The list of teams entering the presentation round was announced on Oct. 13.

At the meeting, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Vinh, Director of the Population Data Center, said that this year, the contest has been expanded from a national to an international scope. This brings diversity of ideas, cultures, and problems' approaches, creating more attractive and interesting competition.

After closing the online application round on Sept. 21, the organizers said that it had received entries from 376 teams with 925 registered candidates, including 4 foreign teams from Australia, Singapore, Korea, and Indonesia. Compared to 2023, the number of registered teams this year increased by more than 90%, and the number of registered candidates increased by nearly 72%.

"Most of the entries are diverse in fields, creative, and take advantage of the simulated data set provided by the organizers as well as open data sources to come up with unique and useful ideas that are valuable in life," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the Department of Administrative Police for Social Order, Ministry of Public Security, said.

After three weeks of work, the organizers have selected 46 teams from four subdivisions. The presentation round is expected to take place on Oct. 26 at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. After that, the teams will have one month to demo their products.

Besides, the organizers have prepared many diverse and practical forms of support for the contestants. According to Ta Hai Tung, Deputy Head of the Jury, from the presentation round, the teams will be assigned mentors who are experts from leading universities and corporations, as well as experts from companies related to the profession.

They will help the teams complete their ideas, advise on technological solutions, and guide them on how to apply them to suit their actual profession. "This support not only helps the teams gain a deeper insight into the product but also improves their ability to develop and implement solutions," Tung said.

For foreign contestants, the organizers also provide financial support by sponsoring airfare and accommodation expenses.

The Data for Life 2024 contest is co-organized by Hanoi University of Science and Technology and VnExpress, aiming to find practical ideas and products serving the digital transformation process with three main pillars: digital government, digital society and digital economy.

The competition goes through preliminary round (30 teams) to finals (10 teams), from which prizes will be awarded to the 5 most excellent teams. The final round is scheduled for Nov. 26.

A total prize pool of VND390 million (US$15,380) will be awarded across the three rounds. The first prize is valued at $11,800, the second at $2,000, the third at $1,185, and a consolation prize at $395.

In addition to the cash prizes, the winners of the top three awards will also receive support for deployment from the Innovation Center at the School of Information and Communications Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

Nguyen Phuong