LUISS Guido Carli University and the Embassy of the Netherlands are glad to announce the seventh edition of the Dutch-Italian Business Challenge.

Participating students will be required to seek a solution for a number of real-life business cases presented by important Dutch companies operating internationally, amongst which are Airfrance-KLM, ING Direct, Nexive, Philips, Randstad, Sanorice and Unilever.

This year's edition of the Dutch-Italian Business Challenge will be in special collaboration with LUISS EnLabs, the startup accelerator in Rome. LUISS EnLabs offers a special price for the 10 most innovative and talented students to attend the exclusive Demo Day in January 2019. During this event, students can get a glimpse into the startups world, as startups will present their work to different companies.

Furthermore, the teams with the best solutions will receive special prices from the participating companies, among which the possibility to win an internship.

The competition is open to all LUISS students currently enrolled in the Departments of Economics and Finance and Business and Management, as well as international and Dutch students currently studying at LUISS.

The selected students will work together in groups, conducting research and finding innovative solutions over approximately 6 weeks. Both students and companies will benefit from this challenge: students will gain concrete experience, while companies will get creative solutions to unresolved problems.

Projects will be evaluated by a jury made up of representatives from the Dutch Embassy and LUISS and a representative of the Dutch business community, on the basis of their originality, creativity, sustainability and practicality. Also taken into consideration will be the company's level of satisfaction, the number of subjects/activities used to solve the case and the level of detail in the execution of the project.

The winning team will be announced by the Dutch Ambassador, Joep Wijnands, at the Awards Ceremony hosted on November 22, 2018 at the Ambassador's residence.

Please note that as 50 is the maximum number of participants, groups will be created based on CVs, motivation letters and English proficiency. Students who register once the available slots are finished might be included in a waiting list.

The business cases will be presented by representatives of the companies in the official Kick-Off Event, which will take place on October 2nd, 2018 at 13:30 at LUISS EnLabs, Via Marsala 29/h.

Interested students should submit their CVs and a brief motivational letter in English (up to 100 words) by September 25. Students who are not enrolled in an English-taught degree must also submit a proof of English proficiency.

For more information and to apply, please contact cecile.hermse@minbuza.nl