Undergrads: See a problem in your community ready for an AI solution? Let’s SOLVE it, together

Got a great idea to solve a problem in your local community using AI? Are you and your peers keen to get hands-on experience working with leading Canadian ML engineers and researchers and make an impact, solving problems that matter?

If you’ve got an idea and passion to explore what you can do with it, we want to help you solve it. 

Let’s SOLVE it is a new RBC Borealis mentorship program that aims to help undergraduate students use AI to make a difference and solve real problems in their communities. You bring the idea and the team, we’ll provide the industry exposure, mentorship, contacts and training you need to make the project a reality.

How does this new RBC Borealis mentorship program work?

We’re looking for teams of 3 to 5 undergraduate students (enrolled at Canadian universities) with idas on how AI and ML could be used to tackle a specific community problem. With this program, we hope to reach as many communities as possible, and so we’re encouraging teams from across the country and from every walk of life to apply.

The mentorship program is free and will be conducted virtually. It runs from October 1st to December 2nd, so it falls within the school semester, and you’d need to allocate about 10 hours per week during that time.

In return, you’ll get all the support you need to turn your idea into a proof-of-concept implementation. You’ll get valuable experience, skills and ecosystem contacts that will help you consider launching your career in AI. Think of it as a ‘fast-track’ accelerator for your idea, and your skills and capabilities.

Looking for tomorrow’s AI leaders

This program is open to all undergraduate students at all Canadian universities. You don’t need to be enrolled in a Computer Science program – each team member should have some basic programming knowledge, but specific experience using AI or ML isn’t necessary. What you do need, however, is a strong sense of curiosity, a passion for solving problems using AI and a burning desire to accelerate your personal development.

Let’s SOLVE it is one of a handful of initiatives that RBC Borealis and the Royal Bank support in order to encourage diversity, skills development and innovation at Canadian universities. Along with initiatives like our RBC Borealis Fellowships program (aimed at post-grad students) and our Internships program (focused on Masters-level students), our goal is to help nurture the AI leaders of tomorrow. 

If you are an undergraduate student with dreams of solving real problems in your community using AI, we want to help you get there. We look forward to seeing your team’s application!