Researcher Won First Prize at EU TalentOn 2026
Dr. Samar Momin helped lead the Block2City team to victory in a competition held in France this September.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Remote Work
Dr. Samar Momin, a research assistant at Atlantic Technological University, won the first prize at the EU TalentOn 2026 event held in Brest, France. The competition took place from September 7 to 11, 2026.
Why it matters
The competition challenged early-career researchers to develop innovative solutions for the five EU Missions under Horizon Europe. The winning project, Block2City, aims to improve the use of building data to support sustainable property renovations.
The Block2City team, comprised of four researchers, secured an €8,000 first-prize award among participants representing 43 nationalities. The event featured 100 early-career researchers competing to address five EU Missions.
The players
Dr. Samar Momin
She is a research assistant at Atlantic Technological University who won the top prize at the event.
Atlantic Technological University
This is a higher education institution located in Ireland that employs the winning researcher.
The details
The Block2City team developed their concept through a structured process involving ideation, validation, business modeling, and pitching. The project specifically addresses challenges in utilizing building data for sustainable renovation.
Timeline
EU TalentOn 2026 took place in Brest, France, from September 7 to 11, 2026.
Market Landscape
The Block2City concept aligns with the broader EU Horizon Europe mission challenges by focusing on data-driven sustainability. This initiative mirrors a growing industry trend toward leveraging digital building records to meet modern environmental regulatory goals.
Property owners may see future benefits as the Block2City concept scales, potentially simplifying the data-gathering process for building renovations. The project aims to make sustainable upgrades more accessible by improving how existing property data is utilized.
The takeaway
Innovation competitions like EU TalentOn serve as critical incubators for bridging the gap between academic research and practical sustainable solutions. The success of the Block2City team highlights the ongoing value of interdisciplinary, international collaboration in modern research.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in Remote Work and professional collaboration.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Atlantic Technological University.
