2026 Jump Start Program

Advantech AI Acceleration


AI Agent Innovation Contest 2026

Think of AI Agents as intelligent helpers. They're computer programs that can learn from data, make choices, and take action to achieve specific goals, all without needing constant human guidance.


Example of an AI Agent: Imagine a Financial Multi-Agent that grabs data, pulls info from databases, and connects with other Agent Groups to create a super-smart system.


Example of a Non-AI Agent: A Chatbot that just spits out answers. Helpful, but not an Agent in our book.

Key Highlights

Value-Driven Impact and Business Relevance

We are looking for AI Agent solutions that can be truly embedded into real work scenarios and generate measurable value. Submissions should demonstrate meaningful business impact, practical implementation outcomes, and the potential to drive decision-making and process transformation.

AI Agents & Deeper Application Focus

Projects should demonstrate proactive decision-making and the ability to interact with their environment, reflecting genuine AI autonomy. Submissions should also clearly describe the business context and the concrete, measurable value created.

Timeline and Awards

In 2026, the contest will be conducted in two rounds, one in the first half of the year and one in the second half. Teams receiving the A+ Award will be granted NT$300,000 (or a PSOP incentive).

Several Domain Tracks

  • Sales and Marketing and AE
  • SCM & Manufacturing
  • General Management – CoE Function and RD
Example of a Non-AI Agent

Example of a AI Agent:

Imagine a Financial Multi-Agent that can automatically generate SQL code to retrieve data from multiple databases, seamlessly integrating with other Agent Groups to form a super-smart system. This intelligent agent not only handles data extraction and analysis but also learns from how humans collaborate and communicate across departments—enabling more effective and adaptive financial analysis.

Example of a Non-AI Agent

Example of a Non-AI Agent:

A chatbot that just replies to questions when asked. Sure, it’s useful—but it doesn’t think for itself, take initiative, or connect with other systems to get things done. That’s why it doesn’t count as an AI Agent in this competition.

So, What's an AI Agent?

Think of AI Agents as intelligent helpers. They're computer programs that can learn from data, make choices, and take action to achieve specific goals, all without needing constant human guidance.

So, What's an AI Agent?

AI Agents are intelligent helpers—they learn from data, make decisions, and act toward goals without constant human input.

To meet this competition’s definition, an AI Agent must:

  • "Make proactive decisions" based on context, without waiting for user commands.
  • "Interact with environments", connecting to systems or data sources to complete multi-step tasks.

AI Agent Innovation Contest 2026 – Guidelines

Eligibility

Organized by AIA, this contest is open to all Advantech global employees. Participation is limited to teams of 3 to 6 members. We strongly encourage cross-functional and cross-team collaboration to co-create innovative AI Agent applications.

Theme & Objectives

This contest focuses on application-based projects that demonstrate AI Agent capabilities. Teams are encouraged to use AI to solve real business pain points and deliver measurable results and impact, such as productivity gains, process optimization, cost savings, or revenue contribution. In addition to technical feasibility, proposals should also emphasize practical adoption and future scaling potential.

Submission Requirements

This competition adopts an Early Submission mechanism. Each participating team is required to create a shared project folder as early as possible during the initial stage of the competition and provide access to it to the organizer through the registration system. Teams are expected to continuously update the folder throughout the competition period with relevant project materials, including proposal decks, prototypes, demo videos, progress updates, and supporting documents, so that the organizer and judges can stay informed of the project’s development. Based on each team’s level of completion in the early stage of the competition, the organizer will provide the available project materials to the judges for a first-round feedback review. Teams may then continue refining both the shared folder and their submission materials based on the feedback, and may resubmit updated versions before the submission deadline.

Selection Process

Entries will be reviewed by the following functional groups: Sales and Marketing and AE, SCM and Manufacturing, COE, and RD. Judges will select winners for the A+ Tier Award, A Tier Award, and Outstanding Project Award.

2026 Timeline

Wave 1

Feb. – June

  • Feb. MCE announcement
  • Mid-April to Mid-May: Initial review feedback
  • June 5: Submission Deadline

Wave 1 Evaluation

Mid - June

  • June 8–19: Judge scoring period
  • June 26: Wave 1 results announcement

Wave 2

July. – Oct.

  • Submissions follow the Top-Down Approach
  • Mid-September to Mid-October: Initial review feedback
  • Nov. 6: Submission deadline

Wave 2 Evaluation

Late - Oct.

  • Nov. 9–20: Judge scoring period
  • Nov. 27: Wave 2 results announcement

2026 Timeline

Wave 1

Feb. – June

  • Feb. MCE announcement
  • Mid-April to Mid-May: Initial review feedback
  • June 5: Submission Deadline

Wave 1 Evaluation

Mid - June

  • June 8–19: Judge scoring period
  • June 26 : Wave 1 results announcement

Wave 2

July. – Oct.

  • Submissions follow the Top-Down Approach
  • Mid-September to Mid-October: Initial review feedback
  • Nov. 6: Submission deadline

Wave 2 Review

Late - Oct.

  • Nov. 9–20: Judge scoring period
  • Nov. 27: Wave 2 results announcement

Scoring Criteria & Weights

2026 Focus: "Adoption & Scaling" It’s not just about building it; it’s about rolling it out. We are looking for AI Agent solutions that genuinely transform the way we work.

40%

Actual Application & Promotion

  • Scalability: Is the architecture replicable across other teams or regions? 
  • User Feedback: What does the actual user data and feedback say? 
  • Expansion Potential: Can this be applied cross-departmentally?

35%

ROI & Value Definition



  • Pain Point Clarity: Is the business problem clearly identified? 
  • Quantified Value: Are the results (e.g., cost savings) concrete and measurable? 
  • Productivity Gains: Is the efficiency improvement clear and significant?

25%

Technical Feasibility & Completeness

  • Architecture Integrity: Is the AI Agent structure robust and complete? 
  • Autonomy: Does the solution demonstrate true autonomous decision-making? 
  • Readiness: Is the development progress and timeline on track?

Awards & Incentives

A+ Level Award

A+ Tier Award

  • Prize: Team Bonus of NT$300,000 (or PSOP incentive)
A Level Award & Special Contribution

A Tier Award

  • Prize: Team Bonus of NT$100,000
Promising Idea Award

Outstanding Project Award

  • Prize: Team Bonus of NT$50,000
  • Criteria: Awarded to projects that may have received mixed review opinions, but demonstrate strong potential in a specific domain.

This competition evaluates innovation and overall performance across six key functional areas: Brand & Marketing, Sales & Customer Success, R&D Engineering, SCM & Operation, Smart Manufacturing, and General Management (CoE Function).


To ensure the highest level of professional credibility and forward-looking insight, we have invited a distinguished panel of domain experts to serve as judges across the following groups:

  • Sales and Marketing and AE
  • SCM & Manufacturing
  • General Management–CoE Function and RD

Awards Criteria: Awards are allocated based on the functional domains listed above. To uphold the prestige of the competition, the jury reserves the right to adjust the number of awards granted or leave a category vacant based on the caliber of the submissions.

Need Some Help?

If you have any questions regarding the competition, please feel free to contact us at GenAI.Center@advantech.com.


Okay, What are the Rules?

Open to ALL Advantech employees

If you have any questions regarding the competition, please feel free to contact us at GenAI.Center@advantech.com.