NUS (Suzhou) Research Institute 2025 AI Competition
Advisor: National University of Singapore (NUS)
SIP Science & Education Innovation District Administrative Committee
Organiser: National University of Singapore Suzhou Research Institute (NUSRI)
Competition Overview:
As part of the 8th China – Singapore International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Festival – InnovFest Suzhou 2025 (to be held on 15–16 October 2025), the NUSRI AI Competition 2025 will take place prior to the main conference. It is open to outstanding 3rd and 4th-year undergraduate students in Jiangsu Province, with a focus on solving real-world problems through artificial intelligence applications and modeling.
The competition covers the full pipeline of AI problem-solving, including data preprocessing, machine learning model training and evaluation, and deep learning model development and optimization. It aims to provide participants with a platform to demonstrate their technical capabilities and AI application skills.
An award presentation ceremony will be held during InnovFest Suzhou 2025. This gives participants an opportunity to gain exposure to cutting-edge developments in AI, and expand their academic and industry networks through the broader conference platform.
Awards:
Top 6 winners will receive certificates and cash prizes. Top 3 winners will additionally be awarded a full Master’s scholarship by the National University of Singapore (subject to successful admission and enrollment into an NUS Master’s programme by September 2027).
All participants will receive a commemorative competition T-shirt and souvenir.
Eligibility
The competition is open to full-time 3rd and 4th-year undergraduate students enrolled at universities in Jiangsu Province (as of September 2025).
There are no restrictions on the major of the students. However, participants should have a basic background in programming and artificial intelligence.
Date, Location & Format
Date: 21 September 2025 (Sunday)
Time: 13:00–17:00 (4 hours)
Location: National University of Singapore Suzhou Research Institute (NUSRI), Suzhou
Format: Individual competition (on-site)
Important Dates
Event |
Date |
Online Registration |
Open: 00:00, 25 July 2025 (pending final approval for release)
Close: 23:59, 31 August 2025 |
Competition Day (On-site) |
21 September 2025 (Sunday) |
Award Presentation Ceremony (On-site) |
15 October 2025 (Wednesday) |
Note: Subject to change. Please refer to official announcements for updates.
Prerequisite Knowledge
● Basic python programming
● Basic knowledge in AI and ML
● Familiarity with packages for data analytics and AI
● The following packages are recommended: numpy, pandas, scipy, sklearn, tensorflow, pytorch
● Possible topics in AI/ML:
○ Classification
○ Regression
○ Clustering
○ Computer Vision
○ Spatio-Temporal Data
○ Data Analytic
○ Deep Learning
○ Neural Networks
Competition Structure
● Theory Round: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and short-answer questions assessing fundamental AI and machine learning knowledge.
● Application Round: Dataset-based problems of varying complexity, as follows:
● Easy Problem: Implement a Python program based on a clearly specified requirement.
● Medium Problem: Train a machine learning model on a provided training dataset to perform a specified task. Submit your model’s predictions for the test dataset. Evaluation will be based on the accuracy of your submitted predictions compared to actual test labels.
● Hard Problem: Tackle an advanced modelling challenge using a provided training dataset, requiring higher-order feature engineering, model selection, and optimisation skills.
Example questions are available at the end of this announcement.
Contest Rules and Resources
● Each participant will be provided with a PC pre-installed with a Python programming environment and configured to run JupyterLab as the only coding editor.
● Internet access will be disabled during the contest.
● Participants will receive:
○ Offline documentation for relevant Python packages
○ Required readings covering essential AI concepts
○ Starter code scripts for routine tasks (e.g. reading datasets from files, saving results to files).
Awards
Rank |
Prize (RMB) |
Additional Award |
1st Prize (Gold) |
¥5,000 |
Full Master’s Scholarship at NUS |
2nd Prize (Silver) |
¥3,000 |
Full Master’s Scholarship at NUS |
3rd Prize (Bronze) |
¥2,000 |
Full Master’s Scholarship at NUS |
4th–6th Place |
¥1,000 |
— |
All Participants |
— |
Commemorative T-shirt & souvenir |
The NUS Master’s Scholarship covers full tuition fees (living expenses not included). It is valid for enrollment in any Master programme at NUS before September 2027, subject to successful application and admission.
Registration
Participants are required to complete online registration and submit their information by scanning the QR code below via WeChat before 23:59 on 31 August 2025:
The competition is open to 100 participants. All applications will undergo an eligibility review, and final admission will be subject to confirmation by the Scientific Committee via email.
Contact Us
● Email: aicomp@nusri.cn
● Phone:0512-6299 5027
Working hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:30, excluding public holidays
Please click the link to download the sample questions:
en.nusri.cn/nusrien/etp/innovfestsz/sample(eng).pdf