iGEM Competition

The iGEM competition is a synthetic biology competition organized by the iGEM Foundation since 2004 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), mainly attended by undergraduate students. The iGEM foundation was founded at MIT and focused on synthetic biology and the iGEM competition. In 2012, the iGEM foundation left MIT and continued its activities as a non-profit organization, organizing competitions every year. Bronze, silver, and gold medals are awarded at the end of the competition if certain conditions are met. In addition to the first prize awards in specific tracks, awards such as best presentation and best poster are given to projects. The winner of the competition is awarded the grand prize.

Synthetic biology is a science that approaches biology from an engineering perspective and uses biotechnology to change existing organisms or produce new organisms for the benefit of humanity. Previous projects in the competition focused on producing solutions to daily problems using biotechnology techniques. Disease diagnosis, production of alternative energy sources, drug design and creation of new drug release mechanisms, solutions for environmental pollution, design of cosmetic products, development of agricultural and food products are examples.