The student competition “Invent a Chip” starts in the 19th round. VDE and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) are looking for young talents who enjoy math, technology and natural sciences and who want to immerse themselves in the world of microchips as chip designers. To participate, the young people have to answer a questionnaire with 20 questions about the world of microelectronics and submit their own chip idea to VDE by March 29, 2020.

“Fit for Chips” is the motto for the teams with the most interesting chip ideas that a jury selects. Winners will visit the Institute for Microelectronic Systems at Leibniz Universität Hannover from May 7th to 10th. There they learn chip design from experts first-hand. They read out sensors, control actuators and learn how to implement their projects with freely programmable logic gates. The practice teams then have time for their projects until September and are in close contact with each other and the university's experts. The winners will present their microchip applications to the public at the microelectronics symposium on November 3rd in Berlin. In addition to attractive cash prizes, you can also expect contacts to industry and universities as well as trade fair presentations or internships.

The aim of “Labs for Chips” is to awaken the joy for electronics even on a small scale. The competition complements the VDE / BMBF campaign, supporting adults whose hearts beat for electronics and who inspire children and young people with their own projects. You can apply for your prize money in the amount of 500, 1,000 and 2,000 euros until March 29th. These are dedicated to the implementation of the respective project. The aim is to introduce young people to STEM subjects.