Young KTU researcher triumphs in global scientific pitch finals

Dr Eglė Butkevičiūtė, a young researcher from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), has achieved an incredible victory – she has won the final of the InSPiR2eS Global Pitching Research Competition (IGPRC2024) and the main prize.

The final, organised by Professor Robert Faff (Australia), took place at the end of last month in a virtual format and was sponsored by Elsevier, the global scientific publisher.

Seven researchers from different countries – Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam – participated in the final. Their presentations ranged from the creativity of child influencers and managing audience trust to uncovering molecular interactions and managing human resources in PhD programmes.

Dr Butkevičiūtė presented her research aimed at improving stress and fatigue detection technologies for wearable devices using noise-resistant PPG signal processing techniques. The study aims to increase the accuracy and accessibility of health monitoring devices, especially for young people combining work and study.

The KTU scientist won the main prize – 5,000 Australian dollars. The runner-up received $2,000 and the other finalists received $1,000 each. The finalists’ entries were judged by an international panel of experts from Canada, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Australia, Spain and Romania.

The initiator and organiser of the competition at KTU, Assoc. Prof. Dr Neringa Gerulaitienė is also happy with this achievement.

“This is an extremely important award, not only for our colleague but also for the entire academic community. This achievement proves that our young scientists are professionals of the highest level and can compete on the international stage. I believe that this achievement of the KTU scientist will inspire other young scientists to strive for more, to raise their ambitions and to believe that their ideas can change the world,” said Dr Gerulaitienė.

The IGPRC2024 is a global science pitch competition that aims to provide a platform for young researchers to present their scientific work clearly and effectively, reaching both the scientific community and the wider public.

Contestants present their ideas using the Research Pitch Framework (PRF) method, and the competition criteria include clarity, strength, real effort, coherent structure and the ability to engage experts. This prestigious competition not only draws attention to the quality of research but also encourages ambition and professionalism among young researchers.