Romanian students win gold at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence

The eight students who represented Romania at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), held from August 2 to 8, 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan, won eight medals: three gold, two silver and three bronze. The competition brought together participants from 108 countries and territories and is dedicated to students passionate about the field of artificial intelligence. According to the West University of Timisoara (UVT), the results obtained by the Romanian team reconfirm the level of training of Romanian students in a field that is in full development at the international level.

• Three gold medals for Romanian students

The gold medals were won by David Georgescu, from the "Constantin Diaconovici Loga” National College in Timişoara, Alexandru Thury-Burileanu, from the "Mircea cel Bătrân” National College in Constanţa, and Roland Petrean, from the "Silvania” National College in Zalău. The two silver medals were won by Mihnea-Teodor Stoica, from the International Theoretical High School of Informatics in Bucharest, and Darius-Adrian Dobre, from the "Matei Basarab” National College of Informatics in Râmnicu Vâlcea. The three bronze medals went to Iulian Nistor, from the "Tiberiu Popoviciu" Computer Science High School in Cluj-Napoca, Daniel-Antoniu Bence-Muk, from the "George Bariţiu" National College in Cluj-Napoca, and Matei-Tudor Pop, from the "Avram Iancu" Theoretical High School in Cluj-Napoca.

The participation of the Romanian team in IOAI 2026 was supported by the Ministry of Education and Research, together with the Union of Computer Science Teachers of Romania (UPIR) and the Romanian Hub of Artificial Intelligence (HRIA), a project in which the West University of Timişoara is a founding partner. The preparation of the Romanian team was coordinated by Robert Mihai Colca, a PhD student at UVT, and Mihai Nan, a teaching staff member at the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest. "Romania's success at the IOAI 2026 was prepared through the perseverance and passion of the main coordinators who were involved in the preparation of the students," the UVT press release states. The West University of Timisoara states that it will continue to support the students involved in this new international Olympic discipline, included in the field of artificial intelligence.

• UVT expands its programs dedicated to artificial intelligence

The result of the Romanian team is also linked by UVT representatives to the development of study and research programs in the field of artificial intelligence. "The concerns and doctoral research focused on Artificial Intelligence models are also showing their fruits through the preparation of our country's team for the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad," said UVT rector Marilen Gabriel Pirtea, according to the press release. He emphasized that the involvement of UVT doctoral student Robert Mihai Colca in the preparation of the Olympic team represents, in the opinion of the university management, an example of the institution's strategy in the field of artificial intelligence. UVT mentions that it has developed several study programs in this area, in the context of the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in research and in the economy.

• HRIA, project for the development of the Romanian AI ecosystem

The Romanian Artificial Intelligence Hub is implemented by the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, as beneficiary, in partnership with six nationally representative universities and eight innovative SMEs. The project involves the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, the West University of Timişoara, the "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical University of Iaşi, the Politehnica University of Timişoara, the University of Bucharest and the Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. According to the cited source, HRIA aims to develop an ecosystem of excellence in artificial intelligence, by bringing together research, development and innovation activities and by increasing their impact at European and global level. The project also aims to create national resources for the development and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as support the community of specialists and economic sectors interested in the use of AI-based technologies.