EU TALENTON

‘SCIENCE NEEDS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL APPROACH’

Over three days, young international scientists were challenged to come up with solutions to the major issues of our time.

LEIDEN – By connecting science and society more closely, we can create collaborations and conceive ideas that enable us to meet the challenges of our time. This idea is central in Leiden this year, as the European City of Science 2022. “By bringing people together in playful ways and allowing them to learn from each other, we create connections that can actually bring about change,” Lucien Geelhoed, intendant at Leiden2022, says.

Geelhoed and his team were asked by the European Commission to organise a brand new event for talented scientists between the ages of 21 and 35. As a result, The EU TalentOn was born. In September, Leiden hosted a three-day event in which talented international researchers came together to tackle the major challenges of our time. Out of the 700 applicants, 104 top talents were ultimately selected to participate.

Connection

'Bright Ribbons' isn’t the only team currently investigating whether they can actually develop their idea. The first overall winner of the EU TalentOn, the 'Soilfix' team, also wants to make their idea a reality. The same goes for the 'Coastbusters' team, who hope to develop their idea to use LED lamps to illuminate fishing nets, reducing bycatch by?95%.

European City of Science

This first successful edition also sets the tone for future editions. Every two years, the European Commission plans to award the responsibility of hosting the EU TalentOn to a different European city. In 2024, this honour will go to the Polish city of Katowice, which will then also bear the title of European City of Science.

Discover more at: www.modelleiden2022.nl