Keyloop launches this year’s Automotive Technology Competition to 15 universities across UK, Ireland and Canada

Following its 2020/21 inaugural competition, Keyloop has launched Dealer Tech, its Automotive Technology Competition for university students, for 2021/22. Building on the success of its first year, which saw six UK universities participate, the global automotive technology company has significantly expanded the competition, with 15 participating universities in total, 13 of which are UK based and, for the first time, universities in Canada and Ireland will also take part. It is expected that hundreds of students will take part between now and March when the competition ends.

The competition was created by Keyloop to encourage and nurture new talent into the automotive retail industry, focus on industry innovation amongst the next generation and spread awareness about the career opportunities available within the sector. Last year, 180 students took part, with six teams reaching the Grand Final, which was ultimately won by Brian Evans, a second year student from Exeter University. Brian took home £13,000 for his work on a web-based maintenance and service tracking solution which allowed consumers and automotive workshops to monitor and deliver updates on car repairs and servicing via a two-way communication stream. More details on last year’s competition and winners can be found here.

As with last year, this year’s participating students will be asked to develop innovative, tech-focused product ideas that will impact any part of the car purchasing or ownership experience. This could be a solution to help generate new leads, improve communications with consumers, drive efficiencies in the dealership, or impact any part of the automotive retail experience for the consumer or dealer.

This year, registered universities in the UK include Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Surrey, University of Exeter, with the University of Manitoba in Canada and Munster Technological University in Ireland also taking part (full list of participating universities at end of press release). The competition is split into five key phases: Competition Launch, Product Idea Proposal, Product Idea Development, University Judging Days and finally the National Final Judging Day. Students have from November 2021 to January 2022 to create, develop and finalise their idea, with the University Judging Days taking place in February.

Due to the significant expansion of the competition, the format and prizes have changed a little from 2020/21. Each university will have one winning team, who will win a £1,000 prize fund. Keyloop will then select the top six teams from across all the entries to progress to the National Final in March. The overall winning team will win an additional £10,000 for their achievement. In addition, Keyloop will be on the lookout for outstanding students who may qualify for a place on the Keyloop Graduate Scheme.

Throughout the competition, student teams will receive support from people at Keyloop and university enterprise teams and will be entitled to feedback from the judges in the latter stages of the competition. This year, Keyloop has also enlisted the help of Student Ambassadors at each university to spread the word about the competition, drive sign-ups and encourage engagement with Dealer Tech. Keyloop will be making in-person visits to selected universities to introduce students to Keyloop, automotive retail industry and the Dealer Tech competition. Additionally, all competition resources will be made available virtually and recorded, to ensure the competition is accessible for everyone involved.

Commenting on the competition launch, Tom Kilroy, CEO at Keyloop, said:

“At Keyloop, we value diversity of thought and creative thinking as we know these qualities are essential if we are to drive progress in the industry and create a better car retail experience for consumers. To this end, we are excited to launch this year’s Dealer Tech competition, inviting young talent to consider the career opportunities in automotive retail, develop important professional skills and gain hands-on experience of creating, developing and pitching a new solution. We hope this year’s competition is as tough to judge as last year, which saw some brilliant ideas come to life through great collaborative and innovative thinking”.

Layla James, Dealer Tech Student Ambassador at the University of Exeter, adds:

“It’s very exciting to see that Keyloop wants to foster technological innovation among students and is interested in ideas that come from us. As an ambassador, I look forward to introducing students to this great opportunity to enhance their employability and make new connections within the industry”.

Find out more about the competition at: https://keyloop.com/dealertech/

Full list of participating universities:
– Imperial College London
– King’s College London
– Munster Technological University (Ireland)
– Swansea University
– University of Bath
– University of Birmingham
– University of Bristol
– University of Buckingham
– University of Edinburgh
– University of Exeter
– University of Manitoba (Canada)
– University of Newcastle
– University of Surrey
– University of Warwick
– University of York