Europe’s young researchers tackle cancer, climate and other major challenges

Young researchers from across Europe have come together to develop innovative solutions to some of the continent’s biggest challenges, from climate change and cancer to soil health and water pollution

The third edition of EU TalentOn concluded on 11 September in Brest, France, bringing together 100 early-career researchers aged between 21 and 35. Representing 43 nationalities, participants spent five days working in teams to create practical ideas linked to the five EU Missions under Horizon Europe.

The teams competed for a share of an €80,000 prize fund, with awards presented across five challenge areas.

Tackling climate change with data

In the Adaptation to Climate Change category, Alejandro Roman, Marie Johanna Univer, Edoardo Kimani Bellotto and Florin Miron took first prize for IMPRREST.

The project aims to help emergency responders deal with climate-related disasters by bringing together big data to produce a single, verified assessment of climate emergencies. The system is designed to provide evidence to support faster, more informed decisions about climate adaptation.

New approaches to cancer monitoring

Cancer research was another major focus of the competition.

Xhilda Dhamo, Oliwia Kosecka and Jafar Gura won first prize in the Cancer category with CogniVoice, a patient-centred speech monitoring platform designed to support follow-up for people who have undergone treatment for brain cancer.

The technology explores how changes in speech could potentially provide useful information during post-treatment surveillance, offering a non-invasive approach to monitoring patients.

Protecting Europe’s oceans and waters

The winning project for the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission was Mission PFASSible, developed by Gabriel Tejero, Siddhanth Shishodia, Dominika Czekanowska and Gjylije Hoti.

Their solution tackles water pollution by combining sensing, capturing, and concentrating pollutants with methods to demonstrate improvements in water safety. The aim is to turn pollution removal into measurable and verified reductions in environmental risk.

Helping cities and soils become more sustainable

In the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities category, Lucia Petronio, Samar Momin, Samira Huber and Imen Kaabachi won with Block2City.

The project uses building data to identify renovation opportunities, provide funding guidance, and connect projects with experts. It also aims to help cities understand local demand and plan improvements more effectively.

Meanwhile, the Soil Mission prize went to RhizoSentinel, created by Natasha Waris, Ilaria Bertolini, Felipe Quiroz and Victoria Boycheva.

The project uses plants as living soil biosensors to detect hidden biological threats before they lead to crop losses. This could support earlier intervention and more informed soil management.

RhizoSentinel takes the overall prize

RhizoSentinel also received the competition’s €12,000 Grand Jury Prize for the best overall project.

The €3,000 Special Jury Prize went to Marion Le Meur, Narjes Yazdi, Suresh Ajmeera and Alberto Galindo Caballero for Colospy. Their project explores a rapid, saliva-based molecular test to detect colorectal cancer-related microRNA signatures, offering a potential alternative to stool-based screening.

Experts from academia, business, and government assessed the projects, focusing on both scientific quality and their potential to become real-world innovations.

Supporting the next generation of researchers

EU TalentOn is part of Science Comes to Town 2026, a European Commission initiative designed to bring research and innovation closer to the public.

The wider programme includes more than 1,000 activities involving over 70 partners across Kiel, Brest and Split. The next major event will be the 36th EU Contest for Young Scientists, taking place in Kiel from 22 to 27 September.

The 2026 EU TalentOn edition also highlighted the growing role of women in European research, with women making up 54% of participants.

The programme will continue into 2027, when Science Comes to Town will move to Aarhus, Genoa, Kaunas and Oeiras. EU TalentOn 2027 is scheduled to take place in Kaunas.