The Regional Round of the Science and Technology Festival Has Its Winners

The competition featured two categories – Junior (for pupils in lower secondary schools and the lower years of multi-year grammar schools) and Secondary School Student. A total of 91 projects were presented and assessed by a panel of 45 experts, made up of representatives from academia, schools, and businesses.

The competition is open to both individuals and teams who submit a scientific or technical project developed using scientific methods. Participants may collaborate with experts and institutions, but they must demonstrate their own contribution to the results. Each project is presented on a display poster and also in person, both to the panel of judges and to the public.

The main prize for the 32 most successful junior participants was a week-long study trip to France, planned for June this year. Secondary school students competed for financial rewards totalling nearly CZK 150,000, donated by the event’s sponsors. Foxconn Czech Republic became the main partner of the festival. “We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to become the general partner of such an event, because Foxconn is a technology company and we need lots of skilled people with technical education in our ranks. We would be absolutely delighted if some of the contestants became our future employees, so they can continue to develop their potential and grow their careers with us,” says Radka Svobodová, Compliance, PR and Communications Manager at Foxconn, about the company’s support of the Science and Technology Festival.

The regional round of the Science and Technology Festival was organised for the first time by the Pardubice Business Incubator (P-PINK), under the patronage of the Department of Education of the Pardubice Region and the Regional Councillor for Education, Josef Kozel. “Many teachers have known and proudly supported this competition for years. I’m glad that the Pardubice Region can do everything possible to help make the event as prestigious as it can be,” said Josef Kozel. Jiří Janků, Director of P-PINK, also welcomed the opportunity to take over the organisation of the event. “The Pardubice Business Incubator supports entrepreneurship from primary schools all the way to universities. Innovation, science and research are the driving forces of our economy, and part of our mission is to help turn student projects into reality – and into business.”

In addition to the competition itself, a supporting programme was prepared for the participants. They could take part in networking bingo or attend an inspiring talk by Marek Votroubek – a successful alumnus of the Science and Technology Festival from 2008 and 2009. With his project, he made it all the way to an international competition in the USA.