Promising Young Scientists Win Europe-wide Competition

Teams from Germany, Hungary and Ireland have won three first prizes of 5,000 Euros each at the 19th European Union Contest for Young Scientists. The winning projects were selected from among 81 entries by an international jury of 15 scientific experts.

The European Union Contest for Young Scientists, an initiative of the European Commission, was set up to promote the cream of European student scientific achievement. It gives young people an opportunity to compete with the best of their contemporaries at European level.

An annual Europe-wide contest, it selects the top scientific projects devised and created by young scientists of school age and up to first year university. The event, held every September, is made up of a three-day Science Exhibition and a Prize-giving day.

Since the competition began, more than 30,000 young scientists have competed. The 19th Contest was held at the University of Valencia, in Spain. The projects competing covered a wide range of scientific disciplines, from astronomy and Earth sciences to biology, medicine and social sciences.

Every year the standard of entries is consistently high and several past participants have achieved major scientific breakthroughs or gone on to set up their own businesses and market the ideas they originally developed for the contest.

‘The future of Europe relies on the knowledge, curiosity and creativity of our young people. It depends on their willingness… to explore new and unknown avenues,’ says Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research. ‘Their ideas can be transformed into new products, processes and services. Our quality of life, health and the environment all depend greatly on the advancement of knowledge. So I want our young citizens to fully participate in this, because I truly believe that they have an important contribution to make.’

The 20th European Union Contest for Young Scientists will be held in Denmark in September 2008.

Contact: European Union Contest for Young Scientists,
Klintevej 35, DK-7500 Holstebro, Denmark
Email: mail@​europeancontest.​dk
Websites:www​.ec​.europa​.eu/
research/youngscientists
and www​.eurocontest​.dk

2007 first-prize winners: Abdusalam Abubakar, Florian Ostermaier,
M·rton Spohn and Henrike Wilms
Photo: © 19th European Union
Contest for Young Scientists