From Ideas to Impact: CompSA 2026 is a Wrap

🏆 From Ideas to Impact: CompSA 2026 is a Wrap This spring, we invited students to take on a challenge that had no easy answer. No coding sprint. No theoretical case study. No solution hidden in a textbook. The task: develop a realistic and implementable strategy to improve water retention and reduce flash flood risks in the Pilis Biosphere Reserve in Hungary. A challenge that required engineering, environmental science, economics and systems thinking at the same time. Together with evosoft Hungary, BEST Budapest, EELISA European University, researchers and local stakeholders, we helped design and organize the competition, supported participants throughout the process and Simon Bunyatov together with Georgy Chomakhashvili joined the jury evaluating the final solutions. What impressed us most? The quality of the ideas. 🥇 The winning team developed a nature-based water management concept using contour swales, groundwater recharge and low-cost monitoring systems to simultaneously reduce flood risks and improve drought resilience. The solution remained practical, environmentally compatible and within budget. 🥈 The second-place team combined ecosystem restoration, community engagement and AI-supported monitoring into a comprehensive resilience strategy for the region. What makes CompSA special is that participants are forced to think beyond technology. A good solution is not enough. It has to be technically feasible. It has to make economic sense. It has to work with local communities. And it has to survive contact with reality. That is exactly the kind of thinking we need more of. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this competition possible. Special thanks to all participating teams for proving that the next generation of engineers is ready to tackle real sustainability challenges. #CompSA2026 #evosoftHungary #Sustainability #Engineering #Innovation #AIPhase #WaterManagement #ClimateResilience #StudentInnovation #FutureEngineers