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• Jan. 30, 2025Supporting STEM: Celebrating 15 years of the Sci-Tech Challenge
- ExxonMobil founded the Sci-Tech Challenge with Junior Achievement Europe in 2010.
- The Challenge sees students use STEM skills to address global challenges.
- Participants come from across Europe to work together on innovative solutions.
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• Jan. 30, 2025Navigate to:
It all began in the Norwegian town of Stavanger in 2010, where young people met to discuss how to solve the world’s growing energy needs while also reducing emissions. Working in teams, supported by ExxonMobil mentors, they presented their solutions to a panel of judges.
This was the launch of the Sci-Tech Challenge, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The event is a joint initiative between ExxonMobil and Junior Achievement Europe (JA Europe), a leader in entrepreneurship and work preparation programs for young people. An annual competition, it encourages 15- to 18-year-olds to study STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
In November, ExxonMobil and JA Europe celebrated this milestone in Brussels. The STEM4Entrepreneurship Forum brought together students, companies and policymakers. Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the European Commission, spoke at the event – highlighting the importance of STEM education. The commissioner explained that Europe needs STEM skills “to preserve European innovation and competitiveness when navigating the green and digital transitions.” He added that “investing in STEM skills is a fundamental investment in our future.”
Antonella Sopranzetti, director, government relations and advocacy at ExxonMobil, took part in a STEM education panel at the Forum. Antonella, who helped launch The Sci-Tech Challenge, describes it as “very close to my heart,” and says she considers STEM skills to be “crucial to addressing many of the challenges the world faces today.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Diana Filip, deputy CEO and chief development officer at JA Europe. “The Sci-Tech Challenge is a really impactful initiative, inspiring young people to look at careers in STEM,” she says. “It really encourages them to own their solutions and to test those solutions for the real world.”
Encouraging STEM education across Europe
More than 62,000 students from 12 countries – including Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic – have taken part in the Challenge since it began. Over the years, more than 800 teachers from 400 schools have also participated.
“Over the past 15 years, we’ve been to the McLaren Technology Centre in Surrey in the UK ,” says Kristina Velkovska Dias. Chief finance officer at JA Europe. Like Antonella, Kristina has been involved with the Sci-Tech Challenge from the start. “We’ve also been on a boat in Rotterdam, to Bucharest and to Brussels [including for this year’s Sci-Tech Challenge],” Kristina remembers fondly.
Students have looked at a whole range of topical issues over the years, applying their STEM skills to addressing some of the biggest challenges facing society. Tasks have ranged from tackling big city traffic and sustainably providing food and beverages at a music festival, to addressing plastic waste at a major sporting event and creating a circular economy on Mars.
“Teamwork is the most important thing the Sci-Tech Challenge has to offer,” says Nikolaos, who participated in 2023. “I’ve learned how to work with strangers and embrace their ideas.” Meanwhile, Eleni, who took part in 2024, explains that she has an affinity for STEM. “I’m interested in science and really like chemistry and biology,” she says. “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to participate in this competition and learn so many new things, to expand my knowledge and meet people from different countries and cultures.”
ExxonMobil Europe president Philippe Ducom says the competition gives students the chance to use their skills to come up with creative solutions to real concerns. “The ExxonMobil and JA Europe partnership creates an environment where students can explore how STEM helps address society's challenges,” he comments. “Students experience what being an engineer for a day is like and get the chance to work on important real-life issues.
“When I see the spark in their eyes: the motivation, the interest and the willingness to try things, I feel we have really helped create the next generation of innovators.”
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