Young people use the internet every day, chat or post their own films online. In the 'Invent a Chip 2016' school competition, they now have the opportunity to create their own microchip. At the end of January, 3,000 schools kicked off the globally unique school competition. According to the VDE, microchips are now making many objects intelligent, as they communicate with each other and trigger activities. "Visionary thinking is the prerequisite for innovation. That's why we are now looking for girls and boys who give free rein to their imagination and invent something that has never been done before," says Chairman of the Board Dr. Hans Heinz Zimmer. He adds: "Previous knowledge of chip design is not necessary, by the way.

Pupils in years 8 to 13 from secondary and vocational schools can take part in 'Invent a Chip' - either in teams or on their own. In addition to their proposal for a microchip, they have to answer 20 questions about the Internet of Things and microchips in general. The deadline for entries is March 20, 2016.

A jury will review the proposals and select the ten best chip ideas. The students will then take part in a workshop with experts from Leibniz Universität Hannover at the Institute of Microelectronic Systems. There they learn the first steps in chip design and programming. After the workshop, the young people will implement their projects independently until mid-September. The best designs will then be awarded prizes by experts from industry, science and politics at the VDE Congress in Mannheim on November 7 and presented to the public. In addition, the best participants can expect cash prizes of up to 3,000 euros, inclusion in the selection process for a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation and a taster internship at Bosch in the field of vehicle development lasting several days. Prizes of up to 1,000 euros will also be awarded to the schools that submit the most entries to the online questionnaire.

This year, the competition is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Last year, over 2,700 young people took part in 'Invent a Chip' under the motto 'Wearable Devices'. The winners were a smart school bag, a vibrating drink reminder chip and an idea for intelligent clothing.