Safety First! 2026 – Transportation Safety Innovation Competition Concludes for the Fourth Time

The Safety First! 2026 transportation safety competition, organized for the fourth consecutive year by the Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and its Safety and Security Research Group, has successfully concluded. At this year’s final round, student teams presented the research and development results they had been working on throughout the semester, offering innovative responses to real-world vehicle safety challenges.

Since its launch, the goal of the Safety First! competition has been to provide students with an opportunity to work on real engineering problems while developing their professional skills with both academic and industrial support. Throughout the multi-stage competition, participants are expected not only to develop technically sound concepts, but also to demonstrate their applicability and present their results in a professional manner.

In the final round, projects were evaluated by an expert jury based on five key criteria: the quality of the abstract, the technical standard of the documentation, the level of innovation, project maturity, and the quality of the oral presentation.

Innovative Solutions for the Future of Vehicle Safety

This year’s competition once again reflected the technological diversity of today’s automotive industry, covering topics ranging from vehicle dynamics and artificial intelligence to driver monitoring systems and the verification of safety-critical functions.

🥇 1st Place – Squadron

Reinforcement Learning Based Oversteer Control Under Dynamically Changing Adhesion

The winning team introduced a hybrid Model Predictive Control (MPC) and Reinforcement Learning-based vehicle stability solution capable of adaptive intervention under rapidly changing road adhesion conditions. The system supports safe vehicle control through real-time decision-making and demonstrates promising applicability in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and fleet-level safety applications.

🥈 2nd Place – NOVA

Neural Optimization for Verified Automotive Safety

The second-place project addressed a particularly timely challenge: how to reconcile the performance of neural networks with the strict verification requirements of automotive safety-critical systems. The team presented an innovative concept combining the trainability of AI-based vehicle functions with validation and certification considerations.

🥉 3rd Place – OrbitDMS

Modelling Multi-Sensor Fusion for Driver Monitoring System for Takeover Readiness

The third-place team focused on one of the key challenges of partially automated driving: how to reliably determine whether a driver is ready to take back control of the vehicle. Their multi-sensor fusion approach could contribute to safer transitions between automated and manual driving.

Real Industry Perspective, Practical Experience

The competition once again demonstrated that students are capable of addressing today’s automotive challenges at a remarkably high professional level. The presented projects stood out not only for their technical depth and practical relevance, but also for the mature, systems-level engineering mindset demonstrated by the participants.

“One of the greatest strengths of the Safety First! competition is that it gives students the opportunity to challenge themselves in an environment that closely resembles real industrial development processes. Beyond technical content, problem definition, high-quality documentation, and professional presentation skills are equally important,” highlighted Tamás Kazár, chief organizer of the competition and PhD researcher of the Safety and Security Research Group at the BME Department of Automotive Technologies.

Acknowledgements to Our Supporters and Jury Members

This year’s competition was once again supported by our industrial partner, Bosch, whose expert involvement provided students with direct insight into industrial expectations and development perspectives.

We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to the members of the professional jury for their valuable feedback and dedicated work:

  • Réka Jenei (Bosch)
  • Tamás Kazár (BME KJK, Safety and Security Research Group)
  • Árpád Török (BME KJK, Head of the Safety and Security Research Group)

We warmly congratulate all participants for their hard work and dedication, and especially the finalist teams for their outstanding achievements.

Over the past four years, the Safety First! competition has evolved into a unique professional platform where students not only compete, but also develop genuine engineering thinking, presentation skills, and an industry-oriented mindset. We are already looking forward to the innovative ideas and new challenges of next year’s competition.

The BME student team successfully participated in the ESV 2026 final in Toronto

The student team of the Vehicle Safety and Cybersecurity Research Group (VSSRG), affiliated with the Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) and operating within the BME Automated Drive Laboratory, participated as a European finalist in one of the world’s most prestigious vehicle safety forums. The team took part in the final round of the Student Safety Technology Design Competition (SSTDC), held within the framework of the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) Conference in Toronto, Canada. In addition to competing in the student competition, the team also represented BME through a scientific presentation and as exhibitors at the conference expo.

The 28th Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) Conference took place in Toronto between May 12–15, 2026, serving as one of the most important international forums in the field of vehicle safety. The event was jointly organized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States Department of Transportation and Transport Canada, bringing together leading experts, researchers, and industry stakeholders in vehicle safety, automated mobility, and transport innovation.

At the conference, the BME Automated Drive Vehicle Safety and Cybersecurity Research Group (VSSRG) student team represented the Department of Automotive Technologies as a European finalist in the final round of the 10th Student Safety Technology Design Competition.

The team reached the final with their project titled “When Cars Talk: V2X-Powered Risk Metrics to Improve Next-Generation Intersection Safety”, competing in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) category.

The project focuses on reducing complex accident risks at road intersections, which are among the most critical hotspots in road safety. The concept is based on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, enabling real-time cooperative risk assessment that complements traditional onboard sensor-based systems. This approach is particularly aimed at improving safety in dense urban traffic environments and scenarios with limited visibility.

Team members:

  • Abdulagha Dadashev
  • Roland Nagy
  • Tamás Márton Kazár
  • Zsombor Pethő, PhD (team leader and supervisor)

During the conference plenary session, the project was presented to an international audience by Roland Nagy.

Representing BME in multiple roles

The team’s participation in Toronto went beyond the student competition itself. In addition to competing in the final, they also contributed to the scientific program with a technical presentation and showcased their research activities as exhibitors at the conference expo.

This multi-role participation provided not only a competitive platform, but also direct networking opportunities with leading actors in vehicle safety and cybersecurity, as well as insight into the latest technological and research directions in the field.

A deliberately built student innovation ecosystem

Reaching the final was the result of an intensive development process spanning more than a year. Since early 2025, the student team has been working on developing their concept, achieving several key milestones on the path to international recognition.

Behind this success stands the innovation ecosystem built by the VSSRG research group and the Safety First! student competition organized at the department, which provides students with the opportunity to address real-world traffic safety challenges and develop internationally competitive solutions.

“We are particularly proud that our students were able to represent BME in such a high-level international field, where the future of vehicle safety is in focus. Reaching the final is already a significant professional achievement; however, the greatest value lies in the knowledge, experience, and international network the team gained throughout this journey,” said Zsombor Pethő.

The team’s preparation was continuously supported by Prof. Árpád Török, head of the research group.

The participation in Toronto clearly demonstrates that education and research at the Department of Automotive Technologies, BME, are closely aligned with the most pressing international challenges of the automotive industry, while providing students with real opportunities for professional growth and global exposure.

 

Safety First! 2026 – Advancing Teams and Focus on the Development Phase

The Safety First! road safety competition, organized by the Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, has reached another milestone this year. Following the first round, the field of advancing teams has been established, and participants are now moving forward with the detailed development of their concepts.

Once again, competitors are addressing current, industry-relevant challenges with innovative solutions. The topics cover a wide spectrum of vehicle safety, ranging from driver monitoring systems and vehicle dynamics to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Advancing teams and their topics:

  • OrbitDMS
    Modelling Multi-Sensor Fusion for Driver Monitoring System for takeover readiness

  • Squadron
    Reinforcement Learning Based Oversteer Control Under Dynamically Changing Adhesion

  • secUred 2.0
    “Advanced braking system performance and power consumption analysis”

  • SafeSyncro
    A Multi-Layered, Proactive Cybersecurity Framework for Software-Defined Vehicles

  • NOVA
    Neural Optimization for Verified Automotive Safety

The diversity of the field reflects the complexity of the modern automotive industry: alongside classical vehicle dynamics problems, software-defined systems, automation, and cybersecurity are playing an increasingly prominent role.

The next milestone of the competition will take place on May 8, 2026, when participants are required to submit a detailed 6–10 page technical report. At this stage, teams must go beyond their initial ideas and present the technical foundations, applicability, and—where relevant—model-based validation of their concepts.

“The key to the second round is depth: this is where it becomes clear whether a good idea can evolve into a well-founded engineering concept. Teams need to think not only creatively but also at a system level—this is the point where the competition truly approaches real industrial development processes,” emphasized Tamás Kazár, main organizer of the competition.

The Safety First! competition continues to provide a unique platform for students to develop their ideas along real engineering challenges, supported by both academic and industrial expertise. Throughout the process, participants acquire skills that are directly applicable to future challenges in the automotive industry.

In the coming weeks, the focus shifts to intensive development work behind the scenes—leading up to the final round, where the most promising concepts will once again be presented as tangible, working solutions.

BME Student Team Reaches International Finals with a Novel Approach to Intersection Safety

A student team from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, affiliated with the Department of Automotive Technologies and BME Automated Drive, has been selected as a European finalist in one of the world’s most prestigious vehicle safety competitions. The final will take place within the framework of the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles Conference in Toronto in May 2026.

The Vehicle Safety and Security Research Group (VSSRG), operating within BME Automated Drive at the Department of Automotive Technologies, has achieved significant international recognition: its student team has been selected as a European finalist for the 10th Student Safety Technology Design Competition.

The competition is part of the 28th ESV Conference, held between May 12–15, 2026, in Toronto, Canada. Co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada, the event brings together leading experts, industry stakeholders, and researchers to advance global vehicle safety.

An Innovative Response to a Critical Safety Challenge

The finalist project, titled
“When Cars Talk: V2X-Powered Risk Metrics to Improve Next-Generation Intersection Safety,”
competes in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) category.

The team members are:

  • Abdulagha Dadashev
  • Roland Nagy
  • Tamás Márton Kazár
  • Faculty advisor: Zsombor Pethő

The research focuses on road intersections, which remain among the most hazardous environments in traffic systems. A significant proportion of accidents at intersections is caused by limited situational awareness—particularly in blind intersection scenarios—as well as delayed driver reactions, especially in dense urban traffic conditions.

The project addresses a key limitation of current systems: traditional perception sensors and onboard driver assistance technologies alone are not sufficient to fully mitigate these risks. The team explores how Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication can be leveraged to develop advanced risk metrics, enabling cooperative, real-time decision-making and more effective collision prevention.

From Student Innovation to the International Stage

This achievement is the result of a consciously built innovation ecosystem. The VSSRG organizes the annual Safety First! student competition, providing a structured platform for developing and showcasing safety-focused concepts. Beyond fostering new ideas, the initiative also creates pathways to international recognition—clearly demonstrated by this finalist position, as well as previous successes within the competition.

“The next level of road safety will be defined by cooperative systems. Our student team’s work demonstrates that V2X-based approaches are not just theoretical concepts, but can provide measurable contributions to accident prevention. It is particularly important for us that this achievement emerges from a student-driven ecosystem intentionally designed to foster internationally competitive innovation,” said Zsombor Pethő, faculty advisor of the team.

Strengthening BME’s International Presence

Reaching the finals is an important milestone not only for the team, but also for the Department of Automotive Technologies, the Faculty of Transportation Engineering and Vehicle Engineering, and the university as a whole. It reflects the ability of BME’s education and research activities to directly address the most pressing global challenges of the automotive and mobility sectors.

Participating in the finals in Toronto offers a valuable opportunity to present the team’s results to leading international experts and further strengthen BME’s position in the global vehicle safety innovation landscape.

Further updates will follow as the competition progresses.

Safety First! 2026 – Registration Opens for the Road Safety Competition

The Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics once again announces the Safety First! road safety competition, aiming to encourage students to contribute to a safer future of transportation by working on real-world engineering challenges.

The multi-round competition provides participants with an opportunity to develop their own ideas into research and development concepts while receiving direct professional feedback from both industry and academia. A distinctive feature of the competition is that students not only elaborate theoretical solutions but also demonstrate their practical applicability.

A new element this year is that, alongside teams, individual applicants are also welcome to participate, allowing even more students to test their skills either independently or as part of a team.


Competition Structure

Application and abstract submission deadline – March 13, 2026

First Round – March 20, 2026

Participants present their proposed solution to a selected road safety problem in a short presentation.
Projects are evaluated by an expert jury based on both the presentations and the previously submitted abstracts.

Second Round – May 8, 2026

Advancing teams and individual competitors are supported by industrial and academic mentors throughout the development process. Participants submit a detailed 6–10 page professional report presenting their concept and its applicability, supported by model-based analyses where relevant.

Third Round – May 29, 2026

During the final round, competitors demonstrate the practical implementation of their solutions through a live demonstration.

Why Apply?

The Safety First! competition goes beyond a traditional student contest: participants receive industry-oriented professional feedback, develop their presentation and engineering skills, and build valuable professional connections.

The competition’s industrial partner, Robert Bosch, participates in the program by providing expert support and jury members, offering students direct insight into industry expectations and potential career opportunities.

Apply HERE on the Safety First! competition website!

We look forward to welcoming applicants and working together to shape the future of road safety.

🚗💡
#SafetyFirst #RoadSafety #Innovation #BME #StudentCompetition

“In Industry, Too: No Effort Is Ever Wasted”

This year, one of the jury members at the Safety First! final was Péter Simányi, Lead Project Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover. In his view, students once again performed at a high level—not just technically, but in their attitude as well. We spoke with him about his experiences, the real industrial value of the competition, and the road to becoming a successful engineer.

– What impressions did you leave with after this year’s final? Was there anything that stood out to you in particular?

Even last year, we saw surprisingly mature ideas in the entries—and this year was no different. That’s especially encouraging to me. On the one hand, it reflects the excellent work being done by the university’s faculty and programs. On the other, it shows that students are not only following industry trends—they want to shape them. And I believe this ambition—the drive to help shape the future—is absolutely key to long-term success.
I was most impressed by projects where teams identified an existing problem and started with a known solution, then reimagined and validated it based on their own ideas. That mindset is crucial. In the real world of industry, it’s rarely about reinventing the wheel. Rather, we evaluate and adapt existing solutions to make our vehicles safer and better. That’s how we innovate a little each day—and, with some luck, occasionally experience a true “Eureka” moment.

– What kind of value does this competition offer from an industry perspective?

Engineering—especially in the automotive sector—rests on three key pillars: problem-solving, teamwork, and presentation. As engineers, we often face challenges we didn’t even know existed in the morning. Technical readiness is essential, particularly in areas like Functional Safety, where people’s lives are literally on the line.
At the same time, soft skills are just as important: we must collaborate with other teams and stakeholders, communicate effectively, negotiate compromises, and listen to and accept differing opinions. And eventually, we must present all this to decision-makers who often have only 30 minutes to grasp the issue and make a call.
Safety First! gives students a supportive and safe environment to develop exactly these abilities.

– How successfully does the competition reflect real-world industrial challenges?

Very successfully. Students are able to pinpoint problems that industry players also struggle with—albeit on a different scale, since their resources and experience are different. But accurate problem formulation is already a sign of insight—even if guided by university mentors.
Several times—both this year and last—jury members were surprised by how closely a team’s project mirrored problems currently being tackled by global automotive groups. And it’s especially positive that some students deliberately chose topics outside their comfort zones to broaden their horizons. That’s a tremendously valuable attitude that deserves support.

– Were there any students or teams worth keeping an eye on for the long term?

Yes—and in fact, two members of this year’s winning team, secUred, are already my colleagues at JLR, having joined the company some time ago. And I believe one of the members of last year’s third-place team, vADAS, is also now working with us.
That says a lot about this competition: it’s an excellent springboard. As jury members, we’re watching not only as judges—but as potential future colleagues. The opportunity is there for everyone.
You don’t need to coordinate a Moon landing as a university student—what you do need is dedication, persistence, and self-management. From what I’ve seen so far, students are getting the technical knowledge they need from the university.

– What advice would you give to those planning to participate next year?

Go for it. Step up, show who you are, gain experience! After every final, I’ve told participants: you can be proud of yourselves. The fact that you chose to spend your time learning and growing—often in skillsets you didn’t even expect to use—will always pay off.
I used to be a professional athlete, and one thing we often heard was: “No effort is ever wasted.” That holds true in industry too. These students poured their free time into their projects—brainstorming, collaborating, getting stuck, getting unstuck, and going the extra mile. That attitude takes you far—in your career and in life.
And presentation skills are especially important. You can tell when someone has watched professional colleagues present during an internship. My advice is to think carefully in advance about what you want to show and what you want to say. Keep those separate. Overloaded slides take attention away from your message.
I follow the 7:1 rule: no more than seven words per image on a slide. That way, your audience can absorb the content—and you can tell the rest yourself.

– What does it mean to you personally to take part in this university-industry collaboration as a jury member?

It was a truly rewarding experience. I believe this kind of collaboration is a model worth following, as it serves the interests of both sides. University education is only truly effective when it prepares students for the real world—and industry has a strong interest in supporting that process. After all, today’s students are tomorrow’s engineers—our future colleagues.
The synergy among the jury members was absolutely fantastic. We understood each other very well and collaborated effectively throughout.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a prestigious competition once again.

Industry Insights on Academic Tracks – Jury Members Reflect on the Safety First! Competition

Each year, the finals of the Safety First! competition offer a unique meeting point: young engineering students present their ideas and projects to experts working at the forefront of the automotive industry. This year, several of our industry partners accepted our invitation to join the jury – including Réka Jenei, a cybersecurity expert at Robert Bosch Kft., who participated in the competition for the second time.
In the first article of our two-part series, we share her impressions of the finals and her thoughts on the potential she sees in the next generation of engineers.

Fresh Ideas for Real Challenges

“This year’s competition, just like last year’s, was of a very high standard – both in terms of organization and the quality of the work presented,” Réka began. She was particularly pleased to see multiple projects offering innovative solutions in the field of cybersecurity – a topic of both professional and personal relevance to her.

The topics and approaches presented in the finals reflected the current state of the automotive industry well:
“The projects responded clearly to real-world challenges and gaps in the industry, and in many cases pointed to opportunities for improvement or optimization.”

More Than a Competition – A Real Learning Experience

From an industrial perspective, Réka sees the competition as a valuable learning opportunity. Participants need to conduct active research, understand standards and technical constraints, and be able to present their ideas clearly and convincingly. This presentation format closely mirrors the dynamics of pitching to corporate investors – making the competition a highly realistic training ground for students.

“The competition provides multiple avenues for growth – skills that participants can take with them into their future careers,” Réka emphasized.

Remarkable Commitment

We were also curious whether there was a student she could imagine working with in the future, or a project that she found particularly inspiring. Her answer was thoughtful:
“In my view, it’s already remarkable when someone decides to take part in a competition like this. It’s not a required part of the curriculum – it’s an additional challenge that takes time, effort, and genuine commitment.”

The projects that reached the finals, Réka noted, all stood on a foundation of real intent, interest, and hard work – and that alone sets the competitors apart.
“I would gladly work with any one of them in the future.”

A Word of Advice for Next Year’s Competitors

Her advice to future participants: don’t hesitate to apply – every project has value. At the same time, she highlighted the importance of how a project is presented:
“As jury members, we pay attention to both the content and the form – the way a project is documented and presented also plays a big role in how convincing it is.”

A Bridge Between Industry and Academia

For Réka, being part of the jury was not just a professional responsibility but a source of inspiration:
“It was an honor to serve on the jury again this year. It gave me the opportunity to meet talented young engineers and gain insight into new, innovative directions in both safety and security.”

She believes that involving industry players in academic competitions is key to helping higher education better respond to real market challenges:
“Collaborations like this help build a bridge between industry and academia – where both sides can learn from each other.”

The third edition of the Safety First! competition has concluded

In the spring of 2025, we organized the third Safety First! student competition, where participants tackled current challenges in transportation safety with innovative ideas. The three-round competition concluded on June 6, when the finalist teams presented their fully developed concepts live.

The event was hosted by the Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, with the generous support of Bosch and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). We would like to express our gratitude to our industry partners for their continued support, and to our expert jury members for their valuable contributions:

  • Péter Simányi (Jaguar Land Rover)

  • Réka Jenei (Bosch)

  • Dr. Ádám Török (Vice Dean for Science and International Affairs, Faculty of Transportation Engineering and Vehicle Engineering, BME)

  • Tamás Kazár (PhD student, BME Automated Drive)

📊 Among the five finalist teams, the following earned top honors:

🥇 1st place – secUred
Team members: Dávid Sódar, Norbert Tök-Dietrich
Project title: Enhancing Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) Communication Security through Elliptic Curve Authentication

🥈 2nd place – G.A. Fusion
Team members: Gadir Ahmadov, Yerdaulet Kappar, Adalat Mollayev
Project title: Enhancing Highway Safety through Intelligent Speed Limit Control and Sensor Fusion

🥉 3rd place – CLARA
Team member: Mostafa Shoma
Project title: Chessboard Lane Risk Assessment (CLARA): A Predictive Upgrade to LKA/ACC Systems for Proactive Collision Avoidance

We congratulate the top teams and thank all participants for their dedication and hard work. The presentations once again demonstrated the valuable contribution that young engineering students can make to the future of safe and intelligent mobility.

👏 See you next year at the next edition of Safety First!

Safety First 2025 – The First Round is Complete!

On March 21, the first round of the Safety First! competition successfully took place, where six teams presented their innovative solutions to current challenges in transportation and vehicle safety. The participants focused not only on identifying problems but also on proposing feasible solutions, highlighting applicable technological and methodological innovations.

However, the competition is far from over: the teams have until May 9 to further develop their concepts with the support of industry and academic mentors.

Projects presented in the first round:
🔹 secUred – Enhancing Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication security through elliptic curve authentication
🔹 Percepta – Perception-Aware Intelligent Transport System for the preemptive protection of vulnerable road users
🔹 CLARA – Chessboard Lane Risk Assessment: A predictive upgrade to LKA/ACC systems for proactive collision avoidance
🔹 Kokanyek – Mechanical failure detection from vibration data using neural networks
🔹 Fuzzers – Innovative solutions for fuzz testing vehicle control functions
🔹 G.A. Fusion – Enhancing highway safety through intelligent speed limit control and sensor fusion

We would like to thank our sponsors, Bosch and JLR, for making this competition possible, as well as our jury members – Péter Simányi (JLR), Réka Jenei (Bosch), Ádám Török (BME KJK), and Tamás Kazár (BME Automated Drive) – for their professional evaluation and support.

Congratulations to all participating teams, and best of luck in the next round! 🚀

#SafetyFirst #Innovation #TransportationSafety

Safety First 2025 – Applications Are Now Open!

The Department of Automotive Technologies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics is proud to announce the third edition of the Safety First! team competition. This event offers a unique opportunity for students to develop innovative solutions addressing the current challenges in transportation safety.

About the Competition

The Safety First! three-round competition is designed to popularize the field of transportation safety and inspire students to bring their creative research ideas to life. Throughout the competition, participants will have the chance to contribute to the future of transportation safety with their ingenious solutions, while also building valuable connections within both industry and academia.

Competition Format

  • First Round (Friday, March 21, 2025 – 6th instructional week):
    Teams of three will present their proposed solutions to a selected transportation safety challenge in a brief presentation. An expert jury will evaluate the abstracts, which must be submitted by March 7, 2025.
  • Second Round (Friday, May 9, 2025 – 12th instructional week):
    The advancing teams will receive support from both industry and university mentors who will assist them during the development process. In this stage, teams are required to submit a detailed 6-10 page document outlining their concept and demonstrating its applicability, potentially backed by model-based tests.
  • Third Round (Friday, May 30, 2025 – catch-up week):
    In the final round, teams will showcase the practical implementation of their ideas through live demonstrations.

Why Participate?

This competition not only challenges your technical knowledge but also provides an excellent platform to expand your professional network within both industrial and academic circles. Additionally, our industrial partners, Bosch and JLR, are offering their support and will be present as award presenters during the final round.

Key Deadlines:

  • Abstract Submission: March 7, 2025
  • Application and Further Details: HERE!

We look forward to receiving your applications as we work together to shape the future of transportation safety! 🚀

#SafetyFirst #Innovation #TransportationSafety 🌟