Scholarships Science and society

“Sometimes a spontaneous yes opens doors that you hadn't even thought of”

Name: State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI
Price range: $

The Science Olympiad nurtures young talent. For many participants, it marks the first step towards a host of opportunities to meet and work with peers from around the world who share their passion for science and future challenges, and who also want to play an active part in addressing them.

23.03.2026

Authors: Claudia Lippuner, Irina Mayer

Adrien Zaradez, alumnus of the 2022 Economics Olympiad and the International Swiss Talent Forum on “Circular Economy” (2023) and “The Future of Work” (2025), Photo: SYS

Related links

Scholarships Insight into research and innovation in Kenia and Tanzania

Scholarships Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, more than just a career springboard...

Scholarships Scholarships as a career booster

The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) supports the next generation of researchers, inventors and innovators by backing organisations such as the Science Olympiad, the Swiss Youth in Science Foundation (SJf) and the Swiss Study Foundation. These three organisations focus on young talent across Switzerland from upper-secondary level onwards across various disciplines and all areas of education. They work with other organisations such as SwissSkills and Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES). Together, they foster the development of academic and practical talents, encourage individual networking at both national and international level, and spark curiosity about transdisciplinary approaches to challenges and solutions relevant to the future. They make science and innovation tangible, providing valuable experiences that complement those gained within formal educational contexts.

At the Science Olympiad in Switzerland, students compete in the eleven subjects of astronomy, biology, chemistry, geography, informatics, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, physics, robotics and economics. In return, participants receive subject-specific training from relevant experts. This commitment – and especially that of schools and teachers – is crucial to ensuring equitable, sustainable and often playful access to the challenges set by the various Olympiads. After all, science can – and should – be fun! All of this is making an impact: the number of participants is increasing every year.

Switzerland's top performers in their respective subjects are given the chance to represent their country on the international stage, and often do so with great success. In 2024/2025, for example, the Swiss teams won a total of 76 medals and honourable mentions across the various disciplines.

International Economics Olympiad in Turkey

In his interview with the E2 news portal, Olympiad contestant Adrien Zaradez talks about his own positive experiences with such support initiatives. While attending Hottingen Cantonal School, his spontaneous decision in 2022 to take part in the Economics Olympiad opened doors he hadn’t even imagined. The Economics Olympiad is a joint project between YES and the Science Olympiad in which talented young people receive practical support in economics, finance and entrepreneurship, as well as the opportunity to make numerous contacts. Adrien Zaradez won the gold medal at national level in 2022 and, in recognition of his courage and talent, was awarded in the same year a bronze medal at the International Economics Olympiad in Turkey. The four-person team from Switzerland successfully competed against 40 teams from all over the world, finishing in 16th place, while their business case made it to the top ten. The key to their individual achievements lay in the close international and intercultural interaction, which brought together different ways of thinking, coupled with intensive teamwork that often continued into the early hours of the morning.

Finalists of the Swiss Economics Olympiad 2022, including Adrien Zaradez (gold medalist), Photo: YES

Adrien Zaradez’s success at the Olympiad – together with the valuable experience he gained from working with other dedicated young adults – paved the way for a swift transition to the International Swiss Talent Forum (ISTF) in Lausanne, which is organised annually by the SJf. Participants from Switzerland are nominated and invited by the Science Olympiad, the SJf, the Swiss Study Foundation and SwissSkills. The nomination of participants from abroad is handled by the relevant partner organisations. The ISTF 2023 focused on the ‘circular economy’, making it a perfect fit for Adrien Zaradez’s interests and expertise. It is a highly topical, complex and multifaceted issue, for which around 70 young adults explored and developed solutions from both scientific and economic perspectives. They were supported by coaches and challengers, who play a key role in shaping the forum and ensuring that transdisciplinary collaboration within international teams is tangible, experiential and presentable in practice. It was also the power of transdisciplinary collaboration that particularly fascinated Adrien Zaradez. This led him to take part in the ISTF again in 2025 – this time in Murten, on the topic of ‘The Future of Work’.

Group photo of the National Final of the Swiss Economics Olympiad 2025, co-organised by Adrien Zaradez, Photo: YES

From mentee to mentor

The wide-ranging experience he gained through the Science Olympiad and the Sjf – combined with their collaboration with other organisations that support young talent – inspired the young informatics student to help shape the Economics Olympiad himself as a former competitor. It is immensely valuable and very much to their credit that former participants, working alongside mentors and benefactors on both a voluntary and professional basis, help to pass on the proverbial Olympic flame by supporting and shaping the next generation of outstanding minds and catalysts for change in education, research and innovation.