Thank you for making iGEM 2023 – the 20th year of iGEM – a year to remember!

As iGEM 2023, the 20th year of iGEM, comes to a close, all of us at iGEM HQ wish to express our appreciation for the many people who have dedicated their time, talent, work, and support in building a strong and vibrant synthetic biology research community and industry, and creating synthetic biology ecosystems around the world.

We are grateful for the many dedicated people who are essential in helping iGEM teams apply the tools of synthetic biology to solve local problems everywhere in the world, including:

• PIs, Advisors, and Mentors of the 2023 iGEM teams, who generously give their time and expertise in guiding the teams through the competition,

• Judges and members of the Judging Committee who bring their individual areas of special expertise and serve as master generalists in evaluating all aspects of a team's work.

• Members of the Safety & Security, Human Practices, Diversity and Inclusion, and Engineering Committees who create programing and guidelines to help teams navigate the many challenges in carrying out their iGEM project, and

• All those who participate in the iGEM Community, Technology, Responsibility, Startups, and Leagues programs that support teams in the iGEM Competition and help them continue their journey in creating a strong, responsible, and visionary synthetic biology ecosystem.

We appreciate the generous support of groups who aid iGEM teams in using synthetic biology to respond to the needs of their local communities, including:

• Impact Grants, funded by the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation of Research Corporation Technologies, Inc., to help support impactful iGEM projects in global pandemic response, climate change, agriculture, biomaterials, and other areas critical for the future of our world, and

• the Partners and Sponsors of the iGEM 2023 Competition that offer resources and support to help us continue to provide this unique and valuable experience to iGEMers worldwide.

2023 marked the 20th year of iGEM, truly a year to remember. A few highlights include:

• 2023 Grand Jamboree, the world expo of synthetic biology held at the Paris Porte de Versailles Expo, bringing together researchers, industry reps, startup founders, investors, journalists, experts in governance and policy, and the general public to chart the future of synthetic biology,

• 20th year of iGEM Exhibition, a walk through memory lane at the Grand Jamboree, featuring important moments and achievements in iGEM’s 20 year history,

• iGEM Community, open to anyone who has been part of iGEM or who wants to be engaged in iGEM related programming all around the world,

• Technology Program, cutting edge synthetic biology technologies to support the iGEM Competition and research community, including the iGEM 2023 Interlaboratory Study, and the iGEM 2023 Distribution, created in partnership with Asimov, who brought their best manufacturing practices, new automation workflows, and high quality control check points.

• Responsibility Program, a world class program pioneering what it means to innovate responsibly, and deliver biological solutions that are safe and secure, in a manner that is respectful and inclusive of people from many backgrounds, featuring the 2023 Responsibility Conference, co-organized with OECD as a platform for multi-stakeholder engagement to deliberate ongoing initiatives and emerging concerns in the realms of biorisk, biosecurity, and biosafety.

• iGEM Startups, the driving force behind hundreds of synthetic biology startup companies, supporting iGEM's entrepreneurial community, and accelerating the transition to a sustainable global bioeconomy, featuring the BioInnovation Fair, the Startups Showcase, and the BioHackathon.

• iGEM Leagues, expanding synthetic biology in emerging bioeconomies by featuring competition leagues in Latin America, Indonesia, and Middle East/North Africa, with plans to develop leagues in even more countries in the future,

Finally, we wish to thank the iGEM 2023 team members themselves who bring their best ideas, initiatives, and innovations to solve humanity’s most pressing problems using the tools of synthetic biology. 

iGEM is the heart of synthetic biology, and you are the heart of iGEM! Thanks to all of you from all of us at iGEM HQ!

P.S. Please note that iGEM HQ will be closed for the winter holidays from Dec 25 - Jan 2 (re-opening Jan 3). We look forward to working with you again and welcoming even more new iGEMers in the 2024 season!