This year, Romania achieved a historic result at the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston, one of the world’s biggest robotics competitions for high school students.
For the first time in the competition’s history, the global final was played entirely between two Romanian teams: Velocity from Brăila and Heart of Robots from Buzău. Velocity became world champion, while Heart of Robots secured second place worldwide.
And the results didn’t stop there.
In total, Romanian teams earned 15 international awards, confirming Romania’s growing position as one of the strongest STEM and educational robotics ecosystems globally.
Several teams received some of the competition’s highest distinctions, including Inspire, Think, Design, and Innovate Awards, recognizing not only engineering performance, but also leadership and community impact.
At the same time, Quantum Robotics from Bucharest was ranked the number one team worldwide in individual performance, another major milestone for Romania’s robotics community.
A Decade of STEM Growth in Romania
The performance also marks an important moment for Nație prin Educație, the organization behind FIRST Tech Challenge Romania, which celebrates 10 years of activity this year.
Over the past decade, the program has involved more than 10,800 students, 550 mentors, and 236 robotics teams across over 60 cities in Romania.
Romania’s success at FIRST Tech Challenge is more than a competition result. It’s proof that world-class innovation can grow locally and reach the global stage.
