BrainCafe (erstwhile Zee Learn Gakken Science Academy) organized "The Grand Finale of Budding Scientist Contest" in Mumbai. The contest which was conducted across three different cities Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune saw a participation of over 300 students. Twenty-two finalists from these three cities competed at The Grand Finale which was held in Mumbai at The Trident Hotel. The Felicitation ceremony was graced by the Chairman of Essel Group, Mr. Subhash Chandra.

Young minds participating in this contest got an opportunity to exhibit innovations like Magnetic Levitator, Generator, Elevator, Laptop Cleaner all made out of household materials. This contest is not only a platform for the finalists to showcase innovation but also a medium which assesses their creative aptitude and thought process. One such gritty finalist from Hyderabad is Apuroopa who in spite of having undergone two spine surgeries came down to Mumbai to participate in the grand finale of the contest.

Commenting on the Budding Scientist initiative, Mr. Navneet Anhal, Business Head, Brain Cafe said that "Through this initiative, we aim to encourage innovation and creative thinking among children in our Country and provide a platform for children to showcase their scientific temperament at National Level and lay a strong foundation for many innovations by Indian  students in the times to come."

List of Winners of the Grand Finale of Budding Scientist Contest:

Results	Category A	Category B	Category C
Ø       1st Prize	Ajar Shrivastava	Ronith Nair	K.Yash
Ø       2nd Prize	Dhruv L	K.G.Srinivas	Ch. Chandrasekhar
Ø       3rd Prize	Poojitha	Agraj Kandekar	A.Ikshwak

BrainCafé Science is a joint venture between Zee Learn Ltd. and Gakken Educational Co. BrainCafe Science has created an activity-based learning programme for schools in India which aims to bring the best of Japanese education in the field of science to Indian schools. This programme is designed to develop Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) among students through the route of Science. BrainCafé Science enables "Learning by doing" through its unique teaching methodology, which is based on "Observe, Explore & Reflect". This programme intends to improve conceptual understanding and develops scientific temper amongst students by providing hands-on experiment tools.