Competition: The first of a 4-part series on iGEM 2021

by iGEM HQ

“This is not the old iGEM; this is the future iGEM"

- Randy Rettberg, President of iGEM Foundation

Here we are in the future, and iGEM 2021 promises to be bright as ever. This year, we will again embrace the 4 C’s of iGEM – Competition, Community, Contribution and Celebration – as we welcome returning and new iGEMers to the 2021 season.

Competition, the first of the 4C’s of iGEM, brings together teams from all over the world that use synthetic biology to solve local problems and tackle global challenges. By sharing their knowledge, skills and unique abilities, each team member contributes to the innovative capacity of the team as a whole, of iGEM as a community, and of the world at large. Through competition, iGEM teams advance the field of synthetic biology as they engineer biological systems to address biodiversity, clean water, climate change, food security, human health, and more.

The iGEM competition offers incentives, including special awards and medal criteria, to encourage and reward teams for excellence in synthetic biology both inside and outside of the lab. An international panel of judges evaluates each team’s work according to specific criteria that are updated annually to reflect the progress and challenges of the times (for example, please see the iGEM 2020 Judging Handbook). iGEM teams not only work to develop new or improved technologies for engineering biological systems, they also engage with their local communities, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders to explore the societal dimensions of their projects. To help teams overcome technical challenges and create projects that are responsible and good for the world, including support from the Safety & Security, Human Practices, Diversity & Inclusion, Engineering, and Video & Remote Technology Committees.

At iGEM, we are committed to working towards a fairer and more inclusive world, where synthetic biology is a tool developed and used responsibly by ever more diverse groups of people, in many more locations, to help address problems that affect their lives. The competition is therefore designed around our core values: integrity, good sportsmanship, respect, honesty, celebration, cooperation, effort, and excellence. iGEM’s Responsible Conduct Committee works to ensure these values are upheld by all, including the teams that compete, the instructors, judges, iGEM HQ and committee members that help the teams, the organizations or companies that support the iGEM competition, and our ever-growing After iGEM alumni.

We’re anticipating a tremendously positive and rewarding iGEM 2021 season. Teams will again showcase their work on the iGEM Video Universe to make iGEM accessible from everywhere in the world, free of ads, and open to everyone. We invite you to join us in creating the future iGEM in 2021!