"Training Future Nobel Science Laureates"... Hanwha Science Challenge Concludes Overseas Exploration

Winners of Last Year’s Competition
Visit Leading Overseas Energy Research Institutes

Hanwha Group announced on the 20th that the 6-night, 8-day overseas exploration of 10 winners of the 'Hanwha Science Challenge' has concluded. The winners of last year's Hanwha Science Challenge, the largest high school science idea competition in Korea, visited energy research institutions in Germany and the Netherlands from the 12th to the 19th of this month.

Started in 2011 by Chairman Kim Seung-yeon with the motto of ‘Nurturing Korea’s Young Nobel Science Award Winners,’ the Hanwha Science Challenge has contributed to discovering future scientific talents in Korea, with about 16,000 high school students participating over the past 13 years.

Students who won the 'Hanwha Science Challenge' and participated in the overseas exploration are taking a commemorative photo during their visit to the Potsdam Astrophysical Institute, one of the world's top 10 astrophysics research institutes. (Photo by Hanwha Communication Committee)

This overseas exploration involved 10 participants from 5 teams that won silver awards or higher last year. Within the schedule linked to the competition theme ‘Saving the Earth,’ they gained valuable experiences to grow as future scientific talents researching sustainable development.

The students participating in the overseas exploration started with a visit to the Potsdam Astrophysical Institute, one of the world’s top 10 astrophysics research institutes, followed by visits to Berlin Institute of Technology, Hanwha Q CELLS Global R&D Center, AEB Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Delft University of Technology, and the Netherlands Institute for Marine Research, directly witnessing global eco-friendly and renewable energy research sites.

The Hanwha Q CELLS Germany R&D Center serves as Hanwha Group’s European eco-friendly business outpost, where they encountered world-class solar solutions and continuous technological innovation cases. AEB Amsterdam is a power plant that incinerates waste to recycle it into fuel and energy, recycling 99% of 1.4 million tons of waste annually into raw materials and energy.

At Delft University of Technology, regarded as the Netherlands’ top engineering university, a special lecture and Q&A session were held by Professor Yang Ji-eun of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Additionally, academic and career mentoring programs were conducted with graduate students majoring in biophysics, control engineering, and architectural engineering.

The organizers pointed out the Netherlands Institute for Marine Research, the world’s leading marine technology research institute, as the place participants were most interested in. There, students experienced advanced technologies such as carbon-free ships and floating island research aimed at overcoming the climate crisis.

The upcoming ‘Hanwha Science Challenge 2025’ will begin accepting applications through the competition website starting in March. Scholarships and prizes totaling approximately 200 million KRW, including a grand prize of 40 million KRW, will be awarded, and winners of silver awards or higher will have the opportunity to visit prestigious overseas scientific institutions and engineering universities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.