dr Tibor Kovács – Attila Petheő PhD 

BME-VIK – Corvinus Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation