Second-year medic Amrit Rooprai and two Oxford friends this year entered the inaugural Entente Cordiale Challenge, submitting a sustainability concept that placed them in the highest echelon of Anglo-French academic endeavour.
Amrit Rooprai in Somerville’s Library
The Entente Cordiale Challenge is an annual academic competition that seeks to promote Franco-British collaboration by asking students from the top universities of France and Britain to address global challenges. For its inaugural year, the Entente Cordiale team chose the theme “Biodiversity, Climate Change and Developing Nations”.
110 three-person teams submitted entries, from top universities including LSE, the Sorbonne and the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. Amrit and her teammates proposed a method for using block-chain technology, a database mechanism that promotes data transparency through securely linked cryptographic hashes, to prevent corporate greenwashing.
Alongside proposing green blockchain technology, I called for the restitution of cultural artefacts to support nations historically affected by colonialism
AMRIT ROOPRAI
Earlier this year, Amrit and her team learned that their paper had secured them a place in the top 10 of the competition. The shortlisted teams were invited to attend a reception held in the House of Commons in May 2025, where the entrants, their host institutions and members of the scientific community heard and discussed the competition submissions. Cementing the theme of amicable relations, Amrit and her team will next year attend a follow-on ceremony at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Amrit at the House of Commons
Speaking about their achievement, Amrit said, “As a trio of medical students, taking part in a challenge focused on climate change, biodiversity, and developing nations was both intellectually demanding and incredibly rewarding. When we received the email confirming we were among the top ten teams, it felt surreal — and for good reason. We were fortunate to be hosted in some of the UK’s most prestigious venues, including the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I and the House of Commons.
What stood out even more were the personal and professional connections we formed — relationships that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. From meeting Chelsea Pensioners and the Deputy Commander of NATO, to speaking with Winston Churchill’s grandson and collaborating with fellow French and British students, every person we encountered was inspiring. We were united by a shared purpose: to support meaningful causes and work toward a better future for our planet.
Coming from a Kenyan-Sikh background, I was especially proud to bring forward ideas that are close to home. Alongside proposing green blockchain technology, I also called for the restitution of cultural artefacts to support the development of nations historically affected by colonialism. I highlighted President Macron’s 2017 statement on the return of African artefacts as a sign of growing international support for this cause. It was an honour to contribute perspectives rooted in lived experience, and to see those ideas resonate in such a global forum.”
The theme of next year’s challenge will be “Conflict, Technologies and World Security”. To find out how to enter, visit the https://www.ententecordialeday.org.