The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) recently hosted the UNNC 30H AI Hackathon, co-organised by the School of Computer Science within the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the student-led Computer Psycho Union (CPU), in collaboration with the Ingenuity Lab. Over 30 continuous hours, more than a hundred students gathered to put their skills to the test, collectively submitting 26 functional projects that demonstrated remarkable innovation in artificial intelligence.

Provost Professor Jon Garibaldi opened the event via video address, highlighting the hackathon as a vivid expression of the university’s commitment to promoting practical, hands-on learning within the curriculum. He encouraged students to harness AI creatively, foster teamwork, and take on the challenge of solving real-world problems.

A distinguished judging panel — comprising Dr. Daokun Zhang, Dr. Jiawei Li, and Dr. Alejandro Guerra Manzanares from the School of Computer Science, PhD candidate Xiaoying Yang from the AIOP Research Group, Dr. Yueyue Zhang from Management Science and Analytics, and industry experts — evaluated submissions across technical implementation, depth of AI exploration, innovation, and commercial viability. In a first for domestic hackathons, the competition also incorporated a homegrown Multi-Agent evaluation system, enabling automated, multi-dimensional assessment of code quality and project documentation.

Teams explored the theme of “AI Applications” through two sub-topics — “Campus Life” and “AI-Generated Content (AIGC)” — producing a diverse range of entries spanning intelligent agents, navigation algorithms, utility applications, and embedded hardware solutions. Alongside the main competition, CPU President Baicen Liu delivered an AI development workshop to over 60 participants, sharing practical insights on AI agent technologies including MCP and Skills.

At the closing ceremony, Professor Dave Towey, Head of the School of Computer Science, delivered remarks and presided over the awards. First prize was awarded to Yijia Sun, Jiangshan Ji, and Yumeng Chen for their project “Lidao,” recognised for its standout concept. Second prizes went to “DormVibe” (Miaochuni, Aditya Agrawal, and Anson Lee) and “Welcome UNNC” (Jing Xu, Kai Ning Tham, and Lu Tang). Third prizes were awarded to the teams behind “AI RAG-Based Knowledge Tool,” “Find Bud,” and “Job Analyzer.” Four special awards were also presented, recognising Best Engineering Practice, Best AI Innovation, Best Promising Startup, and Audience Choice.

The success of this hackathon reflects UNNC’s ongoing commitment to bridging academic learning with real-world practice. The university will continue to cultivate platforms for technological innovation, empowering students to grow through experience and shape the future of AI.