In this 17th round of the competition, chip design will not be neglected, as the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE) are looking for students who want to develop their own microchips. "These microchips are an essential part of the work of the future. We are looking for young people who have ideas today for the work of the day after tomorrow," says Ansgar Hinz, Chairman of the VDE Executive Board. There are no limits to their creativity. An opportunity that young people can seize and shape in the Science Year "Working Worlds of the Future".

In 2017, 2,150 pupils took part in the competition. The ideas for new microchips ranged from smart car doors and modern ambulances to the toilet of the future. Young people in years eight to 13 from secondary and vocational schools can take part in the current round of the competition as a team or on their own. The closing date for entries is March 31, 2018. In addition to answering 20 questions on the topic of "Work 4.0" and "chip design", innovative ideas for new microchips are welcome, no previous knowledge is required. "Our own working lives may still be a long way off, but we already know that individual occupational fields are disappearing and completely new areas of work are emerging. Young people can play an active role. Their spirit of research and interest in microchips are indispensable for our future," explains Hinz.

The ten best chip designs will go through to the next round. The selected young people will learn the necessary skills for chip design in a workshop at the Institute of Microelectronic Systems at Leibniz Universität Hannover in early May 2018. They will read sensors, control actuators and learn how to implement their projects with freely programmable logic gates. Professionals are on hand to help them. They will then have until mid-September 2018 to continue working on their projects and exchange ideas with the other teams in the online forum. The award ceremony will take place in mid-November 2018 in front of experts from business, science and politics at the 'VDE Tec Summit' in Berlin. In addition to cash prizes, the winners can also expect to be included in the selection process for a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation, contacts with industry and universities as well as trade fair presentations and a taster internship at Bosch lasting several days.

New in 2018: the "Labs for Chips"

For the first time this year, "Labs for Chips" is another competition to complement the VDE/BMBF campaign. From February 1 to March 31, 2018, adults who inspire children and young people for electronics with their own projects in school labs, technical facilities and the like can apply for prize money of 500, 1000 and 2000 euros. These are earmarked for the implementation of the respective project. "Labs for Chips" promotes interest in microelectronics among young people and presents electronics topics in a practice-oriented way on a dedicated platform. "The aim is to encourage people to do it themselves," says VDE Chairman Ansgar Hinz.