IDEA League Challenge Program 2024/2025
Introduction
The IDEA League Challenge Programme is an extra-curricular initiative designed for only 8 selected students from each of 5 top universities in Europe (ETH Zurich, TU Delft, RWTH Aachen, Politecnico di Milano, Chalmers). It focuses on decision-making under uncertainty, tackling complex, real-life problems where multiple values are at stake, and aiming for leadership roles beyond technical fields.
The programme consists of 4 long-weekend modules held at different partner universities. Accommodation, meals, and a greener travel stipend of up to €1000 are provided.
03–06 October 2024 TU Delft / Politecnico di Milano (in Lecco, Italy)
22–24 November 2024 ETH Zurich (in Zurich, Switzerland)
07–09 March 2025 RWTH Aachen (in Aachen, Germany)
09–12 May 2025 Chalmers University of Technology (in Gothenburg, Sweden)
Cost
Accommodation, breakfasts, lunches, and one dinner will be arranged and paid for by the partner organizing each module. However, I’ll need to cover any other expenses myself and organize my own travel. I’m free to use my scholarship however I see fit to help with travel costs, and they won’t need any invoices or tickets afterwards. It’s also a good idea to book changeable tickets, just in case anything unexpected comes up.
Application process
I go directly to the IDEA League website to apply (deadline August 19, 2024) https://idealeague.org/students/challengeprogramme/
After I replied to the E-Mail that I could participate in this challenge program, I still needed to provide the following information for RWTH:
- My German tax number (required for all students, even if the scholarship isn’t taxed, they need this for the payment).
- Since I have a non-EU nationality, I also need to provide:
a. My address in my home country, if I still have one.
b. The dates of my Aufenthaltstitel (valid from when to when) or any other document that shows my planned stay in Germany.
Then RWTH would ask for each attendee’s WhatsApp id, and we should form a group by ourselves. Afterwards, there were many connections from the organizer. In addition, we needed to finish an online personality questionnaire about The Golden Personality Type Profiler (GPTP) from TU Delft before the first module.
The first weekend in Lecco, Italy (3rd-6th Oct, 2024)
Joint Module by TU Delft and Politecnico di Milano
Some students and I lived in a double room with the same gender on the campus and the residence “A. LOOS.” Some students were assigned to the hotel MODERNO. The other students stayed in the other hotel DON ABBONDIO.
The Agenda is as follows:
Homework
Within 7 days after each Challenge Weekend, we are asked to submit a report of personal development goals & reflections by using the Gibbs Reflective Model (word count 200–400).
Personal Development Goal & Reflection
First Challenge Weekend
• Description of the experience
This weekend, I set a personal goal to raise my hand and express my opinion in public at least once. While it seems common and easy for most European students to speak up, for me, it was incredibly challenging, especially when surrounded by top European students. As a Taiwanese who has only been in Europe for six months, I struggle with public speaking due to my poor English skills and more reserved Asian personality. Therefore, I wanted to push myself to speak confidently and proactively (at least once), during this Challenge Weekend.
• Feelings and thoughts about the experience
Just being around such accomplished students was intimidating enough, let alone speaking in front of them. When I first met my groupmates, I feared I might be a burden to the team, but they reassured me by offering to slow down and make space for me to contribute. This thoughtful gesture helped me feel more confident and comfortable when sharing my ideas. However, as the pitch deadline approached, discussions moved quickly, and I struggled to keep up with the fast-paced conversations. At times, I felt my contributions were overlooked, which made me feel disappointed and inadequate. I regretted not being able to contribute more to the pitch and the final report, which ultimately discouraged me from raising my hand during the public discussion.
• Evaluation of the experience, both good and bad
I was grateful that my groupmates encouraged me to share my thoughts, which helped me realize that it’s okay to make mistakes or have differing opinions. This positive experience encouraged me to speak more confidently in public. On the downside, as discussions accelerated, I found it hard to keep up, and my input was sometimes ignored. This left me feeling disheartened, and I blamed myself for not contributing more to the team’s work. As a result, I didn’t meet my goal of raising my hand in public, which felt like a personal failure.
• Analysis to make sense of the situation
Looking back, I realize I overestimated my goal. If I struggle with speaking in smaller groups, how can I expect to express myself naturally in front of a larger audience? This experience taught me that I should first focus on smaller, more manageable group settings. For example, I should aim to fully understand the group’s discussions, offer suggestions, and actively contribute to areas where I can add value. Setting group-oriented goals will be my focus for the next weekend session.
• Conclusion about what you learned and what you could have done differently
I took away two key lessons from this group experience:
- Expression and conversation skills: Prestigious students are often unafraid to share diverse ideas, debate, or challenge one another. Growing up, I was taught to be polite and follow the lead of adults, which made me hesitant to express my own ideas. Moving forward, I’ve learned that sharing my thoughts can help drive discussions forward or even resolve problems.
- Confidence and courage: I used to feel inferior to others who spoke fluent English. However, I’ve learned that many of my peers are also non-native English speakers, and they don’t let that stop them from confidently sharing their thoughts. This experience showed me that I should be more confident, and it’s okay if my English isn’t perfect.
• Action plan for how you would deal with similar situations in the future, or general changes you might find appropriate.
After this first module, my English listening and speaking skills have improved significantly, and I feel more confident engaging in discussions, both in formal settings like meetings and casual ones like coffee breaks. I also understand how to be a responsible and cooperative teammate, ensuring I contribute without closing myself off. I’m ready to embrace the next challenge in Zurich with a more open heart and mind.
Second Challenge Weekend
• Description of the experience
This week, my goal was to become a useful member of the team. While this may sound abstract, it essentially means that I wanted to not just “listen” during discussions but also contribute effective opinions and actively participate in team activities. The week’s activities culminated in producing a survey and creating a poster to report on our survey topic, target audience, and expected results.
• Feelings and thoughts about the experience
- Confidence in Contribution:
During my undergraduate years, I had considerable experience conducting surveys. I know how to establish a solid topic, select a well-defined target audience, and identify the results I truly need. Additionally, I’m familiar with various software tools for creating forms, so I felt confident about my ability to contribute to this task. Indeed, I managed to provide some good ideas for the form design and created a Google Survey with a QR code in just 10 minutes. - Anxiety about Presentation:
However, I hadn’t anticipated that during the final reporting phase, everyone would need to present at least once. Initially, I wanted to avoid this and delayed until the last round. But inevitably, I still had to go on stage. Otherwise, it would have been highly irresponsible, even though I had already contributed significantly to the survey creation process.
• Evaluation of the experience, both good and bad
- Positive Outcomes:
I initially thought that my poor English might discourage others from paying attention to my speech. I was worried I might ruin the group’s excellent output. To my surprise, in those short five minutes, I noticed that the five people in the audience were listening attentively. Their focused eyes and direct attention gave me a lot of confidence and encouraged me to continue my presentation. - Post-Presentation Reflections:
After the presentation, they clapped enthusiastically and even asked many relevant questions, which reassured me that they had indeed been paying attention. - Challenges and Learning Points:
Of course, I did notice some frowns caused by my unclear expressions. However, I reminded myself that while standing on stage, everyone is equally remarkable. Focusing too much on minor imperfections shouldn’t diminish my confidence.
• Analysis to make sense of the situation
The applause during the presentation dispelled my past hesitations and feelings of inferiority due to language barriers or cultural differences. It reminded me that even if I’m not the brightest star on stage, I can still be the center of attention. Making mistakes or struggling to answer questions is fine because this is a rare opportunity for self-expression.
• Conclusion about what you learned and what you could have done differently
I’ve learned that future presentations don’t have to be intimidating because everyone is equally capable. My classmates genuinely want to listen to what I have to say. Next time, I should be more proactive in seeking opportunities to present rather than passively waiting to be called upon. This would be a significant personal breakthrough.
• Action plan for how you would deal with similar situations in the future, or general changes you might find appropriate.
In the future, I will ensure my presentation content is well-prepared and assume that I might be called on to speak at any moment. Rather than waiting for my turn, I’ll actively volunteer for opportunities to present. Being ready to present at all times will allow me to deliver a more fluent presentation and create a livelier, more engaging atmosphere.
Third Challenge Weekend
• Description of the experience
This week’s IDEA League Challenge Program was held in Aachen, and as a student at RWTH Aachen University, I have a strong sense of belonging to this city. I hoped that this familiarity would help me connect with others more naturally and overcome the social anxiety that comes with being an ethnic minority in a foreign country.
• Feelings and thoughts about the experience
In previous sessions, whether in Milan or Zurich, I often felt a certain distance between myself and others, even though everyone was friendly and welcoming. I struggled to integrate naturally into social settings and even intentionally avoided coffee breaks or group lunches because I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being an “outsider.”
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However, during this challenge weekend in Aachen, despite the fact that it coincided with my exam period — and that I had several major exams just two days after the event, adding immense pressure — I found myself participating in the conference with a much calmer mindset than before.
On the first day, I greeted everyone with a relaxed, sincere attitude, and they responded warmly, even asking if I needed time to prepare for my exams. During lunch, a friend enthusiastically invited me to sit beside them, and in discussions, everyone actively sought my input. The inclusive and engaging atmosphere allowed me to feel at ease, and for the first time, I no longer felt like I was being treated differently.
• Evaluation of the experience, both good and bad
Aachen provided me with a strong sense of security — I knew that even if I didn’t perform well in social situations, I still had my dorm and my friends as a safe haven. Feeling loved and not alone helped me embrace greetings and interactions more naturally, just as I would in a Mandarin-speaking social circle.
However, while I overcame social barriers, I still faced challenges during formal discussions and pitch presentations. My language skills were a major limitation, preventing me from participating as effectively as my teammates, who could quickly brainstorm, iterate on ideas, and produce meaningful contributions.
• Analysis to make sense of the situation
I found myself caught in a translation loop: first, I had to listen and understand the discussion in English, then mentally translate it into Chinese, formulate my thoughts in Chinese, and finally, translate them back into English before expressing them. This process took much longer than it did for my European teammates, and by the time I was ready to speak, the discussion had already moved forward. As a result, I often appeared as someone who had no input. In reality, I was thinking very hard and genuinely wanted to contribute to the team, but my limitations left me feeling frustrated and disappointed in myself.
• Conclusion about what you learned and what you could have done differently
To compensate for this, after returning home each day, I immediately reviewed the discussion points I had missed by consulting ChatGPT, revisiting meeting notes, and preparing a script for the next day’s pitch. This approach yielded noticeable results — during the pitch preparation, I was able to provide some input. Although my ideas were not groundbreaking, at least my voice was heard. During the pitch presentation, I seized the opportunity to speak, introducing the background of our topic. While I didn’t lead the entire presentation, I was relieved that I had at least contributed. For me, this was a major breakthrough — I had finally overcome my fear of speaking up.
Even though my contribution was small, it was still progress. Compared to my past self, I had made significant strides, and I am willing to acknowledge and celebrate that growth.
• Action plan for how you would deal with similar situations in the future, or general changes you might find appropriate.
While staying in a familiar environment gave me confidence, the next session will not be in Aachen. In fact, in the long run, I cannot always rely on my comfort zone. The real challenge is learning how to maintain composure and confidence even in unfamiliar environments.
My top priority is to improve my English proficiency — specifically, to speed up my listening, processing, and response time so that I can engage in discussions more effectively. I also hope that in the next session, which will be the final one, I will no longer feel like a passive participant but instead be recognized as a truly valuable member of the team.
This experience has helped me gain a deeper understanding of myself. Overcoming social anxiety and language barriers is not something that can be achieved overnight, but as long as I continue making small breakthroughs, I believe I will eventually grow into a more confident and impactful person.
Final Challenge Weekend
🙏 Huge thanks to the IDEA League, all the organizers, mentors, and everyone involved — especially our academic leads and partners at Sahlgrenska. You’ve created something truly transformative.
What an incredible journey the IDEA League Challenge Program has been!
Over the past 7 months, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with 40 brilliant and kind-hearted students from five of Europe’s leading technical universities: ETH Zürich, TU Delft, RWTH Aachen, Chalmers, and Politecnico di Milano.
Together, we tackled one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today — rethinking electronic health records and digital trust in clinical environments at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. From data privacy to home care integration, our mission wasn’t just technical, it was deeply human.
What made this program truly exceptional wasn’t just the interdisciplinary challenge — it was the people. Everyone brought their unique perspectives, energy, and warmth to the table. Between late-night debates, spontaneous brainstorming, and shared meals across four European cities, we built more than solutions — we built friendships.
💡Agenda
Delft University of Technology & Politecnico di Milano (Oct 2024) — kicking off with ethics and design thinking
ETH Zürich (Nov 2024) — diving deep into stakeholder mapping and health data frameworks
RWTH Aachen University (March 2025) — translating concepts into viable system models
Chalmers University of Technology (May 2025) — presenting our work to experts and hospital leadership
This experience pushed me far outside my comfort zone. It helped me grow not just as an engineer, but as a team player and communicator. I’m walking away with new insights into healthcare innovation — and more importantly, I made excellent friends from around the world and unforgettable memories in every corner of the globe.
🙏 Huge thanks to the IDEA League, all the organizers, mentors, and everyone involved — especially our academic leads and partners at Sahlgrenska. You’ve created something truly transformative.
A long journey of problem-solving, co-creation, and personal growth. I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of it.
