Challenge Data 2027: The Call for Projects Is Open

The Data Challenge platform has launched its call for projects for the 2027 edition. Organized by the Data team at ENS Paris in partnership with the Collège de France and the Data Lab of the Institut Louis Bachelier (ILB), this initiative invites companies, public-sector organizations, and research laboratories to turn their real-world problems into open challenges for an international community of data specialists.

Following a highly successful 2025 season marked by strong participation and innovative solutions, Data Challenge will return to its annual format with a new edition running from January to December 2027.

Turning Real-World Problems into Scientific Challenges

Each year, the Data Challenge platform hosts around ten challenges based on datasets provided by academic, industrial, and institutional partners. These challenges are presented as part of Stéphane Mallat’s course at the Collège de France and engage a diverse community of students, researchers, data scientists, and artificial intelligence enthusiasts.

Participants develop and evaluate models to propose innovative solutions to real-world problems in an environment that promotes reproducibility, methodological comparison, and knowledge sharing.

Why Submit a Challenge?

Selected organizations benefit from numerous advantages:

• Showcase a strategic problem to an international community of data experts;
• Explore innovative approaches through solutions developed by participants;
• Compare the performance of different methods through public benchmarks;
• Increase visibility around their data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence challenges;
• Present their challenge at the Collège de France as part of the Data Science Chair seminar series.

On average, each Data Challenge attracts more than 400 participants, with some topics drawing several thousand contributors from around the world.

An Ecosystem Supporting Research and Innovation

The platform is led by the Data team at ENS Paris in partnership with the Collège de France and the Data Lab of the Institut Louis Bachelier. It also benefits from the support of the CFM Chair, the PRAIRIE Institute, and CNRS’s IDRIS computing center.

By fostering collaboration between academic research and socio-economic stakeholders, Data Challenge helps accelerate the development of new methods in artificial intelligence and machine learning while addressing concrete issues in finance, industry, healthcare, environmental sciences, and public services.

Apply Now

Organizations wishing to propose a challenge for the 2027 edition are invited to contact the Data Challenge team, ideally before October 6, 2026, to discuss their problem and the challenge design process.

This preparation phase will allow selected projects to receive support and undergo beta testing between September and December 2026 before their official launch in January 2027.

Interested in Submitting a Project or Learning More?

Visit the Data Challenge platform or contact the organizing team directly to discuss your proposal.

Data Challenge website: https://challengedata.ens.fr

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