On 13 September, at the Silesian Museum in Katowice, the European City of Science 2024, a prestigious European science competition concluded with the announcement of the winners.
During the five-day event, 108 young researchers aged 21 to 35, from 38 countries, competed in teams of four to address societal challenges linked to the five EU Missions under Horizon Europe.
The first prize-winning teams, each receiving EUR 7,500, were recognised for their outstanding projects in each mission category:
- Adaptation to Climate Change Mission: H2FAST (Pawel Brusiło, Faisal Alaidy, Brita Laht, Ana Maria Popa), which developed a novel, self-sustaining installation powered by solar and wind energy to lessen the effects of extreme weather and increase the resilience of energy infrastructure.
- Cancer Mission: Breath for Life (Anneke Kastelein, Ana Filipa Moreno, Guillermo Nevot, Simone Kresevic), which created an innovative solution to identify and diagnose cancers. The project aims to facilitate early cancer detection, providing enough time for proper medical intervention that can significantly improve treatment results.
- Restore our Oceans & Waters Mission: WhaleTrail (Leonard Günzel, Spela Lemez, Akshay Kowseller, Adriano Nicola Pilagatti), which proposed the use of natural food substitutes to ensure healthy whale population.
- Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission: E(CO) mining (Ali Badiei, Aanchal Sharma, Carmelo Carbone, Muhammad Hamza Daud, Kamila Fąferaal), which proposed the ise of closed coal mines and nearby water reservoirs as sources of heat for the regional energy plants power by heat pumps.
- Soil Deal for Europe Mission: ReviSoil (Aleksandra Makiej, Adam Grzywaczyk, Qumber Abbas, Emma Olmi), which developed a recycling solution to use biowaste from urban areas – including plant waste, peelings, post-industrial organic matter, and bio coal, as fertilizer.
The Grand Prize of EUR 12,000 for the best overall project was awarded to Breath for Life Anneke Kastelein, Ana Filipa Moreno, Guillermo Nevot, Simone Kresevic, Krzysztof Gorgoń for their outstanding contribution to cancer detection and diagnosis.
In each category, there were presented also second place prizes, as well as audience prizes and special prizes.
Full list of TalentOn 2024 Winners.
Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said:
“To all the brilliant young minds here today, you have not only impressed us with your creativity and innovation, but you have also shown the world what the future holds when passion meets purpose. Your work in tackling some of the most complex challenges of our time reminds us that the solutions we seek lie in the hands of those who dare to dream and innovate. Congratulations to each of you – your achievements give us hope and inspiration.”
About the competition
EU TalentOn is a biennial event that challenges young talented researchers to find solutions to help solve the most pressing global issues. It contributes directly to the actions set out in the ERA Policy Agenda. Specifically, the contest helps bring science closer to citizens by inviting them to co-create solutions for our most pressing challenges. It provides a platform on which everyone wanting to share science, knowledge, art, and skills can participate, thus establishing new connections between science and society in innovative, open, playful, and sincere ways. It is supported by the Horizon Europe Work Programme, ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’.
Female representation – both in terms of the applicants and in the selected participants, was higher than the male participation, with 63% of the applicants and selected participants identifying as women. The next EU TalentOn will take place in 2026 as part of a new European Commission initiative called ‘Science Comes to Town’.
The 108 participants, divided into 27 groups of four, pitched their projects based on the five EU Missions to an international jury. The winning projects shared a total of EUR 75,000 in prize money, including a first and second prize per Mission Arena and one overall prize.
View the EU TalentOn recap video is available on YouTube Katowice – European City of Science 2024.
Take a look at the EU TalentOn photo gallery on Flickr Katowice European City of Science 2024.
