Science That Will Not Stay in a Drawer: The People’s Choice Award in the Challenger Science Programme Goes to a Project from the Faculty of Medicine of CU
Bratislava, 2 December 2025: Eleven scientific teams reached the finals of the Challenger Science 2025 programme, where they presented projects that had taken shape over almost three months under the guidance of experts from professional practice. What began as academic research developed into solutions with real societal impact. This year’s edition was record-breaking, with more than 90 applications submitted by PhD students and researchers from across Slovakia. The strong interest reflects a growing determination within the Slovak research community to see scientific results applied in practice.
The main prize went to the ElectroChemX team from the Slovak Academy of Sciences for developing a non-toxic surface treatment for metals. Team leader Anna Kityk said the Challenger Science programme had significantly changed how she approaches her work:
“Scientists need to learn to think like entrepreneurs as well. We want to be pioneers who are not only excellent researchers, but also capable of turning ideas into real-world solutions.”
The organisers presented the Young Innovator Award to the HIPA project from the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. The team is developing a digital histopathology atlas designed to modernise medical education and speed up the training of healthcare professionals in a rapidly evolving medical environment.
The People’s Choice Award was won by the NEUROPRINT project from the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University Bratislava. The research team uses fingerprint analysis to enable the early detection of conditions such as autism in children. Co-author Klaudia Kyselicová highlighted the practical orientation of the programme: “We received valuable, hands-on feedback from colleagues with real experience in building a business. Because the workshops and lectures were designed specifically for scientists, they were extremely effective. You could see the difference in the participants - even over such a short period, their progress was remarkable.”
Growing Interest in the Challenger Science Programme Among Researchers
Because of the high standard of the submitted projects, the expert jury decided to expand the number of finalists from the originally planned ten teams to eleven. “This year’s quality was outstanding,” said Palo Luka, member of the jury and COO of ESET, whose foundation is a partner of the event. “Turning the results of fundamental research into practical solutions that improve people’s lives is one of science’s most important tasks, and Challenger plays a vital role in making that happen.” He added: “Perhaps the next ESET is emerging in this group - and that would be wonderful to see.”
The programme is built on close cooperation with universities, which provide the research environment for participants and naturally connect academia with the innovation ecosystem. Without this support, the programme could not function. Universities play a key role in ensuring that commercialisation becomes a natural part of an academic career.
During the evening, successful Slovak scientist and CTO of the Glycanostics company, Tomáš Bertók, pointed out that many scientific ideas in Slovakia never move beyond publications or grant projects. Because of the time and workload involved, researchers often lack the capacity to pursue practical applications and need support to do so. “Seeing Challenger projects that are clearly market-oriented and address real needs is incredibly motivating for me,” he said. “Networking is just as important - that is one of the programme’s greatest strengths.”
Entrepreneurial science can become a reality if it receives the right kind of support. Challenger Science aims, over the long term, to help remove barriers in Slovak research, strengthen the commercialisation of science, and create favourable conditions for successful technology and innovation transfer. The programme shows that Slovak scientists have the potential not only to make discoveries, but also to build new solutions and new companies - proving that good ideas should not stay in a drawer, but be put into action.
The event is organised by the Civitta consulting company in cooperation with the ESET Foundation. Comenius University Bratislava is the community partner of the Challenger Science programme.
List of Finalists – Challenger Science 2025
Andrea Ševčovičová
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava
Research into the effects of chemical substances and environmental pollution on DNA damage.
Vratislav Režo
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Development of an industrial safety concept based on biosignal analysis from non-invasive sensors.
Ivan Cimrák
Faculty of Management Science and Informatics, University of Žilina
Development of AI models for mammography and histopathology.
MX Lab – Michaela Lipková and Filip Maukš
Faculty of Architecture and Design, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Development of user-friendly and environmentally sustainable solutions in transport and urban mobility.
ElectroChemX – Anna Kityk and Viliam Pavlík
Centre for the Use of Advanced Materials, Slovak Academy of Sciences
Development of an electrochemical, non-toxic technology for cleaning, polishing and surface treatment of metals.
NEUROPRINT – Klaudia Kyselicová and Katarína Polónyiová
Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Bratislava
Research into fingerprints as diagnostic biomarkers of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
ACM – František Herman and Marek Horňák
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University Bratislava
Research into the theory of materials such as superconductors and altermagnets.
Heritage Guardians – Martina Anna Mrkvicová and Lota Chrvalová
Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Establishment of an innovative conservation and restoration centre for research and development in the field of cultural heritage protection.
Biogenesis – Andrea Svoradová and Martina Gondeková
National Agricultural and Food Centre
Research into the loss of genetic diversity in livestock and its impact on sustainable agriculture.
HIPA – Miroslav Laco and Erika Váczlavová
Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Development of a digital educational tool for modern medical teams.
GM Labs – Tomáš Walentín and Katarína Bilská
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava
Research into the larvae of Galleria mellonella as an ethical and accessible preclinical model for testing new medicines and therapies.