[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] Samsung has expanded its efforts to nurture future talent in basic sciences by awarding scholarships to South Korean students who achieved outstanding results at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

SamsungElectronics, SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS, and Samsung Bioepis announced on the 17th that they had invited the 15 members of the Korean national team who won medals in the mathematics, physics, and biology categories at the International Olympiads held last month, along with their parents, to their respective business sites.

SamsungElectronics’ Device Experience (DX) Division presented scholarships to six International Mathematical Olympiad medalists at its Suwon Campus on the 11th. The South Korean team won three gold medals, two silver medals, and one honorable mention, placing sixth overall. Noh Tae-moon, President and Head of the DX Division, personally presented the scholarships. The event was also attended by officials from the organizing bodies of the Olympiads, including Kwak Si-jong, President of the Korean Mathematical Society.

SamsungElectronics’ Semiconductor (DS) Division awarded scholarships to five International Physics Olympiad medalists at the Hwaseong Campus on the 13th. All five members of the Korean delegation won gold medals, securing first place overall. Jeon Young-hyun, Executive Vice President and Head of the DS Division, presented the scholarships, and the event was attended by Yoon Jin-hee, President of the Korean Physical Society, among others.

On the 14th, SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS and Samsung Bioepis presented scholarships to four International Biology Olympiad medalists at the Samsung Bioepis headquarters in Songdo, Incheon. All four students representing Korea won gold medals, securing first place overall. Kim Kyung-ah, President of SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS, presented the scholarships, and Kim Jae-geun, Chairman of the Korea Biology Olympiad, was among those in attendance.

The CEOs of each affiliate joined the winners and their parents for lunch to celebrate the students’ achievements and cheer them on as they take on future challenges. Through this support, Samsung plans to raise public awareness of the importance of basic science and help students who will lead future science and technology unleash their talents.

Samsung’s support for international Olympiads is divided into sponsorship for the Korean national team and scholarships awarded to individual winners. The sponsorship funds are used to cover the costs of selecting and training the national team, as well as participating in international competitions, while the scholarships for winners are awarded separately.

SamsungElectronics signed sponsorship agreements with the Korean Mathematical Society and the Korean Physical Society in June of last year. SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS and Samsung Bioepis also signed an agreement with the Korean Society for Biology Education in January of this year. In accordance with these agreements, Samsung provided sponsorship funds to the organizations hosting this year’s domestic math, physics, and biology Olympiads and plans to continue its support in the future.

This year’s International Olympiads were held in China for mathematics, Colombia for physics, Lithuania for biology, and Uzbekistan for chemistry. The Informatics Olympiad took place in Uzbekistan this month. South Korea sent 43 national team members to compete in a total of nine subjects: six in mathematics, five in physics, and four each in biology, chemistry, and informatics.

The Physics and Biology competitions attracted 381 participants from 91 countries and 302 participants from 78 countries, respectively. The South Korean delegation won gold medals in both subjects, securing first place overall. In the Mathematics competition, 666 participants from 117 countries competed, and the South Korean delegation ranked sixth overall.

In addition to supporting the International Olympiad delegations, Samsung continues its efforts to cultivate skilled workers and talent in software (SW) and artificial intelligence (AI). Since 2007, the company has sponsored the national team for the WorldSkills Competition and operated training centers, and it has been specially recruiting high school graduates with technical skills who have achieved outstanding results in domestic and international skills competitions.