dbloom@thekmgroup.co.uk

It is a puzzle that has baffled mathematicians for 211 years, but 18-year-old Jay Nanavati thinks he can find the solution.

The Gillingham student has been awarded £15,000 in his quest to solve the "travelling salesman problem", which could save the world economy billions, make computers quicker and even stop cancer in its tracks.

Jay, of Napier Road, beat hundreds of entrants to one of eight student bursaries after sending a video to HSBC.

In it he explained the problem, which is based on a salesman who drives to every city in the UK and wants to cover as few miles as possible.

An algorithm (calculation) for the shortest route could also speed up connections in microchips, help cancer drugs find the right cells and aid rescue teams locate forest fires.

The former pupil at New Brompton College, now Brompton Academy, became fascinated by the formula when he was taking A-levels in maths, economics and computing at Rainham Mark Grammar School.

factfile

the travelling salesman problem has existed for more than 200 years, but was first framed in mathematical terms in 1930.

mathematicians already know it in enough detail to find the shortest distances between tens of thousands of cities at a time.

yet there is still no universal formula that could be used to eliminate the need for working out each case at a time.

jay admits he may not find the final answer, but thinks his research will at least take experts a step closer.

Jay said: "I was interested because it exists just about everywhere, but somehow it still hasn't been solved.

"I want to use the funds to study the problem in a PhD, so I'll have to not spend a single penny and save so I can do my masters."

Jay emigrated from India aged 10 with mum Adha and dad Sanjiv, who works as a financial adviser.

He said: "I wasn't going to apply because these competitions are really hard, but my dad told me to give it a go. He's more excited now than I am!" Jay spent two weeks recording and editing his animated video after he gained two As and an A* in his A-levels.

Last month, he enrolled on a three-year computer science degree at University College London.

He said in his video: "I understand this is not a problem I can solve overnight. It will require years of research. Yet it is not all work and no play for the teenager, who is a keen badminton player at Gillingham's Medway Park."