The 14th edition of the local stage of the European Engineering Competition EBEC 2022 - European BEST Engineering Competition took place on April 1-2, in Chisinau. The event was organized by the Public Association “Local BEST Group Chisinau”, exclusively for students of the Technical University of Moldova (TUM).

The State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) participated as a partner in the competition. Present at the official opening of the competition, the Director General of AGEPI, Eugeniu Rusu, welcomed the initiative to organize and participate in this event. He also assured that AGEPI is ready to make available its entire information arsenal, as well as to organize training sessions and trainings in the field of intellectual property, namely on the protection of industrial property rights, copyright and related rights.

The participants were urged to protect their technical-scientific creations that meet the conditions of novelty, inventiveness and industrial applicability by patenting them, being informed about the exemption of students from paying fees for obtaining a patent.

32 students of TUM, grouped in 8 teams, fought for the title of best project in the competition. The teams were divided into two sections: Case Study and Innovative Design and had 6 hours to complete the task. During the Case Study test, the 4 teams implemented the project “Innovative Farm for the Republic of Moldova”. The participants practiced their analytical and presentation skills, developing theoretical solutions to a real problem in society.

Innovative Design was a test in which the teams had to make a modern, ecological and independent farm design. The jury, which also included Andrei Popa, Deputy Director General of AGEPI, appreciated the innovation, aesthetics, reliability, clear presentation of the project.

The winning teams: The Future (Case Study test) and The Code Keepers (Innovative Design test) will go to the regional stage, which will take place from 13 to 16 May this year, in Iasi, Romania.

It should be noted that the European BEST Engineering Competition is spread in 32 countries with the mission of developing students, giving them the opportunity of a challenge in solving theoretical or practical problems. EBEC aims to involve a full range of multidisciplinary knowledge and personal skills of students and to apply this potential in solving real-life problems by working in teams.