Topics, 70 topics by four periods

ISEF Topic Trends 2014-2026: what is rising, what is saturated, where the white space is

ISEF topic trends from 17,565 abstracts, 2014 to 2026: accessibility and assistive technology grew from 1.8% to 9.8% of projects, protein structure and docking from 0.4% to 2.7%, and solar energy halved.

By CIT Intelligence Architect|Apgujeong, Seoul|Last reviewed 2026-10-11|한국어 페이지

At a glance

  • Biggest topics 2024 to 2026: cancer 12.4%, accessibility 9.8%, 3D printing 5.2%
  • Rising and rewarded: biosensors 41.3%, drones 40.1%, wearables 38.4%, protein docking 37.7%
  • Crowded and below average: solar 24.6%, soil and crops 23.7%, antibiotic resistance 22.9%, traffic 19.4%
  • Microplastics up 11x, now average at 29.3%
  • Korea: 9 traffic and smart-city projects, 0 grand awards
Topic share versus grand rate; bigger circles are bigger topics (2021 to 2026)
All projects 27.1% (red dashed line)above averagebelow average
0%10%20%30%40%50%0%2%4%6%8%10%12%Share of all projects, 2024 to 2026cancer: 12.4%, 29.6%, n=920cancerlow-cost / affordable device: 10.6%, 37.4%, n=811low-cost / affordable deviceaccessibility (any): 9.8%, 34.7%, n=631accessibility (any)soil / fertilizer / crop yield: 6.1%, 23.7%, n=510soil / fertilizer / crop yield3D printing: 5.2%, 36.6%, n=3773D printingmath: knot / topology / geometry: 5%, 34.5%, n=336math: knot / topology / geometryantibiotic resistance / antimicrobial: 4.2%, 22.9%, n=332nanoparticles / nanomaterials: 4.8%, 29.7%, n=330robot: 3.8%, 40.9%, n=298vaccine / virus: 2.3%, 29.4%, n=296COVID-19: 0.8%, 25.4%, n=287hydrogen / fuel cell: 3.6%, 29.5%, n=268biodegradable / bioplastic: 3.8%, 25.6%, n=258solar / photovoltaic: 2.9%, 24.6%, n=252Alzheimer / dementia: 3.4%, 31%, n=245medical imaging (MRI/CT/X-ray): 3%, 28.5%, n=239cardiovascular / ECG: 3.1%, 26.8%, n=239battery / supercapacitor: 2.8%, 28.9%, n=225diabetes / glucose: 2.8%, 24.8%, n=222C. elegans / Drosophila / zebrafish models: 2.8%, 29.2%, n=216mental health / depression / stress: 2.6%, 26.3%, n=205recycling / e-waste: 2.5%, 29.9%, n=197MOF / catalyst: 2.5%, 41.9%, n=186math: game theory / optimization / algorithm: 3%, 36.5%, n=181water purification / desalination: 2.2%, 27.8%, n=169particle / quantum physics: 2.2%, 33.9%, n=165sign language / visually impaired / assistive: 2.4%, 34.5%, n=165agriculture tech / vertical farming: 1.9%, 30.4%, n=161protein folding / docking: 2.7%, 37.7%, n=159flood / hurricane / disaster: 2.1%, 26.3%, n=156biosensor / point-of-care / paper-based: 2.2%, 41.3%, n=150algae / biofuel: 1.5%, 24.8%, n=149wearable: 2.1%, 38.4%, n=146astronomy: exoplanets / stars / galaxies: 2%, 30.8%, n=146drone / UAV: 2.4%, 40.1%, n=142heavy metals / water contaminants: 1.7%, 34.1%, n=138fluid dynamics / aerodynamics: 2%, 26.9%, n=134microplastics: 1.8%, 29.3%, n=133math: number theory / primes: 1.9%, 41%, n=122prosthetic / exoskeleton: 1.5%, 37.3%, n=118Parkinson: 1.5%, 36.8%, n=114education tech / learning: 1.2%, 28.4%, n=109wound healing / hemostatic: 1.5%, 21.9%, n=105stem cells / organoids: 1.1%, 36.5%, n=104drug discovery / repurposing: 1.4%, 27.5%, n=102traffic / smart city: 1.2%, 19.4%, n=98traffic / smart cityacoustics / noise: 1.6%, 29.2%, n=96open-source: 1.1%, 35.8%, n=95air quality / PM2.5: 0.9%, 29.5%, n=95stroke: 1.1%, 34.1%, n=88wind / wave / hydro energy: 1.1%, 19.8%, n=86wind / wave / hydro energymicrobiome / gut: 1.2%, 22.4%, n=85thermoelectric / piezoelectric / triboelectric: 1.1%, 28.6%, n=84coral / ocean acidification: 1%, 26.8%, n=82bees / pollinators: 0.8%, 40.3%, n=72dyslexia / autism / ADHD: 1%, 29.6%, n=71CRISPR / gene editing: 0.9%, 33.3%, n=69EEG / BCI: 1.1%, 33.3%, n=69wildfire: 1.1%, 30.9%, n=68math: graph theory / combinatorics: 0.9%, 36.4%, n=66mosquito / vector-borne: 0.7%, 28.3%, n=60sleep: 0.6%, 20.7%, n=58climate / carbon capture: 0.7%, 39.3%, n=56patent / startup: 0.7%, 44.2%, n=52patent / startupfood safety / spoilage: 0.6%, 34.8%, n=46PFAS: 0.9%, 23.3%, n=43autonomous vehicle / driving: 0.5%, 46.2%, n=39autonomous vehicle / drivinginvasive species: 0.4%, 26.5%, n=34plant disease detection: 0.2%, 19%, n=21plant disease detectiontelemedicine / mHealth app: 0.1%, 33.3%, n=12
70
Topics tracked (2014 to 2026)
9.8%
Accessibility and assistive tech share (2024 to 2026)
11x
Microplastics share growth, 2014 to 16 → 2024 to 26
41.3%
Biosensor and point-of-care grand rate (150 projects)
19.4%
Traffic and smart-city grand rate (98 projects)
12.4%
Cancer-related share, the largest topic

Primary AI education and portfolio routes

International-school coursework and EC rules differ from science and gifted-school rules. Start with the international-school route, then check the gifted-school route separately.

Topics that are rising and winning: accessibility and assistive tech (9.8% of 2024 to 2026 projects, 34.7% grand rate), protein structure prediction and docking (2.7%, 37.7%), drones (2.4%, 40.1%), 3D printing (5.2%, 36.6%) and wearables (2.1%, 38.4%). Topics that are crowded or below average: solar (2.9%, 24.6%), soil, fertilizer and crop yield (6.1%, 23.7%), antibiotic resistance (4.2%, 22.9%), traffic and smart city (19.4%; 9 Korean entries, no grand award), biodegradable plastics (3.8%, 25.6%). Microplastics grew 11-fold and now sit at the average (29.3%).

70 topics: share and odds, ranked by white-space score

Share in each of four periods, 2021 to 2026 count and grand-award rate, and Korean entries. The white-space score rises with a growing share, a grand rate above the 27% average, and two or fewer Korean entries; it is a relative index from 0 to 1, not a probability. Topic flags are keyword matches on titles and abstracts, so boundaries are loose.

Top 15 topics by share (2024 to 2026)
  1. cancer12.4%
  2. low-cost / affordable device10.6%
  3. accessibility (any)9.8%
  4. soil / fertilizer / crop yield6.1%
  5. 3D printing5.2%
  6. math: knot / topology / geometry5.0%
  7. nanoparticles / nanomaterials4.8%
  8. antibiotic resistance / antimicrobial4.2%
  9. robot3.8%
  10. biodegradable / bioplastic3.8%
  11. hydrogen / fuel cell3.6%
  12. Alzheimer / dementia3.4%
  13. cardiovascular / ECG3.1%
  14. math: game theory / optimization / algorithm3.0%
  15. medical imaging (MRI/CT/X-ray)3.0%
Top 15 topics by grand-award rate (50 or more projects, 2021 to 2026)
All projects 27.1% (red dashed line)
  1. patent / startup44.2%
  2. MOF / catalyst41.9%
  3. biosensor / point-of-care / paper-based41.3%
  4. math: number theory / primes41.0%
  5. robot40.9%
  6. bees / pollinators40.3%
  7. drone / UAV40.1%
  8. climate / carbon capture39.3%
  9. wearable38.4%
  10. protein folding / docking37.7%
  11. low-cost / affordable device37.4%
  12. prosthetic / exoskeleton37.3%
  13. Parkinson36.8%
  14. 3D printing36.6%
  15. stem cells / organoids36.5%

Thin lines mark the 95% confidence interval; smaller samples give longer lines.

Show the full table (70 rows)
70 ISEF research topics: share by period, growth multiple, 2021 to 2026 count and grand rate, Korean entries and grand awards, white-space score
Topic2014 to 162017 to 192021 to 232024 to 26Growthn 2021 to 26Grand rate (95% CI)Korean nKorean grandWhite-space score
protein folding / docking0.4%0.3%1.2%2.7%5.3x15937.7% (95% CI 31 to 45)0-0.81
autonomous vehicle / driving0.1%0.5%0.5%0.5%3.3x3946.2% (95% CI 32 to 61)1100.0%0.65
math: number theory / primes0.9%1.1%1.1%1.9%2.0x12241.0% (95% CI 33 to 50)20.0%0.64
wearable0.8%1.3%1.4%2.1%2.5x14638.4% (95% CI 31 to 46)250.0%0.62
PFAS0.0%0.0%0.2%0.9%7.8x4323.3% (95% CI 13 to 38)0-0.6
climate / carbon capture0.3%0.3%0.7%0.7%1.9x5639.3% (95% CI 28 to 52)1100.0%0.6
bees / pollinators0.6%1.0%0.9%0.8%1.4x7240.3% (95% CI 30 to 52)1100.0%0.58
accessibility (any)1.8%3.2%5.6%9.8%5.3x63134.7% (95% CI 31 to 39)1225.0%0.55
wildfire0.3%0.3%0.6%1.1%3.3x6830.9% (95% CI 21 to 43)0-0.54
prosthetic / exoskeleton0.9%1.1%1.4%1.5%1.7x11837.3% (95% CI 29 to 46)250.0%0.54
Parkinson0.8%0.9%1.3%1.5%1.8x11436.8% (95% CI 29 to 46)20.0%0.54
CRISPR / gene editing0.3%1.0%0.7%0.9%2.5x6933.3% (95% CI 23 to 45)0-0.53
drone / UAV0.7%1.2%1.1%2.4%3.0x14240.1% (95% CI 32 to 48)520.0%0.5
EEG / BCI0.5%0.9%0.6%1.1%2.1x6933.3% (95% CI 23 to 45)20.0%0.5
education tech / learning0.3%0.9%1.4%1.2%3.2x10928.4% (95% CI 21 to 38)20.0%0.48
open-source0.8%1.2%1.2%1.1%1.3x9535.8% (95% CI 27 to 46)20.0%0.48
food safety / spoilage0.4%0.4%0.5%0.6%1.5x4634.8% (95% CI 23 to 49)20.0%0.47
math: graph theory / combinatorics0.9%0.8%0.7%0.9%1.0x6636.4% (95% CI 26 to 48)10.0%0.47
microplastics0.1%0.3%1.4%1.8%11.0x13329.3% (95% CI 22 to 38)30.0%0.45
stroke0.8%0.9%1.0%1.1%1.4x8834.1% (95% CI 25 to 44)1100.0%0.45
stem cells / organoids1.7%1.5%1.5%1.1%0.6x10436.5% (95% CI 28 to 46)10.0%0.44
biosensor / point-of-care / paper-based1.1%1.7%1.4%2.2%1.9x15041.3% (95% CI 34 to 49)742.9%0.44
patent / startup0.6%0.7%0.6%0.7%1.2x5244.2% (95% CI 32 to 58)520.0%0.44
3D printing1.7%3.2%4.0%5.2%3.0x37736.6% (95% CI 32 to 42)520.0%0.43
microbiome / gut0.3%0.9%0.9%1.2%2.9x8522.4% (95% CI 15 to 32)250.0%0.43
math: game theory / optimization / algorithm1.0%1.4%1.4%3.0%2.8x18136.5% (95% CI 30 to 44)30.0%0.42
robot2.3%2.7%3.4%3.8%1.6x29840.9% (95% CI 36 to 47)425.0%0.41
coral / ocean acidification0.3%0.8%1.0%1.0%2.6x8226.8% (95% CI 18 to 37)0-0.41
COVID-190.0%0.0%6.1%0.8%6.0x28725.4% (95% CI 21 to 31)1216.7%0.4
MOF / catalyst2.1%2.3%2.1%2.5%1.2x18641.9% (95% CI 35 to 49)633.3%0.39
mental health / depression / stress1.2%1.5%2.4%2.6%2.1x20526.3% (95% CI 21 to 33)10.0%0.36
drug discovery / repurposing0.7%0.6%1.1%1.4%1.9x10227.5% (95% CI 20 to 37)0-0.36
agriculture tech / vertical farming1.7%1.6%2.0%1.9%1.1x16130.4% (95% CI 24 to 38)10.0%0.36
medical imaging (MRI/CT/X-ray)2.0%2.7%2.8%3.0%1.5x23928.5% (95% CI 23 to 34)1100.0%0.35
C. elegans / Drosophila / zebrafish models2.1%2.2%2.5%2.8%1.3x21629.2% (95% CI 24 to 36)0-0.35
cancer10.8%10.5%10.1%12.4%1.1x92029.6% (95% CI 27 to 33)20.0%0.34
wound healing / hemostatic0.8%1.1%1.1%1.5%1.7x10521.9% (95% CI 15 to 31)1100.0%0.34
fluid dynamics / aerodynamics1.1%0.8%1.3%2.0%1.7x13426.9% (95% CI 20 to 35)20.0%0.34
air quality / PM2.50.9%1.1%1.4%0.9%1.0x9529.5% (95% CI 21 to 39)10.0%0.33
telemedicine / mHealth app0.0%0.1%0.1%0.1%2.5x1233.3% (95% CI 14 to 61)0-0.33
battery / supercapacitor3.2%3.5%2.7%2.8%0.9x22528.9% (95% CI 23 to 35)0-0.31
low-cost / affordable device8.0%10.1%9.2%10.6%1.3x81137.4% (95% CI 34 to 41)1520.0%0.31
particle / quantum physics1.0%1.2%1.8%2.2%2.1x16533.9% (95% CI 27 to 41)333.3%0.3
water purification / desalination2.5%2.4%1.9%2.2%0.9x16927.8% (95% CI 22 to 35)10.0%0.29
mosquito / vector-borne0.9%1.3%0.8%0.7%0.7x6028.3% (95% CI 19 to 41)250.0%0.29
diabetes / glucose2.9%3.4%2.6%2.8%0.9x22224.8% (95% CI 20 to 31)2100.0%0.28
cardiovascular / ECG3.1%2.8%2.8%3.1%1.0x23926.8% (95% CI 22 to 33)1100.0%0.28
math: knot / topology / geometry3.0%2.8%3.2%5.0%1.7x33634.5% (95% CI 30 to 40)911.1%0.28
wind / wave / hydro energy1.4%0.7%1.0%1.1%0.8x8619.8% (95% CI 13 to 29)0-0.27
sign language / visually impaired / assistive1.5%1.9%1.6%2.4%1.5x16534.5% (95% CI 28 to 42)1330.8%0.27
sleep0.7%0.6%0.8%0.6%0.8x5820.7% (95% CI 12 to 33)10.0%0.27
algae / biofuel3.0%2.6%2.2%1.5%0.5x14924.8% (95% CI 19 to 32)0-0.24
acoustics / noise0.6%0.8%0.7%1.6%2.4x9629.2% (95% CI 21 to 39)425.0%0.24
biodegradable / bioplastic1.3%2.1%2.5%3.8%2.8x25825.6% (95% CI 21 to 31)425.0%0.22
plant disease detection0.0%0.2%0.3%0.2%2.8x2119.0% (95% CI 8 to 40)0-0.22
astronomy: exoplanets / stars / galaxies1.1%1.7%1.6%2.0%1.8x14630.8% (95% CI 24 to 39)425.0%0.22
Alzheimer / dementia2.1%1.8%2.6%3.4%1.6x24531.0% (95% CI 26 to 37)3100.0%0.21
heavy metals / water contaminants2.2%2.5%1.7%1.7%0.8x13834.1% (95% CI 27 to 42)520.0%0.2
thermoelectric / piezoelectric / triboelectric0.7%1.2%0.9%1.1%1.5x8428.6% (95% CI 20 to 39)30.0%0.15
dyslexia / autism / ADHD0.8%1.1%0.7%1.0%1.2x7129.6% (95% CI 20 to 41)30.0%0.15
recycling / e-waste2.4%2.4%2.3%2.5%1.1x19729.9% (95% CI 24 to 37)714.3%0.14
hydrogen / fuel cell3.1%3.1%3.0%3.6%1.2x26829.5% (95% CI 24 to 35)520.0%0.14
nanoparticles / nanomaterials5.7%5.7%3.3%4.8%0.8x33029.7% (95% CI 25 to 35)333.3%0.12
flood / hurricane / disaster1.6%2.2%1.7%2.1%1.3x15626.3% (95% CI 20 to 34)425.0%0.11
vaccine / virus3.5%3.1%4.9%2.3%0.7x29629.4% (95% CI 24 to 35)50.0%0.1
soil / fertilizer / crop yield6.0%6.8%6.3%6.1%1.0x51023.7% (95% CI 20 to 28)30.0%0.08
invasive species0.4%0.3%0.4%0.4%1.0x3426.5% (95% CI 15 to 43)10.0%0.08
antibiotic resistance / antimicrobial4.7%4.5%3.9%4.2%0.9x33222.9% (95% CI 19 to 28)714.3%0.07
traffic / smart city1.5%1.1%1.2%1.2%0.8x9819.4% (95% CI 13 to 28)90.0%0.07
solar / photovoltaic5.4%4.5%3.2%2.9%0.5x25224.6% (95% CI 20 to 30)60.0%0.04

Download table data (CSV): topic_bank.csv

Words that rose, words that faded

Comparing document frequency in 2024 to 2026 abstracts against 2014 to 2016: rising are cnn (35x), ai-driven, outperforming (29x), pipeline (24x), generative (20x), multimodal (17x), interpretable (16x), scalable (14x), dataset (10x), validation (10x), AUC (10x) and real-world (7x). Fading are java (down 6x), android (5x), matlab (3x), and purpose, concluded, hypothesis. The genre has moved from school lab report to engineering paper.

COVID-19 was 6.1% of 2021 to 2023 abstracts and 0.8% in 2024 to 2026. Cancer remains the largest single theme across all 13 years, 12.4% of 2024 to 2026 projects at a 29.6% grand rate.

Where Korean entries cluster, and where they are absent

Korean entries cluster in traffic and smart city (9 entries, no grand award), accessibility and visual impairment (13, four grand awards), COVID-19 (12, two) and knot theory, topology and geometry (9, one). Korea has zero or one entry in protein structure and docking, CRISPR, wildfire, PFAS, bees and pollinators, and carbon capture. Topics with few Korean entries and high odds include biosensors and point-of-care diagnostics (3 of 7 Korean entries won) and MOFs and catalysts (2 of 6).

Twelve topics with the most Korean entries (count)
  1. low-cost / affordable device15
  2. sign language / visually impaired / assistive13
  3. accessibility (any)12
  4. COVID-1912
  5. math: knot / topology / geometry9
  6. traffic / smart city9
  7. biosensor / point-of-care / paper-based7
  8. recycling / e-waste7
  9. antibiotic resistance / antimicrobial7
  10. MOF / catalyst6
  11. solar / photovoltaic6
  12. drone / UAV5

Topics come from keyword matching on title and abstract, so one project can count in several.

Frequently asked questions

Which ISEF topics are growing fastest?
Which topics have the best odds?
Are there saturated topics to avoid?
Which topics are open for Korean students?

Data and method

Two public sources. From the Society for Science abstract database (abstracts.societyforscience.org) we compiled every ISEF finalist project from 2014 to 2026: 17,565 projects with title, category, fair country, awards and full abstract. From the isef.net project library we took the award-tier flags for the 8,134 ISEF projects of 2021 to 2026 and joined them to the abstracts by year and booth id. Compiled on 2026-10-11.

A grand award means a First to Fourth Award or Best of Category, roughly the top 27% of each category. A special award is given by a sponsoring organization with its own judges. ISEF 2020 was held without judging and is excluded from every rate. The abstract database carries no 2025 awards and misses most Materials Science grand awards after 2017, so award flags for 2021 to 2026 combine both sources. An AI mention means the title or abstract contains a machine-learning term; it does not mean the project is about AI. All numbers are correlations, and Korean per-category figures rest on 2 to 24 projects, so read them as direction rather than precision.

Sources

The figures on this page are category-level base rates compiled from public ISEF results. They do not predict or promise any student's award, selection or admission. CIT does not guarantee awards, selection or admission.

ISEF data series

ISEF statistics hubAll 17,565 projects, headline numbers and the seriesChoosing a category24 categories: grand, special, team and AI sharesSolo vs teamSolo 28.1%, pairs 21.4%, trios 26.0%, and where it differsAI projectsAI share over time, subtype odds, inside vs outside computingTopic trends70 topics: share change, odds, Korean entriesWinning abstractsTitle patterns, feature lifts, winner vocabularyKorea at ISEFResults by year, qualifying routes, category mix, winner traitsSpecial awards map40 sponsors by category, Korea's awardsReturning and multi-yearReturning 37.8% vs first-time 22.4%Judging criteriaOfficial 100 points mapped to abstract dataBy countryWhat Singapore, Canada and Thailand enter; US state rates

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