It is an honour to have been selected, with my team, for the Entente Cordiale finals, and a vindication of all the time and effort we have put into this project. From my initial push to form the team by reaching out to friends, to finally landing on an idea that clicked barely two days before the deadline for proposal amendments, getting to this point has been both an intense and very rewarding adventure for all of us. Looking ahead, I believe we have a strong chance of doing very well in the challenge, but regardless of the result, I am extremely proud – not just of our work, but of the team behind it and the university supporting us all. I hope we will soon make them proud too.”
Rafael Moreno, King’s finalist in the 2026 Entente Cordiale University Challenge
30 March 2026
King's team reaches finals of the 2026 Entente Cordiale University Challenge
A team of King’s College London students have qualified for the finals of the 2026 Entente Cordiale University Challenge, where they will present their research on “Conflicts, Technologies, and World Security” at the Entente Cordiale Day Summit in Paris.
The King’s finalists – Raphaël Maurer, Ariel Giovannetti and Rafael Moreno Lopez – will travel to Paris on 7–8 April to present their research before an international Grand Jury at the Sorbonne, as part of the official Entente Cordiale Day events.
The Entente Cordiale University Challenge forms part of the wider Entente Cordiale Day initiative, under the Patronage of His Majesty King Charles III and the President of France, Monsieur Emmanuel Macron. The initiative brings together students from leading academic institutions to propose innovative, solution-focused responses to major global challenges.
Each year, teams of three students submit a 5,000-word report addressing the selected theme. For 2025–2026, the theme is “Conflicts, Technologies, and World Security.” Hundreds of students and more than 100 teams compete annually, with only the top ten teams from each country invited to the final stage.
The theme of this year’s Challenge closely aligns with King’s research and teaching strengths across international relations, war studies and global security. King’s joins four other British universities represented in the 2026 final, including the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University College London (UCL), the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
We are absolutely delighted to see our students reach the finals of the 2026 Entente Cordiale University Challenge. In a prestigious competition designed to recognise the most promising ideas and the future leaders who will shape the world of tomorrow, this is a wonderful achievement. To reach the finals after competing with over 700 students, their success reflects intellectual ambition, teamwork and the ability to engage seriously and creatively with some of the most pressing questions in global security. It is a tribute both to their own hard work and talent, and to the strength of King’s as a place where students are encouraged to connect rigorous academic research with real-world international challenges.”
Dr Hillary Briffa, Senior Lecturer in National Security Studies and King's Academic Lead for the Challenge