Brief Introduction
The GenAI competition is a pioneering initiative designed to use the power of generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) within Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). SQU aims to engage its faculty, staff, and students across all colleges and units to foster innovation using GenAI in order to enhance SQU’s five pillars. In collaboration with Code Academy, SQU executing this competition.
Objectives
- To inspire the SQU faculty, staff, and students to incorporate GenAI in their respective fields.
- To facilitate cross-disciplinary learning and application of GenAI technologies.
- To share effective GenAI-driven practices across different colleges and units.
- To promote a culture of continuous innovation, entrepreneurship and technology adoption at SQU
Targeted audience
This competition is open to individuals or teams (max. 5 members) from SQU affiliated members such as the faculty, students and staff members. All members of the team should be from SQU.
Expected outcomes:
- Raising awareness of all stakeholders about the potential benefits of GenAI applications in the academic, community services, administrative settings, and entrepreneurship.
- Development and dissemination of practical GenAI solutions (GenAI Assistant, Mobile App, Website) that can be adapted across different colleges and units.
Competition Phases
The following diagram illustrate the different stages of the competition implementation
Timeline
Incentives and Gifts
• Prizes include a 400 OMR gift for each category.
• All participants in the teams will receive certificates.
Filtration process
After closing the registration, a review process will start to select 25 teams/ideas. Five ideas will be qualified from each pillar. A maximum of the best 25 ideas will be qualified for the implementation phase of the competition. The following are the preliminary evaluation (pre-assessment) criteria.
- Applicability and Relevance: Evaluate the degree to which the solution addresses a real- world problem relevant to the selected pillars at Sultan Qaboos University.
- Innovation and Creativity: Assess the originality and creativity of the proposed solution, considering how it leverages Generative AI in a unique and novel manner.
- Feasibility and Technical Soundness: Examine the technical feasibility of the proposed solution, including the clarity of the technical approach, the use of appropriate algorithms, and the feasibility of implementation.
- Impact and Scalability: Analyze the potential impact of the solution, both in terms of addressing the specific challenge and its scalability for broader applications or commercialization.
- Problem Definition and Understanding: Assess the team's understanding of the problem they are addressing, including the depth of research and the clarity with which the problem is defined.
- Ethical Considerations: Consider the ethical implications of the proposed solution, ensuring that it adheres to ethical standards and aligns with principles of responsible AI development.
Training
To equip participant with the required technical skills to implement their solutions (AI Assistant agent), Code Academy will run two days bootcamp that will cover general information about GenAI, prompt engineering, and developing custom GPT based on ChatGPT.
Final Evaluation
During this culminating phase, these elite teams/individuals will showcase the fruits of their one month endeavors, emphasizing the transformation of their innovative concepts into fully realized prototypes. Each team/individual is tasked with delivering a refined project pitch, highlighting the prototype's readiness, technical sophistication, and its potential for practical implementation. Expert evaluators, guided by predefined criteria, scrutinize the technical depth, robustness, and real-world applicability of the solutions. Beyond a mere recognition of excellence, the Final Evaluation provides a platform for these teams to articulate the market viability and practical impact of their solutions, contributing to the broader discourse on the transformative role of Generative AI. The outcome of this stage will unveil the champions, acknowledging those whose innovations epitomize the highest standards of technical prowess, creativity, and relevance to industry challenges. Each team/individual will be asked to give 10 min illustration of his/her implementation. Based on the evaluation criteria, the winner from each pillar will be identified.
Final evaluation criteria
The following are the preliminary evaluation criteria.
- Prototype Readiness: Assess the maturity and completeness of the prototype, considering its functionality, user interface, and any tangible outputs.
- Technical Implementation: Evaluate the technical depth and sophistication of the solution, including the utilization of advanced algorithms, optimization, and efficiency.
- Innovation and Creativity: Examine the extent to which the solution demonstrates innovation and creativity in addressing the specified challenge, pushing the boundaries of Generative AI.
- Practical Applicability: Assess the solution's practicality and relevance to real-world challenges, ensuring its potential for meaningful impact.
- Scalability and Adaptability: Analyze the scalability of the solution for broader applications and its adaptability to varying scenarios.
- Market Viability: Evaluate the project's potential for commercialization, considering market demand, feasibility, and the likelihood of successful implementation.
- Integration with Industry Standards: Evaluate the extent to which the solution adheres to and integrates with existing industry standards and practices.
- Impact Assessment: Examine the projected impact of the solution, both in terms of addressing the specified challenge and contributing to broader advancements technology.
- Presentation Quality and Articulation: Evaluate the clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness of the final project pitch, ensuring effective communication of the solution's key aspects within the allocated time.
Copyright and Intellectual Property (IP) Guidelines
The following are the general copyright and Intellectual Property (IP) Guidelines for the participants.
- Compliance with Ethical Guidelines: All ideas and projects submitted must comply with Sultan Qaboos University's (SQU) ethical guidelines and the Sultanate of Oman laws. Participants are responsible for ensuring that their submissions do not violate any ethical or legal standards.
- Ownership and Permissions: By submitting an abstract or project, participants confirm that they are the sole owners of the ideas and concepts presented. If any third-party content is included in the submission, participants must have obtained all necessary permissions to use this content.
- Retention of Copyright: Participants (individuals or teams) retain the copyright to their submitted abstracts and ideas. This means that the original creators maintain ownership of their intellectual property.
- License to SQU: By entering the competition, participants grant SQU a non-exclusive, royalty- free license to use, display, and publish their submissions for promotional and educational purposes. This license allows the university to showcase the innovative work of participants and promote the competition and its outcomes
- University's Rights: SQU reserves the right to use submitted ideas for educational, promotional, and research purposes. This includes the right to publish abstracts in university publications and on the university website, as well as using the content in presentations, reports, and other academic or promotional materials.
- Dispute Resolution: Any disputes regarding copyright or intellectual property arising from the competition will be resolved in accordance with SQU's policies and procedures as well as Sultanate of Oman laws. Participants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these policies to ensure compliance.