The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is a synthetic biology competition aimed at university teams from all over the world. The competition was founded in 2003 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is organised annually. Working over the summer at their local laboratories, participating teams aim to engineer biological systems and operate them in living cells. Besides research, the teams are encouraged to involve their local communities in the possibilities of synthetic biology by organising workshops and events.
Each iGEM year starts in September and is concluded in November of the next year, at the Giant Jamboree in Paris. During this 5-day event, the 300+ participating university teams present their project competing for prizes and medals.
Read more about the iGEM competition here.
Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary field involving the application of engineering principles to biology. It is the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems, and the re-design of existing biological systems for useful purposes.
Discover the possibilities of synthetic biology by learning about the current and previous projects here.
