Falling Walls Lab Atlantic Canada will hold its annual three-minute pitch competition at the Halifax Central Library on Sept. 14, sending one Atlantic Canadian researcher to the international finals in Berlin.

The event, hosted by Research Nova Scotia and supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, will feature 14 students and early-career researchers from across Atlantic Canada.

Each participant will have three minutes to present a research idea to a live audience and explain what “wall” they hope to break through. A panel of judges will select the Atlantic Canadian winner.

The winner will represent the region at the Falling Walls Lab Global Finale in Berlin in November, where they will join 100 finalists from around the world.

The finalists were selected from applicants across the region and represent a range of disciplines, institutions and research areas.

Falling Walls Lab is an international pitch competition for students and early-career researchers. Participants are required to explain their research or an innovative idea in three minutes.

The 2024 Atlantic Canadian competition was won by Dalhousie University student Dina Rogers, who later received the Science Breakthrough of the Year award in the Emerging Talents category at the global Falling Walls event. Her research focused on a method for deconstructing waste so that plastic constituents could be reused.

This year's event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in Paul O’Regan Hall at the Halifax Central Library. Admission is free, with registration recommended.