Students invited to present their work in Helsinki
The Future Talent Programme provides specialised training and workshops designed to develop oral presentation skills and effective communication of ideas.
Are you a higher education student looking to strengthen your public speaking and presentation skills? Would you also like to showcase innovative projects and ideas in the field of Information Technologies? If so, the Future Talent Programme may be for you.
The GÉANT initative is run in Portugal by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its digital services unit FCCN. Applications are open until 28 January 2026.
Successful applicants will have the opportunity to present their projects at the Lightning Talks of TNC26, the largest and most prestigious European conference dedicated to academic and scientific networks. The 2026 edition will take place in Helsinki, Finland, from 8 to 12 June, with travel and accommodation expenses fully covered for selected participants.
Through the Future Talent Programme 2026, participants benefit from specialised training and workshops aimed at improving oral presentation skills and the effective communication of ideas.
The programme is open to undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students from institutions that are part of the RCTS – Science, Technology and Society Network, as well as interns and early-career professionals with up to five years of professional experience.
Interested candidates must submit a proposal in English including the following information: title; presentation description; name(s) of the presenter(s) and home institution; name(s) of the author(s), academic level and institution (if different from the presenter(s)); curriculum vitae; telephone numbers and email addresses; and the contact details of a faculty member from the higher education institution. Applications should be sent to c.imagem@fccn.pt by 28 January 2026.
What are Lightning Talks?
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Language: English
- Format: Dynamic
- Topic: Any area related to Information Technologies and Networks
- Content may include: an innovation or discovery; a project under development; research or study results; an original idea with potential impact
What is GÉANT?
GÉANT (the Gigabit European Academic Network) is an advanced, high-speed, pan-European data network that connects Europe's National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), providing essential infrastructure and services for over 50 million researchers, academics and students across 10,000 institutions.