Czech Technical-UPenn-NYU Team Wins Grand Challenge in US$5-Million MBZIRC2020 Organized by Khalifa University
26.2.2020 17:14:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
H.E. Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Member of the Executive Council, and Chairman of Department of Community Development today honored the Grand Challenge team winners Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU and winners of the three Challenge categories at the three-day US$5-million Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) 2020 that concluded in Abu Dhabi, organizers Khalifa University of Science and Technology announced today.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200226005539/en/
Czech Technical-UPenn-NYU Team Wins Grand Challenge in US$5-Million MBZIRC2020 organized by Khalifa University (Photo: AETOSWire)
The winning teams in all three categories – Challenge 1, 2, and 3 – also received awards from H.E. Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili at the ceremony.
His Excellency Hussein Bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Steering Committee General Chair, MBZIRC 2020, Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Steering Committee General Co-Chair, and His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla, Steering Committee Member, were present.
Others who attended the ceremony included UAE government officials, Challenge partners, stakeholders from the academia, research, and industry, as well as all the MBZIRC 2020 team members.
The Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU team won the first position in the Grand Challenge. The University of Bonn team came second, while the combined team of Universidad Politecnica Madrid-Universidad Pablo Olvide Poznan University of Technology- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique won the third place.
The Beijing Institute of Technology topped Challenge 1 category with the Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU team and the University of Tokyo in the second and third places, respectively, while the Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU team won the Challenge 2 category with Nimbro (University of Bonn) and Technical University of Denmark in the second and third places. Challenge 3 was won by University of Seville-Tecnico Lisboa-CATEC team, while the Technical University of Denmark and the University of New South Wales-Sydney tied for the second place.
The 32 finalists, representing 17 countries, were shortlisted out of 134 teams from across the globe that applied to compete in MBZIRC 2020.
Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi said: “The second edition of MBZIRC has emphatically placed MBZIRC as one of the most prestigious competitions in robotics and artificial intelligence globally, while positioning Khalifa University as the leading higher education institution driving innovation in all areas of science, engineering, and newly-emerging technologies.”
Dr. Al Hammadi added: “Congratulations to all the winners of MBZIRC 2020, especially the Grand Challenge winner and winners of all three Challenge categories. However, all the participating teams deserve credit for their commitment, determination and perseverance during the competition, consistently raising the bar of excellence as displayed by various autonomous drones. Through this Challenge, we have witnessed how technology continues to evolve and we firmly believe the advancements demonstrated by these UAVs and UGVs will very soon become part of our everyday lives.”
For more information, please visit: http://www.ku.ac.ae/
*Source: AETOSWire
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200226005539/en/
Contact information
APCO Worldwide
Abdullah Al Sayed, Account Director, +971504887044
aalsayed@apcoworldwide.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
The LYCRA Company to Successfully Complete Comprehensive Financial Restructuring20.5.2026 05:23:00 EEST | Press release
The LYCRA Company, LLC (“the Company”), a global leader in developing fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, will successfully complete its comprehensive financial restructuring process and emerge from Chapter 11 protection on May 20, 2026. The LYCRA Company has established a durable capital structure that will enable the Company’s pursuit of its growth strategy through investment in innovation, customer partnerships, and global operations. The Company will emerge from its comprehensive restructuring process with significantly enhanced financial flexibility and a strengthened balance sheet to support long-term growth. The Company will have reduced its total long-term debt by more than $1.2 billion and will obtain more than $75 million in new money investment. Throughout the process, the Company has maintained uninterrupted operations and continues to deliver on commitments to its employees, customers, and vendors. The LYCRA Company will be supporte
Johns Manville Announces John Vasuta as New CEO19.5.2026 23:30:00 EEST | Press release
Johns Manville (JM), a global building and specialty products manufacturer and a Berkshire Hathaway company, announced today that Bob Wamboldt will retire and John Vasuta will assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260519630814/en/ John Vasuta will become JM's CEO and President on August 1, 2026. Vasuta joined Johns Manville in 2019 as President of the company’s Engineered Products business. He also serves on the Board of Directors for EJ, a global leader and private manufacturer of infrastructure access products for water, sewer, utilities, drainage and telecommunications. “It’s an extraordinary privilege to step into the role of CEO,” Vasuta said. “I’m deeply honored to continue serving our customers and supporting the employees whose dedication makes our success possible.” Before joining JM, John held leadership roles at Bridgeston
Mereo Insurance Announces Move into Excess Casualty Insurance19.5.2026 23:12:00 EEST | Press release
Mereo Insurance Limited (“Mereo”) today announced a renewal rights transaction with Everen Specialty Ltd. (“ESL”), a member of the Everen Group, for ESL’s Excess Casualty Energy portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260519154915/en/ David Croom-Johnson, President & Chief Executive Officer of Mereo Insurance Limited Under the transaction, Mereo will become the insurance carrier on a go-forward basis for both new and renewed business effective June 1, 2026. ESL’s underwriting team and underwriting systems supporting the Excess Casualty Energy portfolio will also transition to Mereo, led by former ESL Chief Underwriting Officer, Carla Greaves. Under the terms of the agreement, Mereo will provide ESL insureds with continuity of coverage, access to AM Best “A- rated” paper, and the support of Mereo’s strong capital base, while ESL will service claims, ensuring that insureds continue to benefit from ESL’s promp
Grid Dynamics Launches AI-Native Modernization on Azure, Targeting Larger Enterprise Deals19.5.2026 23:05:00 EEST | Press release
Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”), a premier AI transformation partner for the Fortune 1000, today announced an AI-native modernization service offering on Microsoft Azure, powered by its GAIN Platform for SDLC. The offering targets large enterprise clients running mission-critical, high-transaction-volume legacy environments. By tackling their biggest roadblocks—technical debt and legacy licensing costs—it addresses a market segment known for larger contracts and stronger margins. Microsoft reported that Azure revenue surpassed $75 billion in 2025, up 34% year-over-year, reflecting strong and accelerating enterprise migration demand. Grid Dynamics, a Microsoft Azure specialized partner with five advanced specializations, including Infra and Database Migration, is built to capture this opportunity. Through the Azure Accelerate program, Grid Dynamics clients benefit from free Microsoft deployment assistance, Azure credits, partner funding, and funded migratio
Vultr Expands European Footprint with 33rd Cloud Data Center Region in Milan, Italy19.5.2026 18:28:00 EEST | Press release
Vultr, the world’s largest privately-held cloud infrastructure company, today announces the launch of its 33rd global cloud data center region in Milan, coinciding with AI Week 2026 at Fiera Milano Rho, where over 700 international speakers will gather for Europe's largest AI event. Vultr is a platinum sponsor and is also co-hosting the AI Agent Olympics Hackathon with over 1,000 participants. Milan becomes Vultr's ninth European cloud data center region, joining Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Manchester, Paris, Stockholm, and Warsaw. This launch represents the company's latest expansion of a global network reaching 90% of the world's population within 2–40 milliseconds. Vultr’s cloud data center location will be delivering Vultr’s full-stack AI infrastructure, including Vultr’s flagship cloud compute offering, VX1, in addition to Vultr’s full range of bare metal and cloud GPU offerings from NVIDIA and AMD. The region will serve enterprises and developers running demanding workl
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom
