Two innovative projects for student mobility

In November 2020, the nexHack Edtech #LearningTomorrow event organised by swissnex India was held online in partnership with swissnex Boston and Movetia. It consisted of a weekend hackathon with the aim of creating a digital solution to the challenges of higher education; internationalisation and digitalisation. Among the 23 projects submitted, Movetia decided to support two teams with seed money totalling CHF 15,000 per project. 

The two teams now have until the end of 2021 to finalise their prototype.

This team would like to develop a chatbot* for an app that would answer the questions of international students who wish to study in Switzerland. Using artificial intelligence, and more specifically natural language, this technology feeds the chatbot with answers from students and general data about Switzerland. Incoming students often find it difficult to obtain all the practical information for their stay on a single website prior to their mobility programme. The idea is to collect as many responses as possible in order to provide them with all the practical information and, above all, to convince them to come and study in Switzerland.

* Definition: a conversational assistant in the form of a software robot that is capable of automatic dialogue with a person.

When international students arrive in Switzerland for a mobility programme, it can be difficult to establish ties with "locals". With their project, this team aims to develop a fun app which allows students to propose and create connections between them. Once students choose their interests, they are able to find other students with whom they share the same interests, thanks to a matching system. Using cards, students can propose different types of activities; whether it is a recipe for gnocchi, a walk in the mountains or useful tips. This project will enable two groups of students who have a great deal in common to get together.

Movetia is looking forward to supporting the two teams in the coming months. Their projects propose two innovative solutions that contribute to the development of international mobility in line with current needs.