Engineering Competitions “Rector’s Cup”

European engineering competitions (EBEC) gives students the chance to use their theoretical knowledge, obtained during study at the university, solving various interdisciplinary tasks.

EBEC is a project, aimed to students of all without exception technical specialities Participation in these competitions can help students to try themselves in solving non-standard engineering tasks, and also attract the attention of the leading employers of Europe.

Engineering competitions are held in three rounds:

  • Local round. This is the first level of competition, organized by local BEST groups in all Europe. 88 universities from 33 countries of Europe take part in this stage of the competition, which brings together more than 6,000 student participants. In SPbPU this stage of the competition is called the "Rector's Cup". The winners of the local round take part in the second - regional.
  • Regional round. This stage is organized in 15 different regions. Here the winners of the local level continue their struggle for the right to participate in the final stage of the Engineering Competition - the final one. About 600 students usually take part in regional level.
  • The final round. During the final round, the best students of technical universities in Europe can compete for the title of winner, visit the international day of companies and also see numerous local attractions. On the last day of the competition, by calculating points scored by the participants in the process of performing all tasks, the winner is determined. The procedure for determining winners at the local and regional levels is the same as in the final one.

General description:

Competitions include 2 categories:

  • Team Design is the creation of a working prototype from proposed materials. During the competition, students from our university have already designed drawbridges, paper counters, operating lighthouses and much more. The winner is identified by a jury consisting of representatives of the university, companies and organizers. The main criteria for winning are the accuracy of the construction (this includes a number of parameters that depend on the specific task), the design, the number of materials used, and the quality of the presentation.
  • Case Study - solving of the theoretical problem, its justification and presentation. Participants are invited to analyze the actual problem of the society or a specific enterprise. Students should understand the main issue,suggest solutions and justify them. During the presentation, the jury, consisting of representatives of the university, companies and organizers, evaluates the solutions from the point of view of novelty, applicability and validity.

In the course of assignments, students demonstrate their skills in the engineering field, as well as their personal qualities and abilities. After the task is completed, the teams must present their project or the solution of the assigned task to the jury.