Today, the Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics (FCIM) participates in the opening ceremony of the prestigious international student computer competition Hard&Soft 2026, held at the “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Romania. This year’s edition marks the 31st edition of the competition, which brings together 16 university teams from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Germany, China, and Ukraine.
FCIM is represented in the competition by two teams of students, who will participate in the following days in the technical tests dedicated to the development of innovative hardware and software solutions.
Participation in Hard&Soft has already become a tradition for FCIM, the faculty being constantly present at the competition since 2000. Since then, the faculty’s teams have been permanently supported and coordinated by Associate Professor, Dr. Victor Ababii, who has been with them in each edition of this important international competition.
In this year’s edition, the faculty team was joined by Vice-Dean Ana Țurcan, providing the necessary support, along with the academic coordination from the faculty throughout the entire competitive experience.
Hard&Soft is one of the most important competitions dedicated to students in the fields of computers, electronics, and automation, offering participants the opportunity to demonstrate their technical skills, creativity, and team spirit in a competitive international environment.
FCIM’s constant participation in Hard&Soft reflects the faculty’s concern for promoting academic excellence, innovation, and student involvement in international performance activities. At the same time, the competition represents a valuable space for exchange of experience, collaboration, and strengthening academic relations between universities.
We wish the FCIM teams and all participants in Hard&Soft 2026 much success!
The Hard&Soft 2026 competition benefits from the expertise of an international jury formed by specialists and academics with extensive experience in the field of engineering and information technologies. Vlad Voiculescu – Cognizant-Mobility GmbH, Munich, participates as the president of the jury, along with the jury members: Peter Scharff – Technische Universität Ilmenau, Oliver Faust – Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, Sorin Bora – Cognizant Mobility Romania and Alexandru Iovanovici – Politehnica University Timișoara. Through their accumulated academic and professional experience, they contribute to the objective evaluation of the solutions developed by the participants and to maintaining the international standard of the competition.
A special role in the development and continuity of the Hard&Soft competition belongs to Professor Adrian Graur, former rector of the “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava and one of the prominent personalities of the Romanian academic environment. Over the years, Professor Adrian Graur has been the source of inspiration and coordination of the competition, significantly contributing to the consolidation of the international prestige of Hard&Soft and to the development of an academic platform dedicated to excellence, innovation and collaboration between universities. Through his constant involvement, the competition has become an important landmark for generations of students and teachers in the field of engineering and information technologies.
During the opening ceremony, the participants were also greeted by Prof. Dr. Mihai Dimian, Rector and University Professor of the “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, currently Minister of Education and Research in the Government of Romania. In his message to the participants, he highlighted the importance of international competitions for the professional development of students, the promotion of innovation and the strengthening of international academic collaboration.