Tracks/Community Labs

Please note that all information on this page is in a draft version.
Please check back often for details.

The iGEM Community Labs Track

Who is the Community Labs track for?

Everyone! The Community Labs track is open to any organization, Academic or otherwise, that would like to participate in iGEM.

What's this iGEM thing all about?

Some have said that Biotechnology is (Becoming) Technology?

Every year, thousands of students around the world put that notion to the test by designing and building biological machines in the annual iGEM competition, figuring out along the way how general engineering principles such as modularity, measurement, and abstraction can be used (or not) to successfully engineer living systems at a molecular level.

Since it’s inception in 2005, competing in iGEM (and receiving/remixing the remarkable library of approx. 2000 standard genetic “biobrick parts” at the heart of the competition) has been restricted primarily to college students hosted by academic biotechnology labs. The Community Labs track, first introduced in the 2014 competition (after a pilot in 2013?), opens the competition to a wider base of participants, with some restrictions (tl;dr any non-academic legal entity - llc, c-corp, etc with a BL-1 equivalent lab, safety plan, and multiple members).

There are some other new tracks, too, in addition to the “classic” tracks, but the Community Labs track is the only track open to non-academic teams. Teams develop their projects for several month over the spring and summer, then compete at the iGEM Jamboree for a variety of prizes:

  • A Bronze, Silver or Gold Medal, available non-exclusively to each team based on excellence.
  • A Best-of-Track Award awarded only to one of the teams in each track.
  • A variety of Special Prizes.
  • The iGEM Grand Prize.

For more info on Awards, Timeline, Cost, & Requirements, see below.

How do you “win” the Community Labs track?

By building something that radically increases access to the practice of Synthetic Biology consistent with iGEM’s core values of modularity and openness.

Biotechnology is expensive, arcane, and bespoke, in part because the tools needed to do the work have been optimized for their power to answer cutting-edge scientific questions, not their simplicity, affordability, or ubiquity. These tools complement their professional counterparts by supporting more informal, playful explorations of the technology space; together, they accelerate innovation.

Put more simply, a winning project will make synthetic biology more fun for everyone!

Examples

coming soon…


Community Lab track details

Community labs will be able to compete alongside traditional iGEM teams for the same prizes. Teams will be eligible for the Grand Prize, as well as other prizes such as the Best Human Practices, Best Software and Best Part awards.

If you participate in iGEM this season, we will ship you a copy of the 2015 distribution as well as fulfill any part requests for the duration of the competition. You get space on this 2015 wiki to display your project, a presentation slot and poster board at the Giant Jamboree.

Community Lab track requirements

In addition the the general requirements for all iGEM teams, Community Lab teams are required to complete the following:

  • Team composition. While there is no minimum number of team members, iGEM is a team competition and single individual entries will not be accepted. CL teams must have two advisors, one of which must be in the field of their chosen subject area.
  • Community Lab teams must demonstrate they have access to a BL 1 lab in order to receive a copy of the distribution.
  • Teams participating in the hardware aspect of the CL track are encouraged to bring their equipment to the Giant Jamboree. Teams may not bring live or inactive organisms as part of their equipment. This topic will be covered in more detail when evaluation criteria and awards are published.

As Community Lab teams are not operating within the framework offered by academic institutions, they must meet the following additional requirements:

  1. CL teams must be an incorporated entity (for profit or not-for-profit).
  2. CL teams must have a legal entity that has the ability to sign contracts.

Medal Criteria

Please see the Community Labs track medal page for more information.

Community Labs track Committee

We have a great committee to help coordinate this endeavor.