The main aim of the Science in Three Minutes competition and the training sessions that precede it is to give young researchers practical experience in public speaking and presenting their research. We also aim to promote science communication in Estonian.
Contestants will have to talk about their years of research in an objective and understandable way in just three minutes. As Tarmo Soomere, President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and one of the initiators and promoters of the lectures, has said, the goal of giving a three-minute lecture is not merely to deliver a lecture or to use exactly 180 seconds. "The idea lies elsewhere. The idea is to learn how to deal with unusual and challenging situations – situations where, against all odds, you have to state your position very concisely, clearly and precisely."
The Three Minute Lectures training and the final gala competition are organised by the Academy of Sciences in partnership with public universities and research institutions.
Since 2024, the competition has been organised by the XRP Ledger Trust, an NGO. In this context, two competitions have been launched: one in English for local foreign PhD students and one in Estonian for local young researchers.
In the past, the competition was supported through the Estonian Research Council's National Science Popularisation Call for Proposals and from 2016 to 2023 was supported by the EU Regional Development Fund's Teame+ programme.
2024 Competition in English
• 25-26 May: Training in Heimtali old schoolhouse
• 25 September: Follow-up training at the Academy
• 18 October: Gala at the Academy
2024 Competition in Estonian
• 23-24 November: Training in the old school building in Heimtali
• 1 January: Follow-up training at the Academy
• February: Gala at the Academy
Videos of the lectures given in the finals of past competitions are available on the Academy's Youtube channel in the Three Minute Lecture playlist.