Come and join us in Sarajevo to find out during a 10-day challenge for multidisciplinary teams of young people!
The 2026 Challenge will take place from Tuesday September 22nd to Thursday October 1st.
The challenge 2026 will focussed on applications of accelerators to society with specific implementation in the Balkans.
Take part in an all-cost-covered challenge to imagine new multidisciplinary solutions to address societal problems by using particle accelerators taking as a case study “implementation in the Balkans.”
This challenge will be tackled by multidisciplinary teams invited to stay, all expenses covered, for 10 days in Sarajevo.
Some particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN are the largest scientific tools on Earth. But beyond driving large scientific discoveries, many smaller accelerators are used daily to improve our lives in areas such as pollution detection and cleaning, medical imaging and treatment, materials modification…
they are also used in many scientific fields to know the age of old artifacts, to find the chemical composition of unknown materials…
During 10 days in Sarajevo, you will join a team of selected students, young people from different academic backgrounds to imagine innovative solutions on
“how particle accelerators can be used to address societal issues; case study: implementation in the Balkans”
On the 10th day, you will present your work to a jury of international experts at the University of Sarajevo.
The winning team will be offered a trip to CERN including a hands-on experience on the ELISA accelerator, exhibited at the CERN Science Gateway as well as support to think how to take their idea one step further.
To help in this task, you will be offered high-level seminars on particle accelerators and their applications and on innovation and scientific communication. Mentors will be on hand to ensure a stimulating environment to discuss these topics.
This initiative is put forward by the Three Physicist Foundation and IFIGENEIA EU Horizon project together with several academic partners including CERN, CNAO, CNRS, GSI, UNSA…
It stems from the CBI initiative organised in previous years.
Who can apply?
Applications are welcome from senior bachelor and master students from European universities studying physics, medicine, engineering, material science, environmental science, life sciences, Applied Mathematics, or related.
Interest or experience in the fields of particle accelerators will be an advantage but is not required.
Language:
All activities will be held in English.
How to apply?
To apply fill the form at http://www.ifast-cbi.particle-accelerators.eu/application/
Application deadline:
The application form has to be submitted before Wednesday, April 1st, 2026, 23:59, Sarajevo time (CET).
Calendar:
April 1st 2026: Application deadline
June 1st: Successful applicants are notified.
September 1st : Online meeting at 5pm, “Getting to know each other”.
3rd-17th September: Series of online seminars at 5pm to learn about accelerators and their applications to society.
Tuesday, September 22nd to Thursday, October 1st: Stay at a prestigious 4* hotel close to the historic centre of Sarajevo.
Thursday, October 1st: Presentation in front of an international jury and award ceremony.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under Grant Agreement No 101004730 and No 101186921.
Past CBI in the news:
2025
Article on CERN’s website: Students step up to the I.FAST innovation challenge
Article on I.FAST website: International students complete challenge to find innovative medical solutions with accelerator technologies and on Accelerating News.
Linkedin post with the results of the 2025 challenge: How can particle accelerators help to improve human health? and another linkedin post from TU Graz relating the experience of one of the participants: From physics to medicine
Science Meets Medicine: UM Researcher Participates in CERN Innovation Challenge, an article published on University of Malta’s news site.
2024
Article on CERN’s website: Students pitch innovative ideas to tackle healthcare issues using particle accelerators in 10-day challenge (also on the I. FAST website).
Linkedin post with the results of the 2024 challenge.
2023
Article published in Cordis: Accelerating solutions for the environment.
Article published in Prima Pagina, the newsletter of the Italian Physical Society.
Article published by Ecotextile: Electron beams separate blended textiles.
Article published by the Textfash publication: Particle Accelerators Can Accelerate Circular Fashion by Segregating Fabric Components
Article published on the I.FAST website in August 2023 and on the CERN website.
2022
Online seminar for the APS: « The I.FAST CBI: a challenge to engage students on the application of particle accelerators to the environment” by Dr. Nicolas Delerue
Article published in Accelerating News in December 2022.
Article published in CERN Bulletin in October 2022.
Article published in Accelerating News! in December 2021.
Recommended reading:
See our page with reading material about particle accelerators.
Questions?
Please check the Frequently Asked Questions page if you have any questions.