Circular economy, regeneration of resources, biotechnology and environmental sustainability: these are the keywords of the themes chosen for the new Mad for Science edition and on which high schools will compete to win a state-of-the-art laboratory where they can explore science first hand.

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has been driving the themes of the Mad for Science competition for three years, continues to be the underlying theme inspiring schools’ ideas and competing teams’ projects. This year, the focus will be on the SDG12 - Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG11 – Sustainable cities and communities.

Scientific research and biotechnologies are strategic levers for sustainable development and they play an increasingly important role in supporting circular economy, the environment and waste recycling-reuse. For example, many steps forward have been taken in the development of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms that can, thus, be exploited for the bioremediation of contaminated seas and soils. Existing examples of circular economy include olive pits used as a fuel for household heating; beet or rice waste to make bioplastics; tomato seeds turned into food for rabbits; fruit and vegetable waste turned into energy. The application of biotechnological innovation in agriculture helps us meet increased nutritional needs and provide specific measures to manage the reduced availability of soil and cope with harsh climatic conditions without wasting important natural resources and losing biodiversity.

Achieving sustainable development requires an efficient, ecological and modern technology that meets citizens’ needs and protects our living space and the environment from every point of view: from quality of the air to sustainable management of soil and water and protection of biodiversity. Citizens, schools and students plays a pivotal role in this scenario: they are the protagonists in a process requiring a change in their behaviors and making them consistent with models of environmental sustainability (such as maintenance of urban green spaces, environmental monitoring and sustainable mobility) and social sustainability (every year about one third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted or lost).

The themes chosen will give schools much food for thoughts, as you can watch in the Mad for Science 2021 launch video!