For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology
FIRST is a global nonprofit founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen to inspire young people to pursue science and technology. It offers team-based robotics programs for students ages 5–18, combining competition with learning to build skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and confidence. The organization’s purpose is to prepare students for the future, its vision is to create a world where science and technology are celebrated, and its mission is to deliver life-changing programs that help students gain skills, confidence, and resilience. FIRST is guided by core values such as innovation, impact, teamwork, and most importantly fun. It also emphasizes key beliefs like Gracious Professionalism (competing with respect and integrity) and Cooperation (helping others while competing). Overall, FIRST is more than just robots: it uses robotics as a way to teach life skills, inspire careers in STEM, and build a global community focused on collaboration and innovation.
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school competition where teams design, build, and program industrial-sized robots to compete in complex, alliance-based games.
A season on a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team typically follows a structured process that combines engineering, teamwork, and strategy. During the preseason, teams prepare by learning skills like CAD, programming, and fabrication, fundraising, and building team aspects. At kickoff, the new game is revealed and teams begin analyze the rules, scoring system, and constraints to decide on a strategy.
