On Saturday, March 22, 2025, the Institut du Cerveau in Paris hosted the new edition of the Neurosciences Olympiad – France Brain Bee. Nearly 60 high school students from all over France (and even from abroad!) competed for a place in the prestigious International Brain Bee final.
France Brain Bee, a springboard to scientific careers
Created in 1998, the International Brain Bee Olympiad aims to introduce young people under the age of 19 to neuroscience and to stimulate research careers. Since 2019, the French version – France Brain Bee – has been enthusiastically carried by the Institut du Cerveau, which organises this stimulating and enriching event every year.
A day of hard work at the Brain Institute
After a months-long preparation program (September to March), the candidates took on several challenges during the day:
- A diagnostic test around brain pathologies
- A Multiple-Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) for Basic Knowledge in Neuroscience
- An interactive test of neuroanatomy and neurohistology
The top five participants then took part in a final live question-and-answer exercise, which selected the finalists.
A brilliant victory
Congratulations to Céline MALLET, student of the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, who wins the 2025 edition! She will proudly represent France at the International Brain Bee World Championship which will be held on-line as part of the Society for Neuroscience's Neuroscience 2025 Congress from November 7-12, 2025.
This program will include online challenges, interactive social activities and a final online session.
Inspiring exchanges
In addition to the competition, the day allowed the high school students to talk with passionate scientists. This year, Jérôme MUNUERA, Inserm researcher with the NEURXP (Experimental Neurosurgery) team, shared his journey and his research with the participants.
A committed organization
The tests and analysis of the results were designed by a committed and multidisciplinary committee, coordinated by:
Jacobo Sitt, Inserm Research Director (PICNIC team)
Nikolas Karalis, Inserm Research Director (Neural Circuits and Brain Dynamics Team)
With the participation of the Open Brain School team:
Brian SILVERA, Clarisse MARIE LUCE, Vasiliki MOURGELA, Maimouna TANG
But also: Minh Anh DANG (student at Sorbonne University), Marinana MARTINI (teacher, ISP Paris lycée), Janan ARSLAN (research engineer, Data Analysis Core)
An adventure open to all!
Are you a teacher, student, parent or just curious?
Join us or contact us to discover neuroscience in your area!
Our objective: to spread the Olympic Games throughout all schools in France!
Geographical origins of participants in the 2025 edition:
| Region | Number of participants |
| Île-de-France | 38 |
| Pays de la Loire | 11 |
| Occitanie | 6 |
| New York (lycée français) | 6 |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 5 |
| Centre-Val de Loire | 2 |
| Grand Est | 1 |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1 |
