Samsung Invites 400K UK Students to Solve Real Problems

Over 400,000 young people across the UK and Ireland have already discovered they can create tech solutions that change the world, and this year even more students will get that chance.

Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow program just opened applications for its seventh year, inviting every secondary school student aged 11 to 18 to tackle problems they care about. The program gives teens free access to innovation workshops, mentoring from Samsung employees, and prototype funding to turn their ideas into reality.

Last year alone, 84,000 young people participated. The results speak volumes: student confidence jumped from 45% to 73%, and overall problem-solving skills rose from 43% to 65%.

Teachers love it too because it requires no specialist tech knowledge and fits into a single lesson or six-week unit. The flexible format works across subjects from design and technology to economics, making it easy to deliver without adding to already stretched budgets or workloads.

Students who advance through the competition get mentored by industry experts and pitch their final solutions at Samsung's London headquarters. Winners receive Samsung technology, see their faces on the Piccadilly Circus screen, and earn work experience at a global tech company—an opportunity most secondary students never access.

The Ripple Effect

This year's expansion includes regional workshops hitting Glasgow, London, Birmingham, and Manchester. These expert-led sessions bring innovation training directly to schools that need it most, ensuring geography doesn't limit opportunity.

The program supports real careers education too. Students work with Samsung volunteers and mentors, connecting classroom learning to actual jobs in technology. Teachers report that 71% of students improved their perception of design and technology subjects after participating.

Since launching in 2020, the initiative has reached one-third of all UK and Ireland secondary schools and collected 7,618 creative ideas from young minds. Samsung aims to impact one million young people by 2030, proving that innovation skills aren't reserved for a gifted few—they're teachable talents every student can develop.

Schools can register now through January 18, 2027 at SolveforTomorrowUK.com. Whether students want to help their community, protect the planet, or solve everyday problems, the program gives them tools to prove their ideas matter.