Smart solutions for everyday life: The sixth edition of the Business Talent student competition kicks off

Come up with and create anything that makes everyday life easier. That is the challenge for the sixth edition of Business Talent, a polytechnic competition organised by the Regional Development Agency, iQLANDIA and the Liberec Region in cooperation with their partners. Over eight competition rounds, eighth- and ninth-grade primary school students will develop clever solutions to everyday challenges in the iQFABLAB smart workshop. They will have access to a wide range of equipment and technologies, including laser cutting, 3D printing and soldering. This year, they will also have the opportunity to program their inventions.

Business Talent gives young people the opportunity to develop their technical thinking, creativity and entrepreneurial skills while showing them that even the complex world of modern technology can be fun. Students will work in teams of four, each receiving a mystery box containing a variety of components. Their challenge will be to use at least three of them to turn their idea into a tangible product within a single competition day.

"We are really looking forward to seeing this year's inventions. Every year, we are amazed by the originality of the prototypes students manage to not only come up with but also actually build in just one day. At the end of the competition, they will receive feedback from an expert jury, which may help them explore new directions and see their ideas from a different perspective," says Stanislav Rousek, project coordinator at the iQLANDIA science centre.

Business Talent offers schools an opportunity to explore hands-on, project-based learning through teamwork. Along the way, students develop not only technical and digital skills but also creativity, teamwork and problem-solving abilities.

The competition entries are also assessed by experts from local companies, giving students valuable exposure to real-world practice. The competition has also consistently received positive feedback from teachers across the region.

A grand finale with exciting prizes

The highest-scoring team from each competition round will advance to the final, where they will have the opportunity to present their project and compete against the other finalists. The final ranking will be determined by an expert jury made up of representatives from regional companies and other competition partners. The jury will assess not only the finished product but also the originality of the idea, its execution, the functionality of the solution and the team's ability to clearly present and defend their project.

As in previous years, the public will also have a say through online voting. Parents, classmates, teachers and other supporters of the participating schools will be able to vote for their favourite finalists. The public vote adds another dimension to the competition, allowing schools to share their teams' achievements with the wider community.

Exciting prizes await the top teams. The overall winner of Business Talent 2026 will receive an interactive table football game and a company tour of Praktik System in Stráž pod Ralskem. The second-place team will receive CZK 15,000 to support polytechnic education, while the third-place team will take home a portable video production kit. The winner of the public vote will also receive a special prize: an experience day at iQLANDIA for their entire class.

Business Talent is held under the patronage of Jitka Skalická, Member of the Council of the Liberec Region responsible for education and sport. The competition is co-financed through the Smart Accelerator of the Liberec Region III project, funded by the European Union, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and the Liberec Region.

The organisers would like to thank the competition partners for their support: Atrea, Barevný svět Liberec, Crytur, Nadační fond Gago, Nadace Preciosa, Praktik System, Valbek, ZF, Albi, Bohemia Interactive, Knihkupectví Fryč, the Statutory City of Liberec, Energetika Liberec, Elmarco, Metrostav and PPlaser. The competition's media partner is iLIBERECKO.cz .