First- and second-year student teams from University College London have secured victory as overall winners at the Design Challenge National Final, which took place on 11 October 2024 at One Birdcage Walk, London.

Engineering students from university technical college (UTCs) and universities were competing against their peers with self-designed repeatable vehicles manufactured based on strict project specifications. The repeatable vehicles are required to move from a point on a flat surface to touch a wall placed at right angles to the point and then return to stop as close as possible to the start point.

The Design Challenge is intended to complement the academic curriculum and present participants with the opportunity to demonstrate their design skills and innovative ideas which form part of their course, outside of the regular studying environment. This is to simulate the requirements of a professional engineer so that students are exposed to the real world of engineering where they must think for themselves and apply a systematic approach to solve an engineering requirement.

Throughout 2024, students from UTCs and universities competed against their peers in Regional Heats, going on to take part in Regional Finals with the aim of qualifying for the National Final of the Challenge.

At the Final, teams delivered presentations in front of our judging panel who also reviewed their computer aided designs before moving onto the main challenge where teams tested their repeatable vehicles. They were scored in the following categories: poster competition, presentation competition, design review, design excellence and main challenge.

IMechE Design Challenge Founder David Ball notes that: “The Design Challenge involves all of the necessary aspects of the engineering discipline, from technical concept and design to final build and test, whilst managing budgets, teamwork, presenting results and meeting a final deadline. The regional heats and the national final in London add a competitive element giving the students a real insight to alternatively developed solutions, and hence improving their communication skills, confidence and experience significantly beyond what would normally be gained in a typical lab practical. The Challenge covers the key requirements of a professional engineer and gives the students an insight into what will be expected of them when they graduate.”

Ansys Senior Academic Development Manager Bridget Ogwezi highlights that “I saw young people put in so much effort to design, present, compete, troubleshoot…they were tenacious when things went wrong. I was impressed and I really liked it all! From the perspective of an employer, I could see the kind of skills that are so necessary in industry being displayed here.”

Incumbent Design Challenge Steering Committee Chair Davide Migliorini commented that “The Design Challenge stimulates the students probably for the first time in their career; a real- life exercise, where technical requirements shall be fulfilled though the manufacturing and testing of a product. The students need to work as a team, use cross-functional skills, find compromises, read technical specification and fit within a budget, delivering in a time constrained window: it cannot get more real!”

Design Challenge Head Judge Matt Lister highlights that “The UK has a critical shortage of people with STEM qualifications and experience, which is really hurting our ability to deliver on major engineering programmes – and defence is no exception. We’ve traditionally tried to deal with this problem by being careful with the resources that we have and forming alliances across commercial boundaries in order to pool teams and make best use in the short term. Making things better in the long term requires everyone in a UK STEM role to take a stronger involvement in encouraging the future generation of engineers and scientists. The IMechE Design Challenge is a fantastic way to do just that, as it encourages STEM University students to start linking the academic syllabus with the challenges likely to be faced in a 1st professional engineering role. It also gives industry and the Public Sector a chance to connect with that cohort and encourage them to think about life post University and the opportunities opening up across the UK.”

IMechE North Western Region Chair David Terry added: “During my career, I have been involved with recruitment many times. I always look for a balanced CV with decent academic qualifications mixed with some applications of engineering like the Design Challenge. I have always preferred the person who has got their hands dirty or got involved in some project to improve something or make something better, because that is at the heart of what we do. Making things better.”

Well done to all of the teams who took part in the 2024 Design Challenge and thank you to our industry partner Ansys.

The full list of Design Challenge 2024 competition category winners are listed as follows:

Foundation class winners

• National Champions: UCL A – University College London (Greater London Region)
• Runner up: Team 1 – University of Manchester (North Western Region)
• Third place: Sheffield Hallam University (Yorkshire Region)
• Main Challenge: UCL A – University College London (Greater London Region)
• Design Excellence: Team 1 – University of Manchester (North Western Region)
• Presentation: Team 2 – Swansea University (Welsh Region)
• Poster: Rusteez – Bournemouth University (Wessex Region)
• Design Review: UCL A – University College London (Greater London Region)

Advanced class winners

• National Champions: UCL C – University College London (Greater London Region)
• Runner up: University of Central Lancashire (North Western Region)
• Third place: Team A – Swansea University (Welsh Region)
• Main Challenge: UCL C – University College London (Greater London Region)
• Design Excellence: University of Central Lancashire (North Western Region)
• Presentation Competition: Megatron – Bournemouth University (Wessex Region)
• Poster: UCL C – University College London (Greater London Region)
• Design Review: UCL C – University College London (Greater London Region)