GfK and the Insights Association (IA) have joined forces to promote the NextGen Data Science Hackathon Competition, which gives undergraduates in any major a chance to win $5,000 by analyzing data sets to foster ideas and innovations benefitting companies in the evolving shopping sector.
IA will promote the hackathon – which is taking place online April 14 to 21, 2022 – to its 20,000 corporate and individual members, who represent many of the best-known brand marketers and researchers. IA members will also act as mentors and judges in the competition.
Click here to register for the NextGen Data Science Hackathon Competition
This year’s hackathon focuses on developing new products and services related to the continually evolving shopper journey. Leveraging data from GfK’s National Shopper Lab (NSL) loyalty card database and other sources, the students will need to show exceptional data analytic expertise, as well as business acumen and presentation skills. Each team will have just five minutes to present their ideas on the last day of the competition.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Insights Association as our partner in bringing rich data science experiences to students at a time when they may be making life-changing career choices,” said Gregg Lindner, President of GfK Americas. “Connecting IA’s membership and expertise to the NextGen program will expand its reach and add new dimensions to our goal of nurturing the next generation of consumer insight and data science professionals.”
“Shining a spotlight on the stimulating, wide-ranging, and meaningful work we do is among the most effective ways we can attract young talent into the insights profession. This hackathon does just that,” said Melanie Courtright, CEO of the Insights Association. “We’re excited to support this competition and eager to get more colleges and universities involved.”
The NextGen Competition began in 2011 with a focus on traditional research methods and goals. Over the years, the contest has evolved to reflect the changing toolkit and role of market researchers and data scientists. In 2018, GfK made a hackathon the centerpiece of the competition, with teams from California Polytechnic University at Pomona, Point Park University, and the College of Staten Island (City University of New York) taking first place in previous years.
About the Insights Association
The Insights Association protects and creates demand for the evolving Insights and Analytics industry by promoting the indisputable role of insights in driving business impact. Its activities include providing government advocacy; caring for and improving the industry’s image; marketing the business case for industry products and services; and setting and enforcing professional standards. IA was formed in 2017 through the merger of CASRO (founded in 1975) and MRA (founded in 1957) – two organizations with respected histories of servicing the market research and analytics industry. To learn more, go to www.insightsassociation.org.
