The competition started in 1989 after the former European Commission President Jacques Delors decided to take over a Europe-wide science fair that the Dutch electronics company Royal Philips had been running since 1968. The take-over of this fair symbolises the birth of EUCYS.
The European Commission launched the contest in Brussels with the aim of promoting cooperation and exchange between young researchers and giving them the chance to discuss their work with some of the world’s leading scientists. Since then, the event has been continuously implemented, giving a generation of young researchers the confidence to pursue careers in science.
The first Contest finals took place in Brussels in 1989. Since then, the event has been hosted in: Copenhagen, Zurich, Seville, Berlin, Luxembourg, Newcastle upon Tyne, Helsinki, Milan, Porto, Thessaloniki, Amsterdam, Bergen, Vienna, Budapest, Dublin, Moscow, Stockholm, Valencia, Paris, Lisbon, Helsinki, Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw, Sofia and Tallinn.
Some cities even got to host the Contest twice! Copenhagen hosted EUCYS for the second time in 2009 during the 20th anniversary of the Contest. Brussels and Dublin also hosted EUCYS a second time in 2016 and 2018 respectively. The previous Contest final in 2020/2021 was organised in Salamanca and made use of a virtual platform.
This year, the 33rd edition of the European Union Contest for Young Scientists takes place in Leiden. Both Leiden2022 and the European Commission are very grateful and happy with this collaboration.
For more information on the history of the EU Contest please visit the following website: ec.europa.eu.
