Big research starts small: how science meets kids' wishes

We recently promised to turn some of the children's wishes for scientists into reality before Christmas - and we meant it! While some of these breakthroughs might not happen overnight in 2025, it's worth noting that EU-funded research tackling these challenges was already in progress.

With each breakthrough, we move closer to a world where imagination and innovation go hand in hand. Today's wish might just spark tomorrow's scientific leap. Many EU scientists began their careers with the dream of making a difference. With the support of EU funding, those visions are now unfolding into tangible progress, one discovery at a time.

The EU supports a range of research and innovation projects across Europe. Among these, the following projects are funded through Horizon Europe's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and Cluster 2: "Culture, Creativity and inclusive society".

"Discover the skeleton of a new dinosaur" - Elias, 12 years old

Rest assured, Elias, your wish is in great hands with EU-funded researchers Francisco Javier Ortega Coloma and Daniel Vidal Cales who are currently studying the evolution of long-necked dinosaurs that lived in North Africa approximately 94 million years ago.

This period was marked by major changes in sea levels and temperatures, leading to one of the greatest extinctions in Earth's history. These dinosaurs' fossils represent the largest, yet-to-be-described collection from the Mesozoic era, which is when these changes occurred.

The EvoSaurAf project uses advanced techniques like virtual palaeontology, fossil study, and data analysis to better study the long-necked dinosaurs and their evolution. The project has created the most complete virtual collection of African dinosaur fossils to date.

Find out more about EvoSaurAf.

"A cure for cancer and Alzheimer's" - Zoé and Nicólas, 11 and 13 years old

Dear Zoé and Nicólas, there are dozens of researchers, supported by the EU, devoting their careers to finding treatment for cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Here are two examples of their pioneering work:

The CarrerasLeaders project is a unique world-wide postdoctoral programme supporting 16 scientists for a period of 3 years in their blood cancer research. Their goal? To improve the way we understand, diagnose and treat blood cancers, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients.

Alzheimer's disease is responsible for most dementia cases, yet current treatments are only effective for certain cases. With the number of dementia cases in Europe expected to double by 2025, finding widespread solutions is more urgent than ever.

This is why the DIVE into AD project is exploring the different types of tau - a protein that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and form different types of effects. The project aims to create new technology to detect these proteins in brain samples, improving diagnosis, treatment and personalised care for each patient.

Find out more about CarrerasLeaders and DIVE into AD.

"More discoveries about the different space dimensions" - Lynn, 11 years old.

Well, Lynn, your wish is in expert care with the EU-funded PiCOGAMBAS project that is looking for answers to some of the biggest questions about our universe.

The lead scientists, Giulio Fabbian, uses advanced techniques to explore the nature of dark matter, dark energy, gravitational force, and the early rapid expansion of the universe known as inflation. These concepts remain largely unknown but are key to understanding how the universe works.

To shed light on them, the researcher uses observations of the reconstructed matter distribution in the universe in different wavelengths and analyse these data jointly.

Find out more about PiCOGAMBAS.

"New materials with which you can easily build a small apartment for people sleeping on the streets to keep them warm" - Sophia, 9 years old

Sophia, you are right. According to data from 2023, around 895,000 people in Europe are homeless. The HouseIncproject is on a mission to tackle housing inequalities affecting marginalised communities in Europe and explore how social, economic and environmental factors contribute to the problem.

The project works with universities, research groups, NGOs and communities to gather insights and recommendations with the aim of reducing housing inequality for vulnerable groups, as well as guide policy solutions at local, national and EU level - like modular building blocks for affordable, sustainable, and inclusive housing.

Find out more about HouseInc.

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Read more

Young minds, big ideas: children's wishes for scientific discoveries in 2025 - European Commission

Women-led science: breaking barriers, solving challenges - European Commission

New technologies can save lives: the commitment of Tiina Ristmäe - European Commission

Empowering women in science: How the EU is driving change for gender equality in R&I - European Commission