At 18 years old, Lucas Gerhardt and Clément Bellet-Odent have already transformed a class project into an educational application rewarded in France and Europe. Born at Henri Matisse High School in Vence, LUCID aims to help students revise at their own pace through flashcards, quizzes and a tutor using artificial intelligence.
An idea born in the corridors of Henri Matisse High School
It all begins in Vence, where the two high school students observe their classmates’ difficulties with revision. Stress, disengagement, different learning paces: needs are not always the same from one student to another. Individualized support exists, but private tutoring remains out of reach for some families.
“At high school, we saw friends drop out without anyone noticing. We told ourselves we could do something, with our means,” say the two founders.
Their response first takes the form of a class project. Encouraged by their teachers and by the results obtained in science competitions, they continue developing LUCID during their evenings and weekends, with their own resources. They also benefit from the support of Science Factor and Orange.
National distinctions up to a European prize
The year 2026 marks an acceleration for the project. In February, LUCID wins second place regionally in the Faites de la Science competition. In March, the two young people win a national prize in the Science Factor competition as well as the Orange Digital Award. In May, they obtain first place nationally in the CGénial Competition, which opens the doors to the European young scientists competition, EUCYS.
In September, in Kiel, Germany, their project receives the Innovation Award in Computer Science at EUCYS. The two founders also announce being distinguished by the Academy of Sciences with the scientific project award at high school, with the presentation scheduled for November 17, 2026 at the Institut de France.
Orange, which awarded them the Orange Digital Award, has since become, according to the founders, an industrial partner supporting them on the product and brand identity.
Courses transformed into flashcards, quizzes and study cards
Concretely, LUCID allows students to import their courses from Pronote or ÉcoleDirecte, or from a photograph. The application then transforms them into revision materials: summary sheets, questionnaires and memory cards, also called flashcards.
Its tutor based on artificial intelligence prioritizes questions rather than immediately providing answers. The idea is to encourage the student to reason and build their own knowledge. The creators indicate that the application is designed to work offline.
LUCID is announced as free and ad-free. As of October 26, its founders count 678 accounts created since they began statistical tracking in September, including 550 active users over the past 30 days. These figures are communicated by the project team.
Two paths, one shared ambition
Today, Lucas Gerhardt is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in AIDAMS at CentraleSupélec and ESSEC, while Clément Bellet-Odent is following a scientific preparatory class at Stanislas High School in Cannes. Both want to make LUCID a reference revision tool in France, then develop partnerships with academies before considering expansion on a European scale.
“These two years have taught us one thing: at 18 years old, you don’t need to wait for permission to build something useful. You just have to start, and never give up,” they say.
The application is available on iPhone (App Store) and on Android (Google Play).
NicePremium is a free, independent local news outlet.
Help us keep going by supporting our work from €5 per month.
