Kyiv schoolboy wins European award for neural network to develop antibiotics – photos

Kyiv schoolboy Mykhailo Bilous has taken third place at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS). He was recognised for developing a neural network that can be used to design antibacterial drugs.

Source: Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: This year's international competition was held in the German city of Kiel. Mykhailo, who studies at the Claris Verbis school in Kyiv, presented PhagoRix, a neural network that helps develop antibiotics quickly and without harming the environment.

The schoolboy was assisted in his work by his research supervisor and biology and chemistry teacher, Viktoriia Holovan.

For his development, Mykhailo received not only enthusiastic feedback from the jury but also €3,500 to further develop the project.

Polina Yursul, who studies at the Ukrainian Physics and Mathematics Lyceum of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, also had the opportunity to present her work at the event. Together with her research supervisor and physics teacher, Oleksandr Mieshkov, she presented an idea for a portable device for recognising gestures using inertial sensors.

For reference: The EU Contest for Young Scientists is a prestigious event that has recognised the best research projects by young scientists aged 14 to 20 since 1994.

The competition, which marked its 37th edition this year, aims to promote young people's scientific achievements and encourage them to pursue careers in science, innovation, research and technology.

In 2026, around 150 young researchers from nearly 40 countries took part in the competition. They presented their projects to an international jury of 20-25 scientists, innovators and industry experts. The young researchers also had the opportunity to exchange ideas with their peers and learn from one another.

Background: Schoolboy Roman Kozak from Zakarpattia Oblast previously won the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad, beating participants from 90 countries.

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Originally reported by Ukrainska Pravda by Anna Kovalenko. Read the full story at the source.