The Ones to Shape Our Future – Adamed Foundation has announced the ADAMED SmartUP grand prize and scholarship winners

On 11 September, during the closing gala of the ninth edition of the ADAMED SmartUP programme, ten winners of the main award and three new scholarship holders were announced by the Adamed Foundation. 70 thousand students from across Poland have so far applied for the programme in its various editions. The winners, while not even 20 years old yet, are already building robots, putting together space probes, closely following medical breakthroughs, making ambitious plans for the future and representing Poland at international science Olympiads. In future, they might well join the scientific teams of the world’s leading research centres.

For almost a decade, the Adamed Foundation has been reaching out to the most talented students in Poland, supporting them in the pursuit of their passions. The community brought together in the ADAMED SmartUP science and education programme has just grown to include more students intent of making the world a better place through their scientific talent. As many as 450 teenagers, selected from among 70 thousand candidates, have so far taken part in the Foundation’s science camps, honing their incredible skills and dazzling others with their resolve to keep expanding their knowledge. Every year, the Foundation recognizes the participants with the greatest potential by offering a year-long consultation programme to help them improve even more. The programme’s alumni usually go on to enjoy stellar careers in science – they study at top universities and then join academic research teams and work in the most innovative branches of the economy.

“Nine thousand young people registered for the 9th edition of the ADAMED SmartUP programme. More than 40 percent of them identified Marie Curie as the most inspiring role model for their development. She was the one to say: ‘Searching for pure knowledge is one of humanity’s most essential needs’. Today, in such dynamically changing environment, these words take on special significance, because without arriving at the truth, at knowledge, we will not solve the key challenges of modern times, such as global warming or energy problems. Let’s not forget about interacting with other people. The importance of building a supportive environment for young people is evidenced by the alarming data on mental breakdowns affecting this age group. As adults, we are not only responsible for supporting children in their academic development, but also for ensuring their psychological wellbeing. Therefore, the Adamed Foundation is launching a new programme called “Supportive School”, which will provide real tools for building a safe environment for young people. Only by working together will we be able to shape a better future and achieve success. This is precisely what I wish for you – plenty of success,” said Małgorzata Adamkiewicz, MD, PhD, President of the Adamed Foundation’s Management Board.

10 outstanding students

10 winners of the main prize were selected from among 50 participants of this year’s summer science camp. They were the ones who performed the best during the two weeks of intensive classes and achieved the most impressive results. Each of the winners will benefit from one-on-one science consultations over the next ten months to further nurture their talents. The classes, workshops and traineeships will be perfectly aligned with their individual needs, to make sure they receive the best possible support in pursuing their chosen development objectives.

The 2023 grand prize winners of the 9th edition of the ADAMED SmartUP program are:

1. Tomasz Grabowski – student at the 9th Klementyna Hoffmanowa High School in Warsaw,
2. Wiktoria Klich – student at the 2nd Nicolas Copernicus High School in Mielec,
3. Mikołaj Lipiński – student at Saint Jadwiga the Queen High School in Kielce,
4. Franciszek Łopuszański – student at the 1st E. Dembowski High School in Gliwice,
5. Nina Mamcarz – graduate of the 2nd Stefan Batory High School with Bilingual Departments in Warsaw,
6. Mateusz Nowak – student at the 2nd Rev. Jan Twardowski High School in Dębica,
7. Wiktoria Nowakowska – student at the 9th Klementyna Hoffmanowa High School in Warsaw,
8. Pola Ochocka – student at the 14th Stanisław Staszic High School in Warsaw,
9. Piotr Romanowski – student at the Władysław Jagiełło High School with Bilingual Departments in Płock,
10. Zofia Zakrzewska – student at the Academic High School of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice.

 “We are delighted to see that Polish students are becoming bolder in putting their ideas into practice and starting to accomplish spectacular successes. Each of the winners has their own plan for the future. We hope that under our wing, the ten extremely interesting young people will achieve their goals and fulfil plenty of scientific dreams,” says Katarzyna Dubno, Member of the Management Board of the Adamed Foundation.

 “I never expected to win and it came as a real surprise – the formula of the programme makes it virtually impossible to anticipate who may possibly become a winner. I had been following ADAMED SmartUP for three years and I must honestly say that I really wanted to be one of the ten winners. I will now focus on applying to study in the United States – being admitted to one of the Ivy League universities is my dream. I am also planning to apply to study medicine at Oxford or Cambridge. I would also love to represent Poland at the international Olympiad in chemistry,” says winner Pola Ochocka about her plans.

“I am delighted that my journey with ADAMED Smart Up will last much longer than the two weeks I spent at the camp. I hope that the ten months of scientific work will allow me to put as many of my ideas as possible into practice, because I still have plenty of them. The consultations will be yet another opportunity for me to broaden my knowledge and learn more about science,” says winner Wiktoria Klich.

Three ADAMED SmartUP scholarship winners

The official closing ceremony also saw the announcement of three ADAMED SmartUP scholarship winners, selected from among the holders of the main prize in the 8th edition of the programme. They are the ones who made the most efficient use of their time and made the greatest headway. Each of them will receive a scientific scholarship. This year, the scholarships were awarded to: Aleksandra Kobyłecka from Łódź, Julia Sosińska from Toruń and Krystian Skowron from Bielsko-Biała.

“I am surrounded by so many gifted people and each of last year’s main prize winners deserved this award. This is why I am even more grateful for the scholarship I received. I am planning to spend the award money on a trip to the United States, where I have been offered an internship at Wake Forest University. My greatest dream is to study in the US in the field of biological sciences, not only neurobiology, but also medicine,” says Aleksandra Kobyłecka.

Registration for the 10th edition is now open

The ADAMED SmartUP programme is intended for students aged 14-18 who are passionate about exact and natural sciences. They can already register for the 10th anniversary edition. Recruitment started on 1 September and will last until 15 January 2024. The first stage consists in playing a scientific game which tests the participants’ logical thinking skills. The top-scoring players will be invited for interviews and the 50 best candidates will take part in the ADAMED SmartUP science camp.