From 11-13 July, 35 students from over 20 countries came together at CERN IdeaSquare to take part in a hackathon co-organised by OQI and the University of Geneva (Geneva Responsible Entrepreneurship Center).
ATTRACT highlights the potential of research infrastructures to boost Europe’s competitiveness and security
Project offers blueprint to develop more homegrown deep tech in Europe
Clothing that sucks drinking-water direct from the air is among the novelties that 1,400+ students have devised as part of ATTRACT Academy’s training for future tech entrepreneurs
Random Power, an Italian quantum innovator, is among several surprising deep-tech projects incubated by the EU-funded ATTRACT project
The ATTRACT Academy is revolutionising how students engage with deep-tech innovation and entrepreneurship. Born from the success of the ‘Young Innovators and Entrepreneurs’ pilot in ATTRACT phase 1, it scaled up its impact during phase 2, expanding its reach to multiple universities across Europe.
Around the world, governments spend billions of euros a year to get new discoveries out of the lab and into the market. But do they actually know what works and what doesn’t?
Spoiler alert: not really. In many cases, the design of R&D support programmes is just a matter of “well-intentioned guesswork,” says Albert Bravo-Biosca, director of the London- and Barcelona-based Innovation Growth Lab, a non-profit that studies innovation policy.
Since its founding in 1954, CERN has been powered by the passion of scientists and engineers determined to push the boundaries of knowledge and technology in the quest to understand the universe. This drive has sparked groundbreaking innovations and continues to shape the future of science and society. But these achievements are more than just milestones. They are the result of relentless curiosity, bold collaboration, and a deep commitment to exploration. At CERN, innovation isn’t just a goal.
IdeaSquare – the innovation space at CERN, received the 2025 cohort of students from the TechFoward Programme – an advanced training course that connects academic research with market innovation. 6 multidisciplinary teams from UNIBO and associated partner universities from the Emilia-Romagna region, work on innovative technologies developed by researchers from the universities involved, exploring their potential and identifying new strategic applications for the market.