Aug 3

Aug 3 On the road to Paris: Why Paris?

“Paris is always a good idea”

— Audrey Hepburn, British actress and humanitarian

As we prepare for the iGEM 2022 Grand Jamboree, I’d like to share with you the exciting developments that lie ahead on the road to Paris. In this post, the first of a series, I focus on the question: Why Paris?

A look back

Many of you may be familiar with iGEM’s history, beginning in 2003 as a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and evolving to become the leading international synthetic biology organization, with world-class programs in technology, biosafety & biosecurity, policy, entrepreneurship, and more.

The iGEM Jamboree was hosted at MIT from 2003 until we outgrew the space a decade later.

iGEM’s flagship program is the iGEM Competition, which has influenced the lives and careers of over 70,000 participants in 46 countries and regions around the world. At the end of each iGEM Competition season, a Jamboree was held to celebrate the accomplishments of the iGEM teams. As iGEM grew and continued to evolve, so too did the Jamboree.

In 2014, the iGEM Jamboree outgrew the space available at MIT and the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA became the site for iGEM’s first Giant Jamboree – the largest synthetic biology gathering where researchers, industry, investors, startups, and policy makers came together to witness the future and celebrate the accomplishments of the iGEM teams.

In 2014, the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA became the site for iGEM’s first Giant Jamboree.

We anticipated that the iGEM Giant Jamboree would outgrow the Hynes Convention Center by 2020, and so embarked on a search for a location that would enable the vision of a bigger, more accessible, and sustainable iGEM.

Going Virtual

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, we began to implement some of the changes we had planned for iGEM in a much shorter time frame than anticipated, and fast-tracked our plans for increasing remote participation and video technology in iGEM. As a community, we made tremendous progress in making iGEM accessible to as many people around the world as possible – from the first online Opening Weekend Festival and the first iGEM Global Meet-up, to establishing the iGEM Video Universe and creating interactive spaces for the Virtual Giant Jamboree, including poster sessions, committee tables, sponsor booths, networking events, community gatherings, and more.

The Jamboree - Reimagined

Now, after 15 years in Boston and 2 years remotely, iGEM chose one of the most beautiful cities in the world and its Parc des Expositions to host the most important gathering for synthetic biology – the “iGEM Grand Jamboree” – where the future of synthetic biology will be showcased in 2022. Paris was chosen as the ideal location because it will best enable the vision of a bigger, more accessible and sustainable iGEM:

Larger capacity for growth: iGEM has booked the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles venue, which can accommodate as many as 10,000 people (more than double the capacity of the Hynes Convention Center in Boston), which will allow the Grand Jamboree to welcome other groups and expand the iGEM community.

Greater accessibility: Notwithstanding pandemic travel restrictions, the location in Europe allows for easier access for iGEM teams, judges and staff, with better support for obtaining travel visas and more affordable travel for European, Middle Eastern, African, and some Asian teams.

More sustainable: iGEM’s commitment to working towards a fairer more inclusive world, where synthetic biology is used by local people to solve local problems that help tackle global challenges is aligned with advances in Paris. For example, the acceptance of the need to face the climate crisis is reflected in The Paris Agreement and support for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is well established in Europe.

We are inviting the world to the iGEM 2022 Grand Jamboree to witness the future and interact with tomorrow’s leaders of synthetic biology. For the first time since the pandemic began, synthetic biology researchers, investors, industry reps, experts in governance and policy, and the public will convene at the iGEM 2022 Grand Jamboree to chart the future of synthetic biology. This year, nearly 400 multidisciplinary teams from 40+ countries will showcase their synthetic biology interventions for humanity’s most pressing problems, including conservation, agriculture, health, climate change, biomanufacturing, and more.

We’re excited that our community will once again be gathering in-person and look forward to welcoming you to the iGEM 2022 Grand Jamboree! We will livestream and/or record some events, including the Judging Sessions and the Awards Ceremony, to include those who are unable to travel. For more information visit the Jamboree website, and keep following the iGEM blog as we travel together on the road to Paris!

On an iGEM Competition Team? Check out these Grand Jamboree resources for teams.