Members of the wider SOFTECH | Codespring team received awards in three sections of the real sciences at the 29th Transylvanian Student Research Conference (ETDK 2026), held in Cluj-Napoca on May 15–16. The projects of our young colleague and our mentees – most of which were developed during last year’s Codespring Mentoring Program – also earned the opportunity to compete in the Hungarian Student Research Conference (OTDK).
The organizers and judges noted with pleasure that, compared to previous years, more bachelor’s and master’s degree students chose to participate in the ETDK this year. According to jury member S. Csaba, the attending students represented not only Babeș–Bolyai University but also Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (UTCN).
At the 29th ETDK, held on May 15–16 in Cluj-Napoca at the central building of Babeș–Bolyai University, students presented a total of nearly 40 papers in the mathematics, computer science, and physics sections.
Diverse and strong competition at ETDK 2026
During ETDK 2026, the large number of mathematics, computer science, and physics papers was divided into four sections. Most of them featured more than 10 projects. The computer science papers were organized into three sections: one theoretical – combined with the physics section – and two practical ones focusing on product development.
The papers were evaluated in each section separately by the professional judging committees. This way, more students could receive recognition, since the jury unanimously agreed that many high-quality projects were submitted this year. The jury included not only professors from Babeș–Bolyai University but also faculty members from other universities and representatives from various companies.
S. Csaba and S. Károly served as judges in the two different Innovative computer science sections of the conference. As they explained, during the evaluation process, they placed importance on the project’s scope, the uniqueness of the idea, the innovative nature of the developed “product,” its level of completion, and its potential commercial viability and marketability. During the presentation, they paid attention to the structure and clarity of the pitch, the presentation style, and how well the speakers were able to represent and “sell” their projects.
Artificial intelligence in scientific research
They agreed that the use of artificial intelligence is clearly visible in the final papers. At ETDK 2026, formal requirements were met at a higher rate as AI was used for checking, and serious errors occurred less frequently. Moreover, the projects were generally more complex, feature-rich, and at a more advanced stage than in previous years. Still, the hard work the students put into their projects – especially the ones that made it to the podium – was very evident, recognized S. Károly.
Prize shower for our students
The ETDK 2026 evaluation was quite a challenge, as the competition proved to be very strong. The judging committee had to select the three (and in some cases more) podium winners from a wide range of exciting projects.
All three IT sections featured many exciting projects, both hardware- and software-focused. One of the grand prize winners built a microprogrammed processor, and another team developed a web application for PC configuration. Cybersecurity, smart homes, and smart parking were also on the agenda. 13 IT students from the Codespring Mentoring Program submitted 8 papers in Innovative Informatics sections. In addition, our colleague at SOFTECH, L. Miklós held an outstanding presentation in the mathematics section.
Their final rankings were as follows:
- Mathematics Section: L. Miklós József – 2nd Prize + Qualification for OTDK
- Computer Science: Innovative Information Technology Products and Applications – Sections 1–2:
- 1st Prize + Qualification for OTDK: V. Áron, K. Kinga (professional coordinators: S. Csaba, B. Nándor, Ph.D. candidate, and software developer N. Kristóf-Bálint): Holistic Event Management System for the student organization “The Other Side of the Cube”
- 2nd Prize + Qualification for OTDK: A. Szilamér, P. Norbert (professional coordinators: S. Károly, software developers B. Levente and Sz. Tas): Beeper beekeeping management application
- 3rd prize + Qualification for OTDK: M. Tamás, K. Mátyás (professional coordinators: S. Csaba, B. Nándor, Ph.D. candidate, and software developers P. Kinga and K. Krisztián): PicPermit: Digital image licensing management system
- 3rd prize: Cz. Norbert-Levente, V. Norbert (professional coordinators: S. Károly, software developers B. Szabolcs and H. Hunor): Interactive healthcare journal and treatment tracking mobile application.
We are very proud of every participant, as not only do the prizes speak of their dedication, but their nearly year-long efforts also demonstrate their serious devotion to their work.
Supporting the next generation of IT professionals
The SOFTECH | Codespring team has been actively involved in training future IT professionals for more than 15 years. Through our Codespring Mentoring Program across Transylvania, we provide professional support for our mentees, resulting in hundreds of successful participations in regional and international conferences, as well as outstanding results on state exams.
Just as in previous years, we also contributed to the professional progress and advancement of students in this series through mentoring, continuous professional guidance, and regular sponsorship of the ETDK and similar academic events.
