iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine)

The international Genetically Engineered Machine “iGEM” competition provides an avenue for undergraduate research and technological advancement in the growing field of Synthetic Biology. On average, over 250 universities around the world participate each year. Each student team project aims to solve real-world problems such as environmental pollution, energy shortage, or develop new tools and methods for others to adopt in the area of Synthetic Biology and biotechnology. Students are involved in all aspects of the project, from sourcing of funds at the start to the reporting of the final result at the international Giant Jamboree event held in USA in October.
A significant part of iGEM involves the education and communication of science to both the scientific community and the general public. Apart from the expected ‘lab-based’ synthetic biology research experience, students also engage in a “Policy and Practice” component which must be linked to the goals of their research project. This component can involve a broad range of activities from public forum discussion and industrial collaborations to primary school and high school lectures or education camps.
Every iGEM student project is open source and available online in a wiki format on the iGEM web page. This allows current teams to build and collaborate on each other’s achievements; and also allows future teams to progress the research.