Olimpiada Națională de Inteligență Artificială (ONIA) 2025

Romania achieved a remarkable result at the international artificial intelligence competition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September 2024. The competition brought together talented students from around the world, confirming its status as an international reference event in the field of artificial intelligence for high school students.

Romania's Results

Romanian students ranked among the top competitors in the competition, as follows:

Team 1

Coordinator: Nan Mihai – National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest

Asandei Ștefan-Alexandru – National College Iași – bronze medal
Mocanu Mihai-Adrian – National College of Computer Science 'Tudor Vianu', Bucharest – silver medal
Petrean Roland – National College 'Silvania', Zalău – silver medal
Rebengiuc Mircea Maxim – National College of Computer Science 'Tudor Vianu', Bucharest – bronze medal

Team 2

Coordinator: Miron Alexandru-Bogdan – Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca

Dumitrașcu Ștefan-Alexandru – Theoretical High School 'Grigore Moisil', Timișoara – silver medal
Morariu Tudor – National College 'Emil Racoviță', Cluj-Napoca – silver medal
Mușat Tudor-Ștefan – National College of Computer Science 'Tudor Vianu', Bucharest – gold medal
Slănină Simon – National College 'I.L. Caragiale', Bucharest – bronze medal

Romanian Delegation and International Coordination

The Romanian delegation was accompanied by Nan Mihai (National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest), Miron Alexandru-Bogdan (Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca) and Popa Daniel (National College 'Aurel Vlaicu', Orăștie). Romania is also represented on the organizing committee of the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad through Professor Habilitated Radu Ionescu and Assistant Professor Dr. Miruna Zăvelcă, both from the University of Bucharest.

Institutional Support and Partnerships

Romania benefits from the support of the University of Bucharest, the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest and partner universities from Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Timișoara. Academic involvement is essential in selecting and preparing the national team, as well as in developing educational programs in the field of artificial intelligence.

Romania's participation in the Riyadh competition was financially supported by the Romanian Computer Science Teachers' Union (UPIR), and sponsors Bitdefender and Viva Credit provided the necessary conditions for the students' travel and participation.

The preparation of the national teams was carried out with the support of the Faculty of Automation and Computer Science, host of the training sessions, under the coordination of Professor Dr. Eng. Răzvan Rughiniș and Assistant Dr. Flavia Oprea.

Romania's Evolution in International AI Competitions

Romania officially debuted in the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad in 2024, at the inaugural edition held in Burgas, Bulgaria, where Romanian students obtained two silver medals and a special prize.

At the Riyadh competition in September 2024, Romania obtained three medals (gold, silver and bronze) and ranked third among nations. At that edition, student Andrei Lețu, from 'Unirea' College in Focșani, obtained the gold medal.

Development of Artificial Intelligence Education in Romania

The Romanian Computer Science Teachers' Union, in collaboration with the Romanian Artificial Intelligence Association and specialists from Bitdefender and Google DeepMind UK, created in 2022 the first official national program for Artificial Intelligence, approved by the Ministry of Education through Order no. 4049 of June 14, 2022. The optional discipline is entitled 'Introduction to machine learning as a branch of artificial intelligence'.

In 2024, UPIR and the University of Bucharest finalized the documentation for the officialization of the National Artificial Intelligence Olympiad, which is currently included in the official calendar of the Ministry of Education and Research.

To support student preparation, the educational platform www.pyml.ro was created, dedicated to the study of artificial intelligence and machine learning, accessible to students from all over the country.

Conclusion

The results obtained by Romanian students at the Riyadh competition confirm the maturation of Romanian education in the field of artificial intelligence and position Romania among the competitive countries worldwide in training future AI specialists. The performance obtained represents a confirmation of the value of the Romanian educational system and the effective collaboration between school, university and the private sector.