Announcement of this year’s ADAMED SmartUP grand prize and scholarship winners

The Adamed Foundation has been consistently supporting students in their scientific endeavours since 2014. The Foundation undertakes initiatives to promote science and holds free workshops, but the backbone of its activities is the annual ADAMED SmartUP scholarship program. The eight editions to date have attracted nearly 60,000 entrants, of whom 400 have taken part in science camps.

A highlight of this year’s gala ceremony, held on 13 September, was the announcement of 10 grand prize winners and three scholarship winners selected from the group of 2021 champions. All the recipients of this year’s awards have one thing in common: an outstanding aptitude for exact and natural sciences.

– The future belongs to science. Science has helped us overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic and it is helping us respond to the challenges ahead, such as the energy crisis, global warming or disinformation on the Internet. As Maria Skłodowska-Curie used to say: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” This quote sums up what I wish all the ADAMED SmartUP winners – keep expanding your knowledge and use it to change the world for the better – said Małgorzata Adamkiewicz, MD, PhD, President of the Adamed Foundation’s Management Board, at the awards gala.

This year’s 10 winners announced

As every year, 10 winners of the main prize were selected from among 50 participants of the summer science camp. They will be supported further through a dedicated program of individual consultations. All the winners will participate in classes, workshops, and internships tailored to their specific needs and the area of study they want to pursue.

The 2022 grand prize winners of the 8th edition of the ADAMED SmartUP program are:

• Antoni Bartkowiak from Kielce, student at Saint Jadwiga the Queen Memorial High School in Kielce
• Jakub Borowicz from Złoty Potok (Silesian Voivodeship), student at the 9th C. K. Norwid High School in Częstochowa
• Mikołaj Cichoń from Katowice, student at the 8th Maria Skłodowska-Curie High School with Bilingual Departments in Katowice
• Aleksandra Kobyłecka from Łódź, student at the 2nd Stefan Batory High School with Bilingual Departments in Warsaw
• Oskar Leksa from Kielce, student at Saint Jadwiga the Queen Memorial High School in Kielce
• Anna Olszak from Gliwice, student at the Technical and IT Education School Complex in Gliwice
• Jan Skiba from Warsaw, student at the 14th Stanisław Staszic High School in Warsaw
• Krystian Skowron from Andrychów (Lesser Poland Voivodeship), student at the 5th High School in Bielsko-Biała
• Julia Sosińska from Poznań, student at the Academic High School in Toruń
• Andrzej Wrzesiński from Radziejów (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship), student at the Władysław Łokietek High School in Radziejów

– From the very outset, ADAMED SmartUP has been designed as a program building a sense of community. In addition to creating opportunities to expand knowledge and skills, it offers young people a chance to meet students with similar interests. I’m very happy that we have a chance to meet a new group of inspiring people every year – said Katarzyna Dubno, Member of the Adamed Foundation’s Management Board.

– By participating in the program, I’ve made new friends. I think I will meet many of them along the way as I build up my career path in science. In fact, some of us have already teamed up to work on new projects – said Mikołaj Cichoń, winner of the grand prize in the 8th edition of the program.

– ADAMED SmartUP has changed my view of science. I’ve realized the importance of interdisciplinarity in the pursuit of a scientific career. Now I know that if you want to grow comprehensively, you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one area but gather knowledge from many sources – said Julia Sosińska, this year’s grand prize winner.

Winning the grand prize is not the end of the ADAMED SmartUP journey. After a year of consultations, three participants of the program will receive a scholarship to use for further scientific development.

Three scholarship winners selected

The gala ceremony also saw the announcement of three ADAMED SmartUP scholarship winners. They were selected from the group of grand prize winners of the 7th edition of the program. This year, the scholarships were awarded to: Mateusz Jarek from Łaziska Górne, Adrianna Jażdżewska from Gdańsk, and Patryk Wekwejt from Ostrołęka.

The Adamed Foundation recognized the progress they had made during their year-long course of educational consultations. Each winner will receive a scholarship of PLN 40,000. The funding may be used for any purpose related to the advancement of the students’ scientific capabilities.

– I’m starting my medical studies at the Medical University of Gdańsk in October. The scholarship will help me fulfil my dream of internships and placements abroad. I’d like to further my medical training at universities in the United States or the UK – said Adrianna Jażdżewska, this year’s ADAMED SmartUP scholarship winner.

Call for entrants for the next edition is underway

ADAMED SmartUP is a program targeting students aged 14–18 who are interested in exact and life sciences. Recruitment for the 9th edition of the program started on 1 September and it is scheduled to close on 15 January 2023. The best 50 entrants will be invited to take part in the ADAMED SmartUP science camp.