How computation emerges from the human brain is a fundamental and unsolved mystery for general intelligence and behavior. The combination of neuroscience and computer science is considered as the most promising approach to the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) - one of the most exciting blueprints of this century. How the computational principles in the brain promote artificial intelligence strategies and how to implement silicon-based brain-inspired systems are the key research topics in brain-inspired computing.

 

In this annual contest, we gather global talents who have unique insights into these issues, or who have creative ideas on applications to solve real-world problems. This contest provides a unique platform for the participants to share their knowledge, discuss the state-of-the-art and examine the future challenges of brain-inspired computing. In addition, participants have the opportunity to win decent prizes.  

What is the expectation?

In this year’s contest, we generalize brain-inspired computing to a broader extent, reflecting the integration of neuroscience and computer science on issues related to general intelligence.

Themes include Perception, Cognition, Computation and Decision making. Embodiment can be theories, algorithms, hardware, software, application, etc.

Two special topics are setup this year. The Education topic aims to promote a better education system based on our knowledge of brain development and AI strategies. The “Hybrid topic” aims to inspire ideas on hybrid computing models. Since heterogeneity is a common feature of neural system, it is of great importance to intelligent behavior but its implementation is not trivial. Hybrid models that integrate AI and spiking neurons are possible approaches.

For more details, please go to https://contest.cbicr.org/en/  

Organization and partner

Host:

Tsinghua University

Organizer:

Office of Scientific R&D, Tsinghua University

Center for Brain-Inspired Computing Research

Co-organizers:

Tsinghua Holdings, Co., Ltd

CETHIK Group Corporation

Lynxi Technologies Co., Ltd.

Awards

 

Total award amount	RMB 1,000,000
Grand prize	RMB 300,000 for one team
First prize	RMB 100,000 for two teams
Second prize	RMB 60,000 for three teams
Third prize	RMB 30,000 for four teams
Excellence prize	RMB 20,000 for six teams
Second prize for the preliminary round	RMB 5,000 for 16 teams

Evaluation

In accordance with the principles of fairness, impartiality, and openness, all entries will be evaluated based on the following criteria and weightings:

1. Novelty (25%)
2. Technical advancement and difficulty (20%)
3. Completeness and reproducibility (20%)
4. Live presentation and demonstration (15%)
5. Application value and significance (10%)
6. Formality of document reporting (10%)

Time Table

Events	Deadline	Comments
Online application	28 July 2019	Login to the official website https://contest.cbicr.org/ and fill in the registration information.
Entry submission	15 Sept. 2019	Document requirements: slide presentation, technical documentation, source code, videos, application executables, etc.
Finals	19-20 October 2019	16 teams will advance to the finals. Invited Talks and Poster Session on first day Slide Presentation and Awarding on second day

Past review

 

The contest has cumulatively received applications of 444 teams from 131 different universities. The entries covered a large range of aspects including algorithm, software and hardware. In 2018, the team from the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences won the special award and was awarded 300 thousand RMB in cash. For more details, please refer to the official web “Past review”: https://contest.cbicr.org/en/index.php?id=27

Info about Organizer

The Center for Brain Inspired Computing Research (CBICR) was established in September 2014 at Tsinghua University. It is the first research center in China to advance brain-inspired intelligence, covering neural functional, computing theory, neural coding, machine learning algorithms, operational systems, programming software, system integration, architecture design, chip processing, material science and nanotechnology. The center consists of 35 affiliated faculties from seven departments at Tsinghua University, including neuroscience science, electronic engineering, microelectronics, computer science, automation, material science and precision instrument, with the goal of innovations on interdisciplinary research. The center focuses on the development of brain-inspired computing by integrating neuroscience and computer science.